Star helps launch Marlborough Jazz Festival

Jazz Festival organiser Nick Fogg always jests that he has a friendly nun who guarantees fine weather for the annual Marlborough feast of jazz but this year she must have got her lines crossed.  Leaden skies greeted the opening ceremony in the High Street where a smaller than usual crowd gathered outside the Castle and Ball Hotel where the first strains of jazz of the 2009 festival came from the St John's School jazz Band led by teacher Clemency Whiting.

The festival's headline performer this year. YolanDa Brown, one of the country's top young saxophonists, went along to the opening and complimented the school band on its first public performance and its vocalist Steph Richardson for wowing the crowd.

Brown won the 2008 MOBO Award for the best jazz artist and is tipped to become an international star.

At the opening ceremony, even before Brown won over a packed audience in the Town Hall last night, Nick Fogg said to the crowd: "You will be able to tell your grandchildren in years to come that you saw YolanDa Brown at the Marlborough jazz festival in 2009."

Among the guests at the opening ceremony were Michael Ancram MP and representatives of the festival's main sponsors, investment managers Brewin Dolphin.

There was standing room only when YolanDa Brown and her quartet played at the Town Hall last night and the 26 year Londoner had the audience in her hand as she led her musicians -- drums, bass, guitar and piano -- into a frenzy of jazz that ranged through reggae, salsa, Afro-jazz and R&B.  Brown won over her packed audience with her very first number and then proceeded to take them to new heights with her virtuoso performance on a tenor sax but sharing the stage with her backing group and giving each of them an opportunity to show off their own undoubted skills..

Nick Fogg always claims that the MIJF gets musicians before they become big stars and from the audience reaction last night Brown is well on the way to well-deserved stardom.

There is jazz at more than 20 venues around the town today and the festival's unique stroller tickets enable holders to dip in and out of the many concerts featuring no less than 100 bands and there is a public bandstand in new Road where a variety of bands will be performing today until midnight for townspeople as well as visitors to enjoy free gratis.

Two of the Jazz Band players being from Baydon are Harry (in red) and Holly (in pink)

St John’s school Jazz Band players with YolanDa Brown

Wiltshire Gazette & Herald / Saturday 11^th July 2009

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