What is the Bonn English Network?

Bonn English Network alias  BEN began as a printed monthly newsletter in 1999 following the British Embassy move to Berlin as well as  the American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand .. the list is endless .. Embassies.  Local expats were in a quandry. How were we all going to keep in touch with one another?  The many international and English-speaking clubs and associations  wondered how they could attract new  members and promote their events.  So I  started publishing a simple A4 sized newslettter in bright pink (easy to find !) and called it Bonn English Newsletter.

Alex at the English Shop in Cologne sponsored a six month trial of KEN (K for Cologne) for  customers which is how John  Hurd who picked up a KEN in the English Shop and I connected.  Eventually BEN went online.

John Hurd has been writing & reviewing regularly for BEN for about five years.  He is a keen photographer and his band reviews are extremely popular with the bands as well as BEN readers. l

The Webmaster is Steve – another Brit in Bonn – there are a lot of us about.  Hope you enjoy our articles and do let us have your features, views, news.

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Rod Mason – 5 go to the Harmonie

Jazz people certainly look different.  You couldn’t mistake these concert goers for rock, blues or classical fans.  Maybe Country & Western at a pinch…  Certainly I feel younger this evening than at the previous visit of the new ‘Young Blues’ scene.  This time around my oldest tie would actually be younger than a lot of the musicians and a large part of the audience.  There are bistro tables and seats but hey, I’m young, I can stand all night, no problem here buddy.

Showtime isn’t pre-empted by dimming of lights or abrupt ends to loud background tapes.  This is jazz.  It’s pre-empted instead by the musicians stepping quietly onstage.  Not even a chance to ‘plug and play’ unless Fraser Gartshores piano is electric.  I begged beforehand to hear a few songs with the word ‘blues’ in them but first up is ‘Panama Rag’.   I advise jazz fans to check out YouTube for a great video of Rod, looking uncannily like a young Gunther Netzer,  doing this with Acker Bilk in 1973.  Chicago Jazz is not really my cup of tea.  It tends to rely too much on an ‘oompahing’ sort of beat for my liking.  Rod and his band though I can listen to easily because of the quality of musicianship that runs overtop the rhythm.  His own trumpet/clarinet abilities are beyond question but in John Mortimer, Andy Leggett and Sean Moyses he has three equally proficient men to back him up.  Andy Leggett even managed the odd little dance during numbers that showed his love for the music is as great as his ability to play his clarinet and saxophone.  John Mortimer on the other hand looks much more serious – no little dances from his side of the stage, just a serious grimace as he blasts air into his trombone. It’s all the more surprising then when he whips out a harmonica and blasts out a fiery blues solo that Kim Wilson of The Fabulous Thunderbirds would have been proud of.

The band are playing to the converted.  Everyone in the audience seems to know everybody else like it’s a street party.  When Rod sings ‘Happy Birthday’ for someone at the front table I feel like I’m the only one who doesn’t know who he’s talking about.  By the evenings end we’ve had a lively version of ‘Blueberry Hill’ (which almost has the word ‘Blues’ in it) and Sean has sung “A talking picture of you’ with such a timepiece feel to it that I swear the stage turned a washed out shade of sepia complete with torn edges.

Still ‘blowing’ strong – Rod Mason

An enjoyable evening then, even for a less ‘Jazzified’ person like myself.  I ask the musicians afterwards things that have been on my mind all evening.  “Yes it does a bit” is Clive’s answer to my “Doesn’t it get heavy, that Sousaphone on your shoulder for hours on end?”  Then he points to his picture behind the bar and says “but that one is even older, and even HEAVIER!”  Clive must be mad then?  But actually, as Sean points out later, there is method to the madness of these sousaphone/banjo wielding men.  “Guitar players are ten a penny – but banjo and sousaphone players will always find a gig” On the subject of Sean Moyses and pennies, I am shown the love of Seans life – she is shiny, sexy, made from mother of pearl and shimmers cheekily from the back of his custom banjo.  Her full name is ‘Pietsch Master Vox 7 Art Deco’, but I think ‘Pearl’ would be friendlier?  Since my visit to the International Banjo
Festival a few years ago though I know she is in very good hands.  I wonder aloud if the long term future of New
Orleans/Chicago jazz has any young hands to hold it safely in the future?  For now though Rod Mason and his band play with all the enthusiasm of young men and hopefully that will rub off on the youngsters who sit with their mums and dads on the KAH roof for Jazz this Summer.

Sean Moyses and ‘Pearl’

Gallery

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