... Bromley gets arts festival BROMLEY is gearing up for its first ever community arts festival in 1990 in the form of a mammoth celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Bri tain. Highlights will be the British pre miere of Scott Joplin's only opera, Treemonisha, and an international star-studded performance of Berlioz's Requiem in a specially converted han gar at nearby Biggin ...

... Guts and garters JAMES GREEN on Britain's gutsy lady of Jazz Beryl bryden, Britain's big and bouncy Queen of Jazz, is a remarkable woman who on May 11 next year is to celebrate her 70th birthday and 45 years of belting out the blues. On the home and foreign main stream jazz scene Norfolk-born Bryden is a legendary name. The 100 Club are putting on a party for my birthday, she said with a ...

... Santas get in the swing By BILL ASHTON I'D HAVE laughed if you'd told me that anyone could persuade 24 fairly hard-bitten young jazz musicians to stand around in Father Christmas costumes for a photo call on a baking hot summer's day. Modern jazz musicians tend to be extremely disparaging about dressing up, or indeed 'showbiz' generally. The sight of a funny hat or ornamental waistcoat is ...

... The band plays on TAMES GREEN on a Heath revival ON NOVEMBER 19, 1969, Ted Heath, the founder and leader of the greatest big band Britain has known, died, aged 67. Yet appropriately remembering his Listen To My Music signature tune, the band, tne songs, ana tne re cordings go on and Ted's widow, Moira, was the guest of honour when Ted's former musicians, plus singers Lita Roza and Dennis Lotis ...

... Your move, Leo JAZZ MOVES, now in its second year as Greater London's only jazz touring scheme, currently has the Bukky Leo Quintet and the Claude Deppa Trio appearing around the capital, including the Tabernacle at Notting Hill on November 17 and the Half Moon Theatre two nights later. Leo, one of the leaders of the new generation of black British jazz play ers, has Jonathan Gee, Gary Crosby, ...

... Bop till you drop by PETER HEPPLE THE JAZZ dance craze con tinues, and the proof of the pud ding will be at the Top Rank Suite, Brighton (November 3), when 2,000 fans are expected to attend the latest of the Jazz Bop Nights organised by Brighton jazz DJ Russ Dewbury and his London counterpart Baz Fe Jazz. Jetting in from the States is legen dary vibes player Johnny Lytle, appearing with a ...

... A favourite force JOHN HANNAM talks to Anne Shelton who is planning a hectic 1990 WHEN Anne Shelton made her very first broadcast in 1940 she was only twelve. By the end of the War she had received a personal letter from Winston Churchill to thank her for Lili Marlene and the radio programmes that helped submerge the German propaganda programmes from Goebbels. Anne has recently completed a ...

... Jazzing up the Irish scene By KEN GORMAN Brian Carson is a young man with a vision of creating a better jazz scene in Northern Ireland. It could be argued that the scene has always been a lively one, so why should he feel, as the Irish Arts Council's first Jazz Administrator, the need to go back to the drawing board? My appointment is on the basis of a three year fixed term contract and ...

... All eyes on Carol UNDER the auspices of Jazz Ser vices, singer Carol Grimes starts a tour at London's Shaw Theatre on November 12, going on to York Arts Centre, Cardiff (Four Bars Inn), Nottingham Old Vic, Beck, Hayes and Brighton Gardner Arts Centre. Her band Eyes Wide Open features Angele Veltmeiier (saxes and flute), Steve Lodder (piano, keyboards, violin), Maciek Hrybowicz (guitar), Mike ...

... Big band dreams SOUTH-EAST London big band, the Music Makers Bandshow, has an unusual background. Leader Gary Hyde first became besotted with the big band sound when he was a Margate schoolboy in 1955, earning pocket money by washing up in a hotel, and rushing round after his stint to listen to Johnny O'Rourke and his Band, playing a residency in the resort. O'Rourke was at that time a well- ...

... Politicians oppose regional arts merger u POLITICIANS from all parties are opposing Arts Council plans to merge Northern and Yorkshire Arts in a shake-up which will oust local authority members from the key roles on the regional boards. Northern Arts director Peter Stark announced a counter-attack at a recent board meeting. A big postal lobby is being planned with the public being asked to ...

... Edinburgh seeks to ban circus animals with sex shop law By JAMIE MACLEAN THE CITY of Edinburgh is pressing for the extension of existing sex shop legislation to prevent circus animal acts appearing north of the border. Edinburgh councillors have called on the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to lobby Scottish Office minister Malcolm Rifkind for more powers to control shows in their ...