The Rotary Club of Corringham Thameside

Gateway FM has been awarded a five year licence by OFCOM and will commence broadcasting on a regular basis from late September. A new wavelength has been allocated for this – 97.8fm. The Rotary Club of Corringham Thameside will be presenting a regular weekly show – Gateway to Jazz which will be introduced by David Fenn. It will be a two hour show bringing you the very best from the world of jazz, including not only the established stars of this genre but local and up and coming musicians too. A regular feature will be Jazz in the hit parade from 1924. Watch this space for more information !

 I don’t know about you, but I’m beginning to have withdrawal symptons since “Gateway to Jazz” went off air in July.  But don’t despair, I’ve just started preparing the next series which will go live for four weeks commencing Wednesday 2nd December at 7 p.m.

I’ll be introducing a number of new features as well as highlighting the bands you can hear at local jazz venue’s, I’ve included a spot for jazz versions of negro spirituals and there will be a spot to highlight jazz from overseas with bands from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, France and as far away as Australia.  I will be arranging a number of interviews with people associated with the local jazz scene, including both musicians and promotors.If you’ve ever wondered what was in the hit parade from 1927 onwards, I’ve even included a spot to highlight that. 

You will be surprised what great music made up the charts so long ago, and it was jazz. Remember to tune in on 87.7 fm on Wednesday evenings from 7p.m. until 9 p.m. to hear the very best of red hot music that is jazz, brought to you by the Rotary Club of Corringham Thameside and introduced by yours truly David Fenn.

Join me then.

I’m just beginning to record the next series of Gateway to Jazz which will be broadcast each Wednesday evening from 7p.m. commencing on 1st July.
This series will include some exciting new features. In programme one I will be taking listeners on a musical tour of New Orleans. Starting at Perdido Street where the young Louis Armstrong grew up, then we take in South Rampart Street, Canal Street and Basin Street, along with the appropriate music. We then enter “the French Quarter”, pass along Bourbon Street and on through St. Phillip’s Street, Burgundy Street and St. Peter’s Street where we drop into Preservation Hall to hear the band. After that it’s Decatur Street, Moon Walk and across the river to Algiers and The Jazz Walk of fame and Mardi Gras World. After all of that you will know what it means to miss New Orleans. In addition I’ll be looking at the stars of the saxaphone and I’ll be interviewing local jazz pianist David Browning.
Next we will concentrate on the phenomena that is the New Orleans Jazz Funeral, you’ve all seen the jazz funeral in the Bond movie “Live and Let Die”. This is your opportunity to learn what really happens, its origins and rituals and of course, the music. I will also interview David Nathan, the archivist at the National Jazz Archive in Loughton.
Show three starts in the early days of New Orleans jazz and charts the spread of jazz across America. You’ll be able to hear some of the unsung heroes of this music. We’ll be playing tracks by the Carolina Cottonpickers, Alphonse Trent Orchestra and Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys and many more. We’ll be exploring the influence of corrupt politicians and the gangland hoodlums on jazz. Lots of music, and yes there will be some Boogie Woogie and Bebop. For something entirely different, I’ll be talking to two youngsters from Chalvedon School in Basildon as they try to understand what jazz is all about. And that’s followed up with a look at the jazz records that made the charts in the 20’s and 30’s, remeber, this was considered the pop music of its day.
Our last show in this series concentrates on all that is good in British Jazz, we will be featuring local bands and musicians as well as those who grace the numerous jazz clubs, festivals and jazz weekend breaks. And have I got a treat in store for you. I will be interviewing a giant of British jazz who is celebrating 60 years of jazz this year. A man who has stayed the course through all the trends, has influenced the evolution of British jazz and he’s a big hero of mine. To find out who it is, I’m afraid you will have to tune in to find out.
We’ll be keeping you up to date on what’s going on locally. So join me, David Fenn on behalf of the Rotary Club of Corringham Thameside and enjoy our next series of Gateway to Jazz on 87.7fm commencing on 1st July 2009.

“Gateway to Jazz”, the programme that is brought to you by the Rotary Club Of Corringham Thameside and is broadcast on 87.7FM by Gateway FM, will feature an interview with jazz legend Mr Acker Bilk M.B.E. M.A. on Wednesday 17th December 2008 from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. Acker will be interviewed by our regular presenter Rotarian David Fenn.

Acker, born in Pensford, Somerset on 28th January 1929 and was given the names Bernard Stanley by his parents, but was known as “Acker” from a very young age. Acker is Somerset for “friend” or “mate”, and that fits well with this popular and likeable man.

Recognised throughout the world by his trade mark bowler hat and snazzy waistcoats, David will ask the great man about the origins of the form of dress, as well as enquiring about the origins of his enormous hit record “Stranger on the Shore”. Find out what Acker’s favourite recordings are, his favoured venues, how he got started and why he chose jazz.

We will also be playing a number of his recordings, covering the sixty years he has been in the entertainment industry. The show will also include plenty of other red hot music.

Acker is due to appear in concert with Kenny Ball at the Orchard Theatre in Dartford on the 31st January 2009, a great opportunity to hear two of Britain’s finest jazz musicians on the same stage.

Don’t forget to tune into “Gateway to Jazz” every Wednesday from the 3rd December 2008 from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. and particularly to the show featuring Acker Bilk on the 17th. We can promise you the very best from the world of jazz.

Hope to join you there.

Another seris of “Gateway To Jazz” will be broadcast on 87.7FM from Wednesday 3rd of December through to the 24th December 2008. This series will be on air from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m.
As usual, the programme will be bring you the very best of jazz, with views, news and interviews. We have retained our featured artist spot, which in this series will include Ella Fitzerald and Thomas “Fats” Waller.
The music will concentrate mainly on British jazz bands that are currently operating on the national jazz circuit and can often be heard at local jazz venues. These include the Hugh Rainey Jazz Band, Phil Mason’s New Orleans All Stars with Christine Tyrrell, The Gambit Jazz Band, John Maddocks Jazzmen, Dave Stradwick’s Sussex Jazz Kings, as well as an interview with singer Carol Braithwaite who features regularly at the Leigh Estuary Jazz Club.
We shall also offer a trip down memory lane, with records of the old favourites from the 50’s & 60’s, even a bit of skiffle. We will also include a tribute to Humphrey Lyttleton, George Melly and Oscar Peterson who have sadly passed away during the last twelve months.
On Christmas Eve I will be playing 26 of my favourite jazz recordings, and I promise you it will include something for everybody. So don’t forget to tune in every Wednesday from the 3rd at 7 p.m. on Gateway FM broadcasting on 87.7FM. Your chance to loosten up, tap your feet and enjoy some really red hot music, all courtesey of the Rotary Club of Corringham Thameside.
See you then – David Fenn