Sat 18th July

Your mindset is this… there is still a day to recover; so start early and push on through. Who wants more? For the first time ever we open early, more jazz, more ale, more sun, a brand new line, a triple toast to top talent…

The Tim Dawes Trio with Jacqui Hicks 5.15 – 5.55 & 6.05 – 6.45

The Red Stripe Band 7.15 – 8.10 & 9.10 - 10.10

Laura B & The Moonlighters 8.15 - 9.05 & 10.15 - 11.15

TIM DAWES TRIO WITH JACQUI HICKS

Jacqui Hicks (vocals) Tim Lapthorne (piano), Tim Dawes (double bass)

Tim Dawes is an exceptionally accomplished double bass player with a line-up well known to the Oxford jazz circuit. His bass playing and jazz performances have been described as “wonderfully lyrical & lucid, understated… energetic & inventive”. This year he brings a laid back mix of swing, soul and blues to our early evening slot, with a few numbers you should recognise, and has hand picked top London Jazz vocalist Jacqui Hicks, especially for this years festival.

Jacqui is the vocalist about whom other jazz musicians sigh with relief when they hear she is on the same gig. She is totally in control and understands every nuance of the process of making jazz music – she is a musician’s musician as well as being an enormously popular entertainer, crowd pleaser and possessing an exquisitely beautiful voice.

“…responds thrillingly to the challenge of quite complex arrangements …confident and swinging… with assurance and flair” Jazz Express.

Contact details:

W: www.jacquihicks.com

E:

T: Tim Dawes on 07970 062729

THE RED STRIPE BAND

Our third new act for the RAAJ festival comes in the form of The Red Stripe Band. Described by Jazz FM as “The closest thing to Jools Holland and his big band” they are guaranteed to get anyone with a pulse up on the dance floor.

Heading up the band is ‘Red Stripe’ (Neil Drinkwater) “Eccentric raconteur and boogie woogie front man… engagingly infectious” Daily Mail, who formed the Red Stripe Band in 1994. They now regularly play at the top jazz festivals in the UK and beyond, being asked back year after year to deliver their unique and engaging show from Edinburgh to Brighton, Oslo to New York, Tokyo and Monte Carlo, as well as the famous “Le Scimmie” jazz club in Milan.

Their fun, upbeat mix of jazz styles and entertaining stage show will see out this year’s festival and take us merrily into the night, so get on your feet and enjoy the ride!

Contact details:

W: www.red-stripe.info

E: Go to website

T: Neil Drinkwater on 0207 434 1708 or 07768 907525

LAURA B AND THE MOONLIGHTERS

Laura B is the UK’s new diva of 50’s Rhythm and Blues!

Another new band for this year’s RAAJ festival, Laura B and the Moonlighters are an exciting seven-piece rockin’ and honkin’ rhythm and blues combo in the upbeat style of Ruth Brown, Big Maybelle and Lavern Baker. The Band is led by the talented and charismatic vocalist Laura B, backed by her all star band comprising of members of Ocean’s Seven, Juke Joint Jump, Sugar Ray’s Flying Fortress, The Big Six, Alabama Slammers and The Mike Sanchez Band, to name but a few. Also featuring the exceptional Henri Herbert at the boogie-woogie 88, Lady Laura and the guys guarantee a big beat sound and performance to match many of the great R’n’B artistes of the fifties.

Contact details:

W: www.laurabandthemoonlighters.co.uk

E: info@laurabandthemoonlighters.co.uk

T: Paul Richardson on 07904 119687

Some Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Yes we do have tickets on sale at the gate this evening (cash only).  It’s a lovely day so come on down.  Tickets cost £20 and get you entry to the festival and 6 wonderful hours of jazz.  Drinks and food are then purchased separately.

2. If you ordered your tickets after 6th July they will not have been posted.  Please give your name and receipt at the ticket desk next to the entrance to pick up your tickets.

3. Hills Meadow car park WILL stay open until after the conclusion of the festival so it is OK to park there - your car will not get locked in!!!

Tonight you can slip in to the weekend, sample that real ale, let your tapping feet and soul show you the way to that dance floor once more…

The Mission Hall Jazzband 7.15 – 8.10 & 9.10 – 10.10

The Dave Shepherd Dixielanders 8.15 - 9.05 & 10.15 - 11.15

THE MISSION HALL JAZZBAND

The Mission Hall Band is a happy band who genuinely enjoy what they do and this is very effectively communicated to their audiences.

Veterans of television and radio both here and abroad, they have built a reputation second to none at venues and jazz clubs throughout the land and were voted ‘Band of the Year’ at Nat Gonella’s own club at Gosport last year.

GERRY BROWN leads the band on trumpet. His forceful style and wicked sense of humour, not to mention his singing (forceful or wicked?) set the pace for the rest of the band who are:

MIKE SNELLING - Clarinet and Saxes. Toured with Gerry in the early sixties prior to taking up teaching and was one of the few musicians to turn down a job with the great Alex Welsh Band. He retired as Deputy Head of a large comprehensive school, where he was regarded with a mixture of awe and disbelief, and is now just playing, teaching reeds and cooking curries. His major influences are his wife, Ed Hall, his wife, Archie Semple, his wife, Benny Goodman and his wife!

MIKE BLAKESLEY - Trombone. Toured for 3 years with Gerry Brown Jazzmen in the early sixties including the Louis tour. Has since led his own band, played with Harry Strutters, Colin Bryant on QE 2 for 18 years (!). He was with the Mission Hall Band for 13 years in the 70’s and 80’s

DAVIE BROOMFIELD - Banjo and Guitar (but not both together). A founder member of the band and a devotee of New Orleans music. He loves to see audiences dancing and his driving style propels the band along like a storm powder.

RAY BALL - Drums. To say that Ray is somewhat eccentric would be the understatement of the millennium. He toured with Gerry and Louis in the sixties and has since worked with Roy Pellett, Al Grey, Benny Waters and Scott Hamilton. Ray is one of that rare breed who treat a drum kit as a musical instrument and his sensitive, responsive and dynamic style is responsible for the freedom that one senses in the band’s performance; which is amazing because if his drum kit was a horse it would be put down.

PETER McCURRIE - Double Bass. Peter has had a versatile music career covering folk, rock, cabaret, church choirs and Bavarian oompah bands. In the 70’s he was principal tuba with Freckleton Silver Prize Brass Band, around the same time playing with Shep’s Banjo Band and Your Father’s Moustache. The 80’s saw him ‘come out’ as a double bass player. He spent 16 years with the Roy Pellet Hot Four playing the tuba and appeared on a local TV series with’Humph’.

Contact details:

W: www.missionhalljazz.homecall.co.uk

E: michael.blakesley@homecall.co.uk

T: Mike Blakesley on 02380 813672

THE DAVE SHEPHERD DIXIELANDERS

Dave Shepherd (Clarinet); Chris Walker (Baritone Sax); Roy Williams (Trombone); Enrico Tomasso (Trumpet); Nick Dawson (Piano); Harvey Weston (Bass); Martin Guy (Drums).

In one form or another Dave Shepherd is synonymous with RAAJ; third year running for his Dixielanders, an essential ingredient.

Dave Shepherd’s youthful experience with Freddy Randall’s band led to stints with Jazz at the Philharmonic in Europe, tours with Teddy Wilson and later with Ruby Braff, Bud Freeman, Barney Kessel and many others. He was a member of Britain’s greatest Jazz Band in the seventies and led the Pizza Express All Stars from 1981 to 2001. He is still a member of the Great British Jazz Band, and makes guest appearances with many bands across the country. For the Festival, Britain’s leading Dixieland clarinettist leads an all star band, which features Enrico Tomasso on trumpet, Chris Gower on trombone, Chris Walker on baritone sax and Nick Dawson on piano (and vocals).

The name of Dave Shepherd is synonymous with the very best taste in music and he is well known for his swinging clarinet led quintet. Not so well known is his dedication to Dixieland Music. It was Dave who convinced the legendary trumpet star Freddy Randall to reform a Dixieland band back in 1972. Since those heady days Dave has been at the forefront of British Dixieland jazz both as a band leader and as a member of The Great British Jazzband, The Post Office Band and The Best of British Jazz.

Tonight Dave presents his current Dixieland Band drawn from the cream of British jazz stars some of whom have been voted best in Britain on their respective instruments.

Contact details:

T: Dave Shepherd on 01425 627107

We have two fantastic bands to kick off the festival this year. Both are returning from last year and they absolutely raised the roof and filled the dance floor. on Thursday and Friday last year. This year we have them both on the same night for what is guaranteed to be an awesome night of swing and energetic jazz.

This is the night to really boogie, to really strut your stuff, to jive like you never jived before. Show us that Thursday night energy, that pre-weekend enthusiasm; Friday at work doesn’t matter…

The Dr Teeth Big Band 7.15 – 8.10 & 9.10 – 10.10

The Jive Aces 8.15 - 9.05 & 10.15 - 11.15

The Jive Aces

Ian Clarkson (Trumpet, Vocals); Alex Douglas (Trombone); Big John Fordham (Saxes & Clarinet); ‘Prof’ Vince Hurley (Piano); Ken Smith (Double Bass); Peter Howell (Drums).

It’s the fourth year in a row at RAAJ for the Jive Aces, and we love ‘em. We love ‘em because you love ‘em. With their entourage of local Reading based dancers from www.alljazzedup.com they are sure to set the evening off once more… we just can’t get enough!

These guys work their yellow suits and socks off; performing over 300 shows a year in, so far, over 25 different countries.

A group of lads from London were drawn together by their love for a style and music that outclassed anything around. The music was hot jive that had the beat, energy and enthusiasm of rock ‘n’ roll and the fun and rhythm of big band swing all rolled into one.

They began as the “Aces of Rhythm”, a guitar based rhythm band which was later added to by horns becoming the “Emperors of Rhythm”. Soon they had a good following in London and changed their name again to the “Blues Busters”. This latest name change didn’t last long, however, as there was already a band of the same name. By popular request they recorded their first vinyl single and the record company wanted to know what to call the band as they had the disc on the press and no name. “The something Aces” said Ian hastily, “but what?” “Jive! The Jive Aces” shouted Ken down the phone to the record company. And so the Jive Aces were born. After the release of their first CD, “Jumpin’ with the Aces” in 1992, the groups’ popularity spread like wildfire throughout Europe and the UK and since that time they have continued to tour every year.

Contact details:

W: www.jiveaces.com

E: band@jiveaces.com

T: Peter Howell on 07793 122 646

The Jive Aces on Facebook

The Dr Teeth Big Band

The Doctor (Vocals); Simon ‘The Duke of’ Kemp (Piano, Harmonica, Dodgy facial hair); Sheepy Parva, (Guitar, backing vocals); Chris ‘The Jive Lobster’ Mapp (Double Bass, Vocals and Choreography); Morton Pinkney (Drums’n'Money); Mike “Double Meat” Addlington, Mikea Addlington or Metal Mike Addlington (Trumpet, Ska Appreciation, Depravity); Jay “Choo Choo Cha” Moody (Tenor Saxophone, Ad Hoc Choreography); Simon “Let the Good Times” Robilliard (Trombone, Band Welfare); Paul ‘The Apostle’ Evans (Master of all); Sean ‘Walls of Jehrico’ Joshua (Paul’s groupie).

The Dr Teeth Big Band brings you an intoxicating mix of non-stopjumpjive, swingboogiewoogie and rhythm & blues we call “newbreedswing.” Third year running for Dr Teeth, but the first Thursday night for them, and lined up with Jive Aces there might well be an explosion of music… we can’t contain ourselves, nor should you!

The band was formed over seven years ago to reinvent the great sound of jazz/blues and swing and serve it up for the new millennium. If you hear bands play music from the 40s and 50s these days it often sounds like it should be in a museum! But not with these guys!

This band plays with an energy and enthusiasm that is infectious. So, chuck out those tired jive compilations and turn off the X factor. For some hard hitting-smart arsed-driving-soulfull-boogielitious music, Insist on… The Dr Teeth Big Band

Contact details:

W: www.thedrteethbigband.com

E: thedr@thedrteethbigband.com

T: Stephen Steinhaus on 07960 684518

The Dr Teeth Big Band on Facebook

Buy Tickets

You can buy tickets for tonight’s festival online from our website until 5pm if you want to pay by credit card. After that there are still tickets available to purchase on the gate (cash only) so feel free to just turn up if the mood takes you!

If you want to sample a slice of festival atmosphere check out this video on You Tube taken by one of our customers at last year’s festival.

Our beers making a first appearance are from the following breweries: Chiltern (nr Aylesbury); Dark Star (nr Haywards Heath); Downton (south of Salisbury) and Meantime (Greenwich), who were voted Brewer of the Year 2008, by the Beer Writers Guild. We also have a welcome return to Everards (Tiger and Sunchaser) as well as Wadworth’s 6X.

The stronger (ABV 5.0%+) ales are Dark Star - Original, Fullers - ESB, Ringwood - Old Thumper, and St Austell - HSD.

Here’s a few personal selections from our full range to tempt your taste buds.

First up are a couple of blondes. Did you know that one in two women and six out of ten 25-34 year olds also prefer blonde beer? And, that 48% of people trying real ale for the first time prefer blonde beer? Not surprisingly as these are a perfect introduction to real ale for those who’ve never tried one of our finest traditions before.

Rebellion Blonde (ABV 4.3%)

[Editor's note - Might as well include my favourite! This has been one of our best sellers over the years. This is a lovely refreshing ale with warm caramel flavours]

The launch of the Rebellion Beer Company in 1993 marked the revival of Marlow’s illustrious brewing tradition dating back over 240 years. The town’s position in the chalky Chiltern Hills means that the local water, used for brewing, is high in the minerals & salts essential for producing distinctive, high quality traditional ales

Blonde is a light coloured, thirst quenching premium ale that utilises equal proportions of lager and bitter malts in its production process to give a distinctive, flavoursome brew.

EVERARDS Sunchaser (ABV 4.0%)

William Everard brewed his first pint of Everards ale in 1849, and stated “No efforst shall be found wanting in the production and supply of genuine ale of first rate quality”.

Today, 160 years later, in its fifth generation as an independent family brewery, Everards brewery is very much family run company with values that echo that of William the founder family member.

Sunchaser blonde is golden straw coloured, thirst quenching beer made in the style of a continental lager. First brewed in 2006 it smells delicate and with a hint of citrus fruit. Hence you will find subtle zesty fruit flavours and a little sweetness within.

DARK STAR Hophead (ABV 3.8%)

The Dark Star Brewing Company was born in 1994 in the cellar of The Evening Star Pub, in Brighton. With a brew plant only marginally bigger than an enthusiastic home-brew kit the characteristic style of hoppy beers was developed and tried out on the willing guinea pigs at the bar.

Within a few hard working years it was obvious that the brewery could not keep up with the growing thirst of the Evening Star’s drinkers, yet alone the demand for its beers from other local pubs and beer festivals.

In 2001 the brewery relocated to a new purpose built 15 brewers barrel brewery in Ansty, near Haywards Heath, from where it still supplies the Evening Star with a selection of its beers, along with its sister pubs.

Hophead is an extremely clean drinking pale gold coloured ale with a strong floral aroma and elderflower notes. This beer is full bodied despite its very quaffable strength and dryness.

Adnams & Co plc Explorer (ABV 4.3%)

Adnams beers have been famous since 1872, when George and Ernest Adnams bought the brewery. They remain proudly independent but, also, Adnams is available not only in our 83 pubs across East Anglia and in London, but also in over 5,000 pubs nationwide. They are coming towards the end of a six-year programme of refurbishment in Southwold. By 2007, they expect to be the most energy efficient brewer in the country.

It’s not often that a Managing Director tells his Head Brewer to go off and discover, but that’s exactly what happened with this beer: Adnams Explorer, the result of “brewer’s playtime” as the head brewer affectionately calls it. With hops sourced from across the Atlantic for a new fruity, citrussy flavour, Adnams Explorer blends together Chinook and Columbus hops to create a beer that is light and refreshing. Hops are used both in the copper and in the cask to create a mix of the traditional brewing quality, and the contemporary flavours of the New World.

BATEMAN’S BREWERY LTD Dark Mild (ABV 3.0%)

George Bateman joined his father at the brewery in 1950 as Executive Director in charge of the commercial side of the brewery. He had trained as a brewer at Green’s Brewery in Luton and Kelsey’s of Tunbridge Wells, unfortunately neither brewery are around today. After training he was offered a job as Managing Director of a new brewery which was being built near Grantham, Lincolnshire. However, his roots were strongly embedded in Batemans Brewery and he also did not want to enter any arrangement, which did not include his brother. Until 1953, fermentation had taken place in the same cask in which it went out into the trade. The casks were stacked on pine troughs in such a way that the fermenting beer would flow out of the bunghole and down the belly of the cask. It was then topped up by a can from the trough at the peak of fermentation every two hours, day and night. The horror of this became apparent in the summer as this took place in ground floor room where the heat of the atmosphere and fermentation would take the temperature up to 25C. To try and keep the rooms as cool as possible, every Spring he would spend a day white washing the slates. This effort was pretty fruitless and the answer years later lay in the purchase of a stainless steel fermenting vessel.

Dark Mild is a creamy mild with a fruity palate, some roast character and a hoppy finish. Dark Mild has been voted Mild of the Year by CAMRA three times

HOP BACK BREWERY First Gold (ABV 3.8%)

Hop Back is derived from the name of the vessel in which the hop cones are strained from the finished beer.

First Gold is a pale chestnut ale with a soft bitterness and an interestingly fruity spicy palate with orangey citrus notes. First Gold is a very new variety which was only released for general cultivation in 1997, having been bred at Wye HRI in Kent from a Goldings and a dwarf male hop. It is a true dwarf variety, which means it is grown on a low trellis rather than the traditional tall framework. First Gold has proved popular with the brewing industry; it yields well and has a fair resistance to Verticillium Wilt

TIMOTHY TAYLOR & CO LTD Landlord (ABV 4.3%)

In 1858 Timothy Taylor began brewing beer in the West Riding town of Keighley. The spring water that wells up from deep under the Pennines is still used today to produce the traditional cask ales. The brewery remains in the Taylor family and is now the last independent brewery of its type left in West Yorkshire.

A Classic Strong Pale Ale, Landlord has won more awards nationally than any other beer: This includes four times as Champion at the Brewers’ International Exhibition and four times as CAMRA’s beer of the year. Refreshing, has a complex and hoppy aroma

More about our Beers

We hope that selection’s given you a taster of what we have to offer. Come along to the festival and find out about our full range (listed on our beers page)

Programmes will be on sale at the festival containing full beer descriptions of all our breweries and beers and also our tasting notes pages with space for you to make your own notes on the beers you sample.

Beer Alternatives

For those who don’t like real ale don’t fear.  If you are feeling adventurous why don’t you start with a half of Rebellion Blonde (described above), a good intro to real ale.  Alternatively just ask our friendly serving staff what’s a good ale to try.  You can order a half pint and give it a go.  If you really don’t want to try head over to the wine bar where the committee have made a selection of wines for you to enjoy and also champagne.  We also sell a few varieties of cider and Becks bottled lager and soft drinks - so even if the ales aren’t for you there is plenty to quench your thirst.

Buy Tickets

Tickets for the festival can be purchased from the following locations priced at £15 for Thursday and £20 for Friday/Saturday:

• Online from our website
• Hickies Music Store, Reading
• 3 Ways Physiotherapy, Woodley
• Black Horse Pub, Emmer Green
• On the gate each evening (cash only).

Our advance purchase ticket price offer ends this weeked so if you want to take advantage of our discounted prices then buy your tickets for the festival by the end of this week to save.  If a group of you are going call our hotline, or visit one of our ticket outlets to take advantage of our group saver deal when buying more than 5 tickets and save even more.  See our tickets page for more information.

For your information we are no longer posting tickets out as we cannot guarantee delivery so any tickets ordered will now be held for collection.  you can collect tickets from the Box Office any night of the festival, or if you want to collect tickets earlier you can visit us on site at any time during festival week.

Please note there is also a misprint on the Saturday night tickets which still state that the doors open at 7pm.  That is so last year!!  Given our extra band this year the gates open at 5pm on Saturday for an extra 2 hours of jazz and ale summer fun.

We look forward to welcoming you to the festival next week.

The Jive Aces, The Doctor Teeth Big Band, The Mission Hall Jazzband, The Dave Shepherd Dixielanders, Jacqui Hicks & The Tim Dawes Trio, The Red Stripe Band, Laura B & The Moonlighters.  Discover our bands for 2009…