Yamaha Education News

Bull's Head Jazz Club celebrates 50th birthday with Yamaha

The Bull's Head in Barnes, one of the UK's most established and respected live jazz venues will mark fifty years of promoting great jazz and blues this November with an extraordinary programme of events to celebrate the landmark, in the venue's 'Yamaha Jazz Room'.

Founder Dan Fleming has devised a three-week long festival programmed in their 'Yamaha Jazz Room'. A launch party kicks off festivities on November 12th with the party continuing throughout the month. Many great artists will be helping Dan to mark the occasion including Lanny Morgan, Don Weller, Vic Ash, Peter King, Art Themen, Guy Barker, Stan Tracey and Sheila Jordan.

The venue has consistently promoted live jazz seven days a week, often with twice-daily performances, whcih has given rise to an international reputation amongst artists and jazz lovers. The 'Yamaha Jazz Room' has a rich heritage of performances from some of the world's greatest jazz musicians, including Al Cohn, Conti Condoli, Shorty Rogers, Herb Geller, Billy Mitchell, Lanny Morgan, Charlie Rouse, Ronnie Scott, Don Weller and Peter King. Long-time supporter Yamaha will be coming to the party on the 16th November with a very a special piano night billed as 'Hot Pianos'.

The Bull's Head, established in 1684, became a jaz club in 1959, when the pub's then-owner and jazz aficionado, Albert Tolley, decided to bring modern jazz to the venue. Over the past 27 years current owner Dan Fleming has ensured that the modern jazz greats continue to play in this esteemed venue, whilst also providing a live music venue that has showcased and launched the careers of many younger bands and musicians including Jamie Cullum.

Dan Fleming comments, "The Bull's Head has been at the forefront of jazz for 50 years and the festival is both a celebration of that, and of the fresh new talent that will ensure we remain so for the next fifty years! The party on November 12th will headline with octogenarian Vic Ash, who was the headline act for the first gig and opening night of the club back in 1959. The festival will end with two of the country's best school bands, The Cardinal Vaughan and St Paul's School Jazz Orchestras featuring some of the UK's best up and coming musical talent."

The Yamaha Jazz Room opened in 2006 is equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system delivering the very best live sound to artists and audiences alike. A Yamaha digital mixing desk is being installed for the festival to enable the 50th anniversary performances to be recorded and captured for posterity on 'The Jazz at the Bull', a fiftieth anniversary album CD featuring live recordings from the festival, which will be available from mid-December.

Yamaha's senior director, Mike Ketley, comments, "We are delighted to congratulate the Bull's Head on reaching the milestone of its 50th anniversary. We are very proud of the Yamaha Jazz Room and our partnership with this historic venue, the unique place it occupies in international jazz history and its philosophy to present and showcase both established and new talent."

Full programme details and tickets prices are availble from the Bull's Head website. Alternatively phone 020 8876 5241 for details.

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(posted October 2009)