Friday night was the first event of Barton's Ted Lewis Jazz Festival, starring Snake Davis and the Steve Walker Milestones. I've heard Snake play lots of times, and he's an amazing saxophonist in lots of genres, so I was very pleased to be asked to help out as staff - I could hear the music without paying!
Steve Walker and Snake Davis
The great Snake Davis himself 
As it turned out, I certainly did, but I've paid for it - didn't get to bed till midnight, which as a Grumpy Old Woman is a bit of a shock.The music was great though, and the festival stocked Jack Carter Ale - a special brew by Tom Wood breweries, and definitely one of the best brews I've tasted.
On Saturday there was just time to get a little shopping in, before we staff turned up for the second day of the festival. Julie Edwards Quartet was followed by Ron Burnett's Mardi Gras Band. Again, I've heard Julie and her friends play on several occasions, and I love their sound. I hadn't heard Ron Burnett play before, and I wouldn't normally like that kind of jazz, but they were lovely guys and very professional. Ron Burnett played in Ted Lewis' Unity Jazz Band, and they had a guest trombonist, Alan Dickinson, who also played with Ted.
My role as staff was basically serving in the cafe area. We were serving locally made food - meat pies from a local butcher and vegetarian chilli bean casserole, made by my cheffy husband. I couldn't object to being thrown out of the kitchen when he makes food like that! Everyone seemed to enjoy it, especially many of the band members, which was nice.
The evening kicked off with the Wendy Kirkland Quartet with Pat Sprakes and finished with Will Robinson’s Southside New Orleans Band. Will had been around for much of the day, listening to the other bands. He was a very nice bloke and it was a shame that Barton couldn't give him as big an audience as earlier in the weekend. I wasn't much help, because after being around all weekend I didn't have the energy to clap! However, we enjoyed the music and after helping everyone cart their equipment down the stairs, we staggered home for another late night.
Sunday's brass came from the Remembrance Day events. As a Town Councillor, I was on the march to the Cenotaph, remembrance service there, then back to the church for the church service. The Salvation Army and Barton Town Band members provided the musical accompaniment, and it was very moving to see all the young people - army cadets, St John Ambulance cadets, scouts and guides of all ages, and many others who had just come with their families. There must have been around 400 people at the cenotaph, which is wonderful. My family was lucky and we didn't lose anyone in the Great Wars, but some of the previous generation fought and they are now all dead, so it is a good opportunity to remember them all.
To round off the weekend, I've just got home after undertaking the Ted Lewis Walk - a guided tour around Barton, explaining the sites with links to Ted himself. If you haven't heard of Ted, he wrote the book which became "Get Carter" when the movie industry found it. Michael Caine played Carter in a film where the locations were moved from Scunthorpe to Newcastle. The final scene, which should have been on the Humber Bank according to Ted's book, was on a beach in the northeast, but the film has apparently lost little of Ted's style. I haven't yet had time to read it, but I'm looking forward to doing so. Ted sounds to have been a pretty charismatic lad, and his friends still remember him with affection. He died young, which is a great sadness.
So - a weekend in the life of a Grumpy Old Woman! If any of my colleagues are reading this, don't expect too much next week ;)
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