It was in 2021 that trumpeter Paul (Harry) Dowler managed to bring together a small group of semi-professional jazz musicians and convince them that the year 1959 was not only the pinnacle of mainstream jazz, but it was also the year of his birth so they should form an “Old-Fashioned Jazz Combo” and call it “Jazz 59 Quintet”. Later it became a sextet consisting of trumpet, saxophone, guitar, bass, drums and keyboard. In 2021 Paul and his wife Heather decided to organise a Charity Jazz Concert which was a such a success that they realized not only were they enjoying themselves but that they had inadvertently created a unique fundraising vehicle – so they convinced the performers that if they claimed just travel expenses they would be raising funds for a very good cause. A wonderful idea – and it worked!

Jazz is a fusion of African and European music and was developed in the USA in the early part of the 20th century and was well established by the year 1959! The rhythmic and chordal features used then are still evident in our modern era. The programme began with a powerful, cadenza-like solo from Paul demonstrating the full range of the instrument, before being joined by the rest of the group. As is the tradition, each member of the group had the opportunity to perform his own variation of the main theme thus making us aware of what a talented group they are. It was a varied programme from the slow, lazy feel of “Blue in Green” then “Yesterday” and “Beautiful Love” to the lively “Moments’ Notice” and it was obvious that they really enjoyed performing together. There was extra applause after “When I Fall in Love” in which Paul had used two trumpets, one in each hand, (one muted to produce the tonal variation for the alternate lines of the lyrics). It was a most enjoyable performance. In contrast “One for Daddy O” brought the concert to a close with lots of toe-tapping and smiles all round. There was much well-deserved applause - and admiration of their snazzy waistcoats!