Jazz Mondays

This was the Dave Shepherd Quartet performing "Puttin' on the Ritz" at the Cliff House Hotel, Barton-on-Sea. And very good they were too.

The hotel hosts Jazz Monday lunches, where you can enjoy a lovely 2 or 3 course meal whilst listening to this fantastic jazz quartet.

My Dad (bless him) was a huge jazz fan and could play the clarinet a treat. Dad went to school with Johnny Dankworth and apparently, Dave Shepherd (clarinettist here) was inspired to take up the instrument and play jazz after hearing Johnny Dankworth.

Two months prior to my visit, my father-in-law went along to enjoy the jazz lunch and it turned out he did his national service at the same time and in the same place as Dave Shepherd.

Small world, eh?

P.S. One of my Dad's favourite jazz numbers was The Saints, which he used to sing very enthusiastically to "lull" me to sleep when I was tiny and we had it played at his funeral for him...and the quartet kindly played it for us as a request. Lovely.