UPTON UPON SEVERN JAZZ FESTIVAL 2026 PART TWO

   I left Bar 7 and made my way to the Rugby Club which is barely a five minute walk away, as I briefly switched my attention across the road to the newly opened Crown pub, formerly the Upton Muggery, I noticed that there was quite a big crowd there and it was a little rowdy so I figured I would check it out in a quieter moment over the weekend. Besides, the rugby club was hosting what I was there for, the Crown was not. 

The Rugby Club has been used a number of times by the Festival in the past, mainly when the marquees relocated to the playing fields after the Fish Meadow quagmire nightmare of the 2012 festival, but in recent years the option was not taken. I am fairly certain I saw a gig by guitar/banjo player, vocalist and raconteur Bev Pegg here circa 2013, and possibly the Water Gypsies, I will have to did out old programmes and any old notes I still have to find out. I arrived in good time before the band had started, so made my way to the bar to see what delights the club had to offer on the ale front. My initial observation was there no hand pulls, but a number of bottled ales in the fridge and was about to order a bottle of Ludlow Gold when by the light of a passing glue factory I spotted a firkin of Wye Valley's Hereford Pale (HPA for short) on the back bar clad in a cooling jacket set up for the now rare event of having beer direct from the barrel. I say rare as it is unusual to see beer served this way unless you have gone to a beer festival, where it is the most common form of dispense. This made me a little bit nostalgic for festivals of pre-Covid festivals when there were beer tents with a vast selection of ales set up for festival goers, as the majority of the festival gigs were held in marquees. So I ordered my beer and ended up chatting to Not-David Bradley again, this time the topic of conversation wasn't over missed festivals but our respective accommodation for the festival. He was staying in a motor home parked on the campsite at Fish Meadow and I casually mentioned that a few years ago there used to be camping on the fields by the rugby club which raised his interest as it would appear it is no longer an option, this must have planted a seed in his head, but more on that later. 

Not-David Bradley enjoying the show

We found ourselves places to view the band as it was just about show time. The band at the rugby club was the Panama Jazz Quartet, a band I was unfamiliar with but appear to be busy on the trad jazz scene evening making trips to Brittany and Northern Spain. It appears that they were playing at the Muggery last year, and I certainly know I went in there while they were playing, but I have absolutely no memory of the band, likely because the pub was so full I didn't stick around. The band consisted of Ron King on trumpet and vocals, Andy Leggett (a name I am familiar with) on reeds and vocals, Alan "Oggy" Hogg on Banjo, Guitar and Vocals, and Keith Tolley on bass and vocals, and from the outset this was obviously going to be a more New Orleans/Trad orientated ensemble, I wonder if their name is a nod to the ever popular "Panama Rag." The set opened with a very lively and attention drawing rendition of the Beiderbecke classic "At the Jazz Band Ball" which was performed with a vocal chorus which surprised me as I wasn't aware that it had any lyrics. Unsurprisingly there was no bass sax in the band so there was no attempted to recreate Adrian Rollini's famous solo from the record, but there was a nifty solo from Leggett on a rare metal clarinet with a slightly enhanced sound as he had chosen to replace it's mouthpiece with that of soprano sax. The opening number was a big hit with the crowd as it was greeted with very a enthusiastic round of applause from the audience, a number of whom I suspect were not people here for the festival but the usual clientele of the rugby club, so it is nice to trad jazz reaching out to different audiences, and also think that they might have been taken a little bit by surprise as to the energy delivered by the band considering they are older players... if they played with much more energy I reckon they would have blown their syrups off. This roaring opening number was matched in tempo by the following number which was that well-known standard "Dinah" without the lyrics. This was a bit of a surprise to me because with them all being listed in the programme as doing vocals I was expecting a little bit Mills Brothers inspired group background singing akin to that on the Bing Crosby recording. The band then made their introductions and I was politely asked by some young lads in the bar for some recommendations for the free gigs in the festival, whether this was genuine interest or just polite conversation I could not tell you, and which bands did I recommend? I can't remember. The band started up again with a suitably mournful take on  "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" followed by a wistful rendition of "Pennies from Heaven" both were strictly instrumental. As the band went into discussions for their next number I figured it was a good moment to visit the facilities, which were incredibly hot and stuff but mercifully clean, then returned to the bar for another beer. I was going to return to the HPA but then  I spotted that they were selling bottles of Ludlow Gold for £2 so I switched to that beer. In all these proceedings I missed the band introducing the next number, if they even did, so spent a short time trying to assess what the tune was. It was one of those moments where you find it familiar but can't quite place it due to it being a different tempo and not quite being the tune in you mind. After a short vocal version detailing something about Alaska and Eskimos the familiar chorus was belted out... "I scream, you scream...", it was that perennial Dixieland favourite "Ice Cream" which is always a good bit of fun and a good hit with the audience. Andy Leggett took an unusual turn for his solo here, instead of going for the clarinet or the tenor sax, he went for a different in his arsenal and delighted the audiences with a small solo on a penny whistle, though I was slightly concerned we might have all the neighbourhood dogs soon ascend upon us. After this jolly little excursion the band made its way into back into the more wistful areas of Trad Jazz with "That's My Home", a song very much associated with the great Louis Armstrong but my go to version is by British Trumpet  player Nat Gonella, and the band were clearly more honing in on Satchmo's version and possibly a nod to the version by Acker Bilk on that curious British Jazz Legends Together album that was released in the early 2000's. This was followed by one of my favourite numbers, one doesn't seem to get played at gigs I attend as often I would like (knowing my luck, it's played at every jazz gig I don't attend- even Ornette Coleman tribute concerts) which is the "Tin Roof Blues"  and in introducing the number (I think it was trumpeter Ron King who did the intro) it filled in the background for the title, which corrected an assumption I had formed over the years. For whatever reason, I had assumed the title was either an allusion- or dig- at the 'tin pan alley' school of song writing, or reference to living in poor quality accommodation such as a shanty town, but no, the title is in reference to the Tin Roof Cafe dance hall on Washington Avenue in New Orleans. I also found out the "Tin Roof Blues" also has lyrics, something of a surprise as every recording or performance of the number I have heard prior to this gig, it has always been instrumental. This is a perfect illustration of why these festivals are important and why it is good to have musicians who engage with the audience beyond announcing numbers,  mind you, if I spent more time going through the posts in the JAZZ AGE SHEET MUSIC GROUP I probably would have discovered that "Tin Roof Blues" had lyrics a long time ago.   

   The set closed with a number called "Hard Hearted Hannah" which I first discovered on a George Melly compilation why back why I was taking my first tentative steps into the Jazz world and rapidly became a favourite number of mine. Two of the lyrics appealed to me: "a night spent with Hannah is liking travelling through Alaska in your underwear" and "there was Hannah, out pouring water on a drowning man", I appreciate that they have been modified from the original lyrics to be more inline with Melly's personal style. The song also took a bit of personal meaning to me a few years later when I started my first "grown-up" up relationship with a young lady named, as you may have guessed, Hannah, and after a few false starts across the way I jokingly nicknamed her Hard Hearted Hannah... she was not amused, but the relationship did settled down from then on for a year or two, before we amicably went our separate ways. The rendition by the band was another strictly instrumental affair and was more in the style of the Paul Whiteman recording then the Melly one, but was a good closing number for the set. 

    I finished off my beer and looked at the programme as to what my next move would be, the Debbie Arthurs gig at Bar 7 was almost over so it was a choice of stay for the second set of the Panama Jazz Band or head down to the Swan Hotel for the second half of the Malvern Jazz Jam. My immediate thought though was, grab something to eat from the takeaway before I do anything and then come to a decision.

Upton Jazz Festival 2026 Part One

 

  As a purely personal thing, I am not a big fan of the folding plastic chairs that appear in most of the venues as they bring back to many awkward memories of school assemblies where one of the year's form tutors would drone on endlessly about  dull topics such as school league tables or how (male) pupils were causing lasting disruption at lunchtime because they failed to sit down, eat their lunch and leave in less than 10 seconds flat, and frankly they are just a bit too uncomfortable on my old posterior, so I found myself a nice little corner to stand in which had a good view of the band and wouldn't be too intrusive taking any photos for little notes  for this series of articles, it also had a convenient shelf corner which I could place my beverage down upon, something the aisle seats do lack. The opening band was the Debbie Arthurs Quintet which was exactly what it said on the tin, a five piece band led by Arthurs on Saxophone & Vocals, with trombone accompaniment by Dave Deakin, and a rhythm section consisting of Keith Little on keys, Malcolm Sked on Bass, and Rachel Hayward on the Guitar. I am fairly familiar with the majority of the  musicians in the line-up, maybe not as this ensemble but definitely in bands across many gigs and festivals over the years. Band leader Debbie made a number of appearances back in the day at Jazz Club 90 while it was being held  twice a week at the Harp in Albrighton, and if it she was performing on a Tuesday evening it would highly likely that I would have been there. At one point she also ran a cafe in Teweksbury, called the Jelly Roll Cafe and it did have regular jazz nights there, I am not sure if she still runs the cafe but a quick Google search indicates that the establishment has changed its name to the Corner Cafe, which suggests to me she has moved on from there. I won't go through details of all the personnel, mostly because I know very little about them (sorry guys), but I feel I should mention Rachel Hayward as not only is she musician, but she is also one of the main organisers of the festival, and email updates about it are usually sent from her.

  

 Debbie Arthurs took to the microphone to introduce both the band and the launch of the festival, however she made a minor fluff, welcoming us to the Bude Jazz Festival before correcting herself... well, at least I can name one performer who will be down in Cornwall in September. The set opened with a mostly ensemble piece which was the W. C. Handy St. Louis Blues, a number that needs no real introduction and was played with gusto. This was followed by the song "Goody Goody", which before anyone tries to say anything funny, the title is not suffixed by the words "yum yum" and has absolutely no association with Tim, Bill, and Graeme, giant Kittens or three seater bicycles. "Goody Goody" is a 1936 song composed by Matty Malneck with lyrics by the ubiquitous lyricist Johnny Mercer, and has been covered by artists including Benny Goodman & his Orchestra, Bob Crosby's Bob Cat's, a pop cover by Frankie Lymon released as a recording with his group the teenagers- but was in fact a solo recording, and a version by George Melly with John Chilton's Fleetwarmers. It is the Melly recording which I am familiar with, and as far as I can recall I have no other recordings of the number- but I haven't done a full catalogue on all albums and song recordings in my collection, so I could well be mistaken on that front. It has however proved to be a fairly popular number on the Trad Jazz club scene as I have heard it played by many bands in many clubs and festivals. Arthurs and her band again treated this  more as an ensemble piece, likely still breaking the band in as an ensemble, Arthurs also added a sweet vocal refrain to the number. This was followed by a slower more relaxed number called "When the World is at Rest" which is not a number I can say I am at all familiar with, and it was certainly a pleasant number, though my enjoyment of it was slightly disrupted by a sudden in rush of patrons going to and from the bar- both from the gig and the general bar area, but that is all part of the course when being hosting in a public bar. Had I decided to perch myself elsewehre, it wouldn't have been quite so noticeable. Arthurs returned to the vocal refrain for the next number which was Gershwin's "Lady, Be Good" starting  with the not often featured intro verse, before leaning into a  earnest exchange between Arthurs on Tenor Sax and Dave Deakin on Trombone . This was clearly a bit of a warm up for the next number which was a trombone feature for Deakin, the number was announce and due to more background noise I didn't quite catch the name, but was able to hear a little bit of history of the piece on how it got its title. The piece was named after a meteorite shower which probably should have been a clue as to what the number was, but it wasn't until Deakin got into the chorus that I recognised the familiar tune. It was a well known standard which has been covered by traditional artists such as Louis Armstrong and Jack Teagarden (not doubt an inspiration for Deakin), singers such as Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, and Frank Sinatra, plus modernist such as Cannonball Adderley. It was, of course, Stars Fell on Alabama and it proved to be a fine feature for Dave Deakin, and a fine closer for my first set of the festival. I decided I wouldn't stay for the second set which wasn't a slight on the band, but a desire to see the band which was due to start at 8pm over at the Upton Rugby Club. This was clearly a reasonably shared idea, as a number of the audience- including Not-David Bradley, were vacating and making there way across to the club.  

Upton Jazz Festival 2026: Introduction

It was with perhaps a small sense of trepidation that I approached the 39th Upton Jazz Festival. Due to a number of reasons, ranging from the diminished set-up, the much hotter than normal summer temperatures, the lack of familiar names on the bill (though that isn't necessarily a bad thing), and perhaps a feeling of the changing of the times. Not only is the only mural of jazz musicians on the underpass long gone, but now the Little Upton Muggery, a pub I have patronized every year since I started coming to the festival, has ceased to be.*

 Despite this, I was determined to enjoy myself and after sitting down and properly reading the programme did manage to lift my spirits somewhat. Once again I had opted for getting accommodation in town, so I didn’t have to concern myself for a long walk to and from the festival at either end of the day, plus it meant I had a crash space easily accessible if I needed a break from the activities. I was staying at the Swan Hotel (not to be mixed up with the Swan at Hanley Swan where I stayed back in 2018) which is directly on the riverside and was also the host venue for the Festival’s fringe stage, meaning I was right at the heart of things and would be right on site for the official opening of the festival on Saturday morning. I checked into my digs plenty of time before the first gig of the night, and the room was compact but perfectly serviceable. The lack of a wardrobe to hang my shirts up on was a minor concern but since most of them were casual, rather than formal, it was too much of an issue. The bathroom was compact and I would later discover there was a bit of a knack to getting the shower to the correct, but nothing I didn’t expect from the establishment as it was a fairly old building. My major complaint was that the sink was incredibly small, normally not an issue as I normally have a beard, but for reasons that aren’t particularly interesting I have decided to shave it off and I don’t get 5 o’clock shadows, I get half past eleven in the morning shadows. I settled myself in and made a quick study of the programme for the evening, and figure out my “battleplan” for the evening, plus make a few notes as to which bands I would definitely want to see over the course of the festival. There were a number of bands I wasn’t familiar with on the roster this time so it was to be a festival with lots of movement between venues for me. A name which did stand out for me was “Ms Maggie and the Cat’s Pyjamas,” mostly because it stood out as such a surreal moniker, so I was determined to check them out. The plan for the evening was perfect, the three acts which were on for the night had a good starting and easy to follow pattern, with the first act kicking off at 7pm at Bar 7, the second at the Rugby Club at 8pm, and the third back at the Swan also at 8pm. This meant I could easily see one set of each of the performances, plus enough time to grab a quick bite to eat en route, whether it be a sandwich from the Co-Op or a nipping in to either the Chippy or the Kebab shop.

 I packed up a few essentials for the evening and headed down to the Bar at the Swan for a quick pint before the off. It was a reasonably busy night in the bar and there were two ales on handpull, Wye Valley’s Butty Bach and a world-cup themed beer from Marston’s. I went for the Butty Bach as it is a long standing favourite of mine. I took my beer into the courtyard and amused myself watching the various technical boys for the festival setting up the stage for the evening with various soundchecks and other activities taking place. Once my beer was consumed I departed and made my way up Upton High Street to Bar 7 where the first gig was just about due to start. Bar 7 is a long-standing venue for the Jazz festival in one form or other, for a long time it was a Social Club and was used for the jam session element of the festival, before becoming a venue in its own right due to it having a for-hire function room. Due to the layout of the place it isn’t a private function room, it functions far more effectively as a free venue, as you can pretty much hear and see the band from the main bar area and I wonder if this was a noted criticism when it was a wristband only venue. I purchased a pint of Bewedley Brewery’s Worcestershire Way and was greeted by a familiar face from the behind the bar, it was the bar man who had previously worked the bar at the Little Upton Muggery across the road, so I took the opportunity to inquire into the circumstances of the closure. There were three distinct possibilities as to what happened in my mind: 1. the Landlady had died, 2. She had retired, or 3. EHO had finally turned up to inspect the place. I put this to the bar man, and he informed me she had retired, not necessarily by choice, and was living nearby. A conversation later in the weekend with someone else would shed a bit more light on the situation, but I will get to that later. As I made my way to get in a good spot to see and hear the band, I was delighted to be greeted by another familiar face: the “crazy blonde lady” who this time was not sporting her distinctive blue dress and had opted for a more demure black ensemble. We exchanged pleasantries, before she returned to her table and her little group… one day I will actually find out what her name is. I took up my position for the band and in the corner of my eye I saw another familiar face, it was Steven, the guy who bears a striking resemblance to the actor David Bradley. I was glad to see him, as he was absent from last year’s festival and I was slightly concerned that he hadn’t attended because nature had taken its course, so it was nice to see him in good health, it appears that his absence last year was down to having sustained a leg based injury. I checked the stage and saw the band was about to assemble, so we parted to our respective spots to watch the band.

A little bit of fun on display in one of the shop windows 

 

*When I received the digital copy of the 2026 Programme I did notice that there was a lack of listings of gigs at the Little Upton Muggery, I didn't think too much of it at the time as while the venue has always had a couple of bands during festival time, they were never an official part of the activities and it has only been in the last two years they got a listing in the official pages. A late finish at work prompted me to look up the Pub and I was dismayed to learn the Pub was permanently closed. I knew the landlady was looking to retire, so I wondered if that had happened or if she had died and the owners of the pub hadn't found someone to take it on. I always mused it wasn't exactly the cleanest of places, so I wondered if EHO had come around and closed them down. 

I spent a week before the festival in the Malvern area and popped in Upton several times and as the week went I noticed work going on, clearly the place was being worked on for reopening. As the week went on I saw that the old Muggery sign was down and it had been replaced. The pub has been renamed "the Crown" and opened on the first night of the Jazz festival.

With the demise of the old rule, I wonder if this means 2026 is the first year Upton upon Severn has not been visited by the Sauce City Jazz Band during festival time.