Latest news from the Brecon Jazz Club team –

Hello everyone –

Thank you for a great turnout for Jazz Club July – and what an excellent REVIEW the ‘new generation’ musicians received as well as from you. Here

This mailing is to give you some ADDITIONAL INFO about Brecon Jazz – the Festival – about our talks and workshop topics – and also a NEW event, a ‘Dixieland’ Concert on Thursday 9 August at the Theatr. Read on…

Thursday 9 August, 7.30pm : Dixieland Jazz at Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon

– in association with Brecon Jazz Club. Tickets £10 or £20 with meal & drink.

‘Rhys Taylor’s Dixie Band’ Quintet, featuring Rhys Taylor on Clarinet and Sax.

Concert £10 (or £20 to include Curry Supper & Drink) from 5.30 pm at Waterfront Cafe. Food must be booked. Please support this event with the lovely Dixieland Band! Box Office 01874  611622 or via Theatr website www.brycheiniog.co.uk

Our Workshops and Talks at Brecon Jazz – 7 events and a lounge jazz duo

Talks, dance, harmonica, guitar, improvisation and more…learn something new

FRIDAY 10 AUGUST – special prices to get you started!

Two workshops starting at 2.15 pm

[1] SWiNG DANCE (practical): Muse Arts 60 mins

Led by Ann & Graeme Suitable for beginners, all welcome – £8

[2] UNDERSTANDING JAZZ (talk): Guildhall Civic Room 60 mins

Illustrated informative talk with Rod Paton – £8

Also on Friday at 2.15pm Trefor Owen and Andy Hulme

Jazz Guitar Duo – Ty Helyg Lounge 60 mins – £8

SATURDAY 11 AUGUST

Three workshops starting at 12 noon

[3] GUITAR WORKSHOP (practical): Guildhall Civic Room 90 mins

Workshop & masterclass demo for players, leader Trefor Owen – £10

[4] JAZZ HARMONICA (workshop & talk): Wellington Suite 100 mins

Fascinating talk and also learn how to play, with Adam Glasser – £10

Harmonicas available to buy £15 at cost price.

[5] SWING DANCE (practical): St Mary’s & Tower Café 60 mins

Ann & Graeme. Suitable for beginners. All welcome – £10

SUNDAY 12 AUGUST

Two workshops starting at 12 noon

[6] LATIN IMPROVISATION (talk): Guildhall Civic Room 50 mins

Trumpeter Maite Hontelé tells us about her approach to Latin improvisation – £6

[7] JAZZ IMPROVISATION MADE EASY (practical) : Wellington Suite 100 mins

Rod Paton of Lifemusic brings out the musician in us all! Bring your instrument

– reading not necessary if you can play a bit. All welcome. £10

FULL DETAILS on www.breconjazz.org

The music and concerts at BJF2018 go right through until Sunday night. Can’t decide what to book or when to attend?

Try ‘Sunday at Brecon Jazz’ – day stroller only £55 for six concerts

SUNDAY 12th AUGUST 2:00pm features the ‘ELAINE DELMAR QUINTET’ with Barry Green (piano), Jim Mullen (guitar), Simon Thorpe (double bass), Bobby Worth (drums). WHAT THEY SAY: “One of the evergreen singing stars…and as beautiful and talented as ever; she’s marvellous!” (Ronnie Scotts).  “Among the multitude of good jazz singers in Britain today, there is not one who can surpass Elaine Delmar…” (Dave Gelly, Sunday Observer).

SUNDAY evening 12 August is a unique chance to see vibes-led JIM HART’s CLOUDMAKERS Trio at  7:00pm in the GUILDHALL

Cloudmakers represents the culmination of a decade of musical development for Vibraphone virtuoso Jim Hart, who with his Trio combines accessibility with musical complexity, improvised and composed work. Now top names on the EU scene.

LINEUP: Jim Hart (vibraphone) Michael Janisch (bass), David Smith (drums).

WHAT THEY SAY: “One of the UK’s most creative new jazz artists” The Guardian.   “Jim Hart’s vibraphone work shows why this lovely instrument deserves more ears” JazzTimes Magazine.

SUNDAY 12th Aug 3.30pm, sees a fantastic HARMONICA JAZZ tribute ‘Toots Thielemans and Beyond’ from a top quartet

Adam Glasser leads on chromatic  harmonica with this brilliant lineup and a selection of jazz compositions associated with the legendary ‘Toots Thielemans and ‘harmonica jazz’.

LINEUP: Adam Glasser (Harmonica) Rob Luft (Guitar), Daisy George (Bass) and Corrie Dick (Drums)

WHAT THEY SAY: “A composer, keyboardist and harmonica player, Glasser is intense – his tunes are joyful, driving and danceable.” Jazz Times Review.

So we hope to see you in Brecon this year – why not come over for Sunday: Day ticket (6 concerts and free outdoor music) is only £55 pp. Buy online or FROM BOBBINS!

If you are coming over on Friday (10 August) or for the whole weekend, Friday @ The Festival starts at 2.15pm with Afternoon Jazz in Smaller Venues and a Friday afternoon welcoming public concert (free) put on by the Festival organisers. There are Workshops on Saturday and Sunday, a Cathedral jazz service on Sunday morning, a Carnival ‘Frazz’ parade on Saturday, market stalls and an outdoors visitor environment with the roads closed and the streets open. We are also helping to programme the outdoor stage, so expect jazz there too!

Please email us if you need any further details, have questions or need different information, or for any help in booking: www.breconjazz.org/tickets

Best wishes and thanks for your support

Roger and Lynne

Festival curators / Brecon Jazz Music Trust

and Brecon Jazz Club

Back in May, I explained there’s an accident waiting to happen at Sandy Water Park woods (aka Coed Cefn Padrig) in Llanelli.

Evening and night-time visitors to the woodland have been setting fires for BBQs and drinking sessions.

The Wales Wildlife Watch team have done their best to tidy up the discarded bottles, cans and litter.

But the fires are still being lit on a regular basis.

On a walk through the woods this week, there were at least six different fire sites.

Mid and West Wales Fire Brigade repeated their warnings about fires during the current heatwave –

‘During these ongoing warm weather conditions please refrain from any controlled burning such as burning of waste, open camp fires and barbecues. Fire can spread quickly.’

See earlier story –

Accident waiting to happen at Sandy Water Park woods

And . . .

Update to story (May 31) –

Well done to the Wales Wildlife Watch team for Sandy Water Park work

Children are being urged to take part in this year’s free Summer Reading Challenge.

This year’s challenge, which launched on Saturday, July 14, is Mischief Makers, celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Beano comic.

To take part, all children need to do is to head to their local library where they will be given a colourful collector’s map of Beanotown to keep a record of their reading journey.

Visit Ammanford, Carmarthen or Llanelli town libraries along with any of the 15 local community libraries and the three mobile library vans in Carmarthenshire, to be able to enter a competition for the most read books over the summer to win a family ticket to a Pantomime near you.

As children read at least six library books over the summer, they will collect stickers which will help them crack the clues and help Dennis, Gnasher and friends find the buried treasure!

The Summer Reading Challenge, a unique partnership between The Reading Agency and public libraries across the UK, last year got over three quarters of a million children borrowing, reading and talking about their favourite books.

For pre-schoolers there is a mini-challenge while young people (aged 13 to 24) can volunteer and support younger children taking part, as part of The Reading Agency’s Reading Hack programme.

Volunteering provides a quality workplace experience for young people in libraries, inspires them to think about their future career and increases their employability as they gain useful life skills and confidence. Last year over 7,500 young people across the UK volunteered.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s executive board member responsible for culture, sport and tourism, Cllr Peter Hughes-Griffiths said: “The Summer Reading Challenge is a fun way for families and children to take part, whilst also inspiring children to read over the holidays, making use of all libraries and mobile vans throughout the county.”

To take part in this free event, all your child has to do is sign up at the library where they will be given a collector poster to keep a record of their Summer Reading Challenge journey. As they read their books, each child will receive special sticker, games, wristband and much more.

For more information on the Summer Reading Challenge including how to get involved contact your local library.

Link

Wales Sevens star Luke Morgan will link up with Ospreys following his involvement in this month’s World Cup in San Francisco.

The 26-year-old from Bridgend is Wales’ leading try- and points – scorer of all time, and ended the 2017/18 World Rugby Sevens Series second in most tries scored (44) – with only the USA’s Carlin Isles touching down on more occasions (49) across the campaign.

Morgan, who came through the development pathway at the Ospreys and played one senior game for his home region as a teenager, follows former Wales Sevens teammate Sam Cross, who joined the Liberty Stadium based region last pre-season, with Cross’ move being made permanent in March.

Head coach Gareth Williams says the agreement with Ospreys is another example of the good relationship between the sevens programme and regional rugby, and how sevens aids player development as a part of the pathway.

“This is a great opportunity for Luke following his achievements on the World Series,” says Williams. “It’s another good example of what the programme can achieve in bringing players through during those formative years post-Academy. 

 “Luke originally joined us from the Ospreys many years ago and he has progressed to being one of the best finishers on the Series. It will be exciting to see him take this next step in his career and I have great faith in him making a huge impact in the opportunities he will be given.”

Dan Griffiths, Rugby General Manager, Ospreys Rugby, welcomed the news, saying:

“Luke progressed through the pathway at the Ospreys and we are delighted to welcome him back. As a young man he was given the opportunity to refine his game on the sevens circuit and has developed into a world-class finisher. We are looking to add speed and game breaking ability to the squad and Luke certainly has the potential to give us that X-factor in the wide channels.

“This is a great opportunity for him to come into the full-time fifteens environment again and show what he can do. As we’ve seen with Sam Cross, there is potential for talented sevens players to develop here into quality regional players and we hope that Luke takes his chance this season.

“Once again, it’s great that the Union and Region can work together, and provide opportunities for players in Wales to fulfill their potential.”

New Scarlets recruit Kieron Fonotia starts this press conference at Parc y Scarlets by talking about his international prospects with Samoa.

This is an edited version of the press conference. A fuller version will appear at the weekend.

Trimsaran Community Primary School is the latest school to be delivered through Carmarthenshire County Council’s Modernising Education Programme.

The £6.8 million new building opened its doors September 2017 and caters for children aged between 3 to 11, with 30 nursery places and a Flying Start facility.

It has state of the art facilities and first class accommodation designed for both school and community use.

The building was jointly funded between the County Council and Welsh Government through the 21^st Century Schools initiative.

Already, the new school has achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating and is a Passivhaus accredited building.

Trimsaran headteacher, Sharon Owen said: “The building has been a dream for a number of years and, with much pride, we realise that dream.

The education provided at the school has always been a strength and today, with new resources and facilities, we see our pupils thrive with renewed eagerness and enthusiasm so that they achieve their potential in a learning environment suitable for the 21^st Century.”

Initially the site posed significant design challenges due to a sloping site which slopes steeply, from north to south, over roughly two hundred metres.  The design team overcame these challenges and created unique outdoor areas including external walkways with direct access to the external MUGA.

The council’s executive board member for education, Cllr Glynog Davies said: “It’s wonderful to see for ourselves the difference that this investment has made. Our ambition is for every child in the county to have access to first class facilities and accommodation.”