Gig round-up: May

Some great gigs to report on from May.

We made two Sunday afternoon trips up to Yorkshire - the first to Seven Jazz in Leeds, and the second to Pave Bar in Hull.

The Hull gig coincided with the final game for Hull City in the premiership, so the bar was unusually full with expectant Tigers fans. An interesting atmosphere to play some intimate jazz to! Kick-off was mid-way through the second set, so at least our last set and a half of music-making happened in peace!

The following weekend, we had a fabulous trip to Jersey, playing 3 different hotels in as many days. The audiences were receptive, generous and large, and much credit goes to my wonderful sister, Clare, who put us up and helped with a great deal of promotion for this terrific trip.

Our return from Jersey was nearly hugely delayed owing to a certain angry volcano. However, we made it back in time on Monday evening to have at least a day's rest before setting off to Scarborough on Wednesday 19th May. What a great venue! We had an incredibly enjoyable gig and, judging by the club's review, the audience did too! (Click here to read the review)

The following day we had an afternoon gig at the beautiful Sewerby Hall, just south of Scarborough. The event was well-attended, which was a relief to me because we had competition in Scarborough from one of the world's most famous women... the town was enjoying a visit from the Queen!! Nevertheless, our afternoon concert was an incredible success - both for the attention of the audience and the attractive surroundings. That evening, we finished off the mini-tour with a great evening of jazz in Hebden Bridge, joined this time by the superb saxophonist Dave O'Higgins.

One of my favourite gigs on the tour so far has been in the Wayfarer's Arcade at the Southport Jazz Festival. This beautiful Victorian arcade (click here for more info) housed a band stand and plenty of seating for passers by, shoppers, or jazz fans to listen for some or all of our concert. It was a delightful setting, and the architecture made for optimum natural reverb! A real Sunday afternoon treat.

Album tour - report and forthcoming performances

My album tour kicked off on 25th April, with a performance at Clare Jazz. This is the jazz club in Clare College, Cambridge and it's run by a fantastic group of students who keep the weekly venture going.

It's the youngest jazz crowd I have ever played to!

Since then, we have been to Leeds (Seven Jazz - wonderful venue and terrific gig) and Hull. The Hull gig was great, although it was in a music bar where we were competing with crowds of Tigers fans who were preparing for their last Premier League game this season.

One such fan came up to me after the first set and said "You deserve a medal for carrying on with all that noise!" Quite.

During the second set they dribbled away, leaving behind a civilized group of eagerly listening jazz fans. Highly recommended on a day when Hull City are not playing!

Our forthcoming gigs can all be found on the gigs page of my website: www.sarahellenhughes.co.uk/gigs.

If you have friends or family in other corners of the country who may be interested in seeing some good jazz, then please direct them to the gig info.