"Just a note to thank you for another great weekend!"
Already looking forward to next year...."

All the best, Steve, John, and Mike - your friends in the north!
2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018  Jazz weekend rhythm section!

 

"A big thank you for a great weekend. Although my lip has given way and now needs some time to recover. It was good to play all those different charts. Could it be possible to may have a session with steve on arranging for a big band re the voicings and what to look for and to avoid? Please put me done for next year and I may have one other person who would like to come.
I will mention this weekend to the big bands I play in and try to get some trombones to come - they would love it!
The venue is great so don't change it.
Thanks to you all for all your hard work. (i know what it is like)."
Chris Kirk - trumpet.

 

"Well done to you and the team for giving us another great weekend. Thank you."
Tim Knight - trombone

 

Thanks for a great weekend! All the arrangements worked perfectly! See you next year if not before!
Mike Latham - guitar

"Just a quick note to reiterate how great I (and the others) thought the weekend was. I've attended quite a few courses over the years and I can quite easily say it was the highest standard of Big Band playing that I'd come across on a course. On other courses, you might be lucky to do 2 or 3 charts in the week, although not all time was allocated to Big Band playing.

It was really good to play Steve and Alan's charts. Quite often in rehearsal, Big Bands that I've played in the Rhythm section can be just timekeepers for the rest of the Band as the different sections go through stuff over and over again.

It was refreshing to get through stuff without any real train wrecks. It was really good to play with Alun in the rhythm section. He must be one of the best Bass players I've ever played with!

So again it was good that everybody involved was really keen. The organisation was really good (also sometimes a problem with other courses). We also thought that the locals seemed really friendly. 
Anyhow thanks for all the hard work in getting it together."
John Quinn - Pianist

"Just to thank you for an excellent weekend and to say I really enjoyed the course. I enjoyed all aspects of the music - from the more difficult pieces to the fun charts - and thanks for providing a red-hot bass player!
All the facilities at the hotel were great!"
Steve Mullarkey - Drummer

"Just a short note to say thanks for a great weekend of jazz. I enjoyed every aspect of the course and although feeling knackered Sunday afternoon the weekend experience has boosted my confidence and I feel I have gained valuable experience and found a new direction.
If you are holding weekends in the future please let me know as I would like to attend."
Mick Luck - Tenor Sax

 

"I just wanted to say a very big thank-you! The weekend was great fun, challenging - really enjoyed it. You were all so welcoming which made meeting all those new people not quite so terrifying! We played for such a long time each day and got through so many of Steve's charts it felt like a musical whirlwind.

The rhythm section was really good and I really enjoyed playing those charts with the big band. I didn't expect it to sound so good in one weekend."

Cheryl - Alto Sax

 

"We had a brilliant time on the big band weekend, and definitely would like to reserve our places - alto sax and trumpet - for next year. Will download forms when I have five minutes and get them back to you..."

Fliss and David - Sax and trumpet