NB This lecture is in the Faraday Lecture Theatre in the Engineering building, since the Grove is unavailable.
Friday night fifty of us enjoyed his latest, one of the best, in his series of 'Taste Of' dinners. This time the theme was the American Confederacy, an Aperitif of Rum Punch with Jambalaya, a thick soup of rice, ham and shrimp, Cajun style swordfish and chicken (Cajun being smokey spices), then Key Lime Pie or Pecan Pie for desert. I heard nothing but good about the food, but several remarked on the echoing acoustics which make cross table conversations almost impossible.
HISTORY GROUP
They meet on the 4th Friday of the month at 2pm in the Dolphin Hotel. This weeks meeting, Friday 27 February, will be talk by Diana Mason and Marie Davies on 'Wales and the Industrial Revolution'.
ITALIAN GROUP will be meeting at 10am in Hazel Court tomorrow Monday 23 February. New members welcome, and a welcome back to Jan Williams after her tedious month's sojourn in France. Serve her right!
CARDS FOR PLEASURE will meet in the Taliesin restaurant on Tuesday 10 March at 11 am. They will meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of month. Contact Lawmary on 299828.
ASTRONOMY GROUP will be meeting in the Faraday after the Wednesday lecture.
LITERATURE GROUP now lead by Lawmary Champion will be meeting on the 3 March in St Mary' Church Vestry at 2 pm for the very first discussion of their new book 'Gone to Earth' by Mary Webb. It would be a perfect session for new members to join and new faces would be welcome to join in the refreshing this group under its new leader. I intend to be there. They meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month
GARDENING GROUP will meet at Ty Bledau (Singleton Park) on Thursday 26 February for their monthly meeting.Stephen Hopkins will speak on How Does Your Garden Grow.
CHRONICLE SUBMISSIONS I am now informed that pieces should be handed in by Wednesday 13 May. For details of topics suggested by Jill Govier please scroll back to the previous posting of this blog. Submissions can be handed in at any Wednesday lecture to Helgi Opik, Derrick Jenkins or Jill Govier, the alternatives being to email them or send by conventional mail to Derrick.
Julius Caesar at the Tobacco Factory in Bristol was reviewed in yesterday's Guardian by Lyn Gardner and given 4 stars (5 max) which is a good rating. The action is set in 17th Century London (the time the play was written) when the political issues were as relevant as they are today or were in Roman Times, that's the everlasting virtue of Shakespeare he writes about essentially timeless issues, or is humanity his main theme? Joan seems disappointed by the change in timescale, on the other hand she positively enthuses about the rave revues for The Tempest at Stratford which has been transported to today's Africa. I am still puzzling about the illogicality of women, even after all but fifty years of marriage. In a couple of weeks you will have true feedback from Bristol.
JAZZLAND
The Oliver Nezhati sextet drawn from top South Wales jazz musicians. It's the second year I have heard this group of young student musicians and it's great to see they are rapidly getting better and better from an excellent base. Drummer Dewi Young from Cwmbran dropped out in favour of a chance to record for the X-Files, the stand in did well. I should have noted their names but it was a first time I had heard the first year Trinity College student play string bass, in itself a rarity these days, he drove the group with an excellent base line, though he did not take a single solo. The other four, trumpet, saxophone, electric guitar and keyboard improvised for extended solos throughout.
The second set was much calmer and more reflective, in touch with the direction jazz is now taking. Oliver playing alto sax gave a wonderful ninety second introduction to Body and Soul playing absolutely alone and making no reference to the melody of the best known jazz standard. They also played one of his own compositions and as an encore played a jazz rock original by Laurence Cottle, a London based session guitarist on a wide range of top pop and jazz recordings who was in the club that night with his brother. They will both be in evidence at the Mumbles Jazz Festival
This Wednesday 25 February the star is Simon Spillett, described as a uncompromising hard bop saxophonist after the fashion of Tubby Hayes, who plays with Dave Cottle and the house trio. Tubby Hayes was in his heyday when I was at college in London but I was a blinkered follower of Traditional jazz in those days, especially at 100 Oxford Street, which still goes on but without my favourites of the day Humphrey Lyttleton, cartoonist Wally Fawkes, Bruce Turner and Ken Collier.
CONCERT GOERS GROUP will be meeting a week tomorrow 2 March in the Civic Centre for a presentation on Dvorak 8th Symphony which will be performed in the Brangwyn Hall the following Friday.
LATIN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF SWANSEA. It's their weekend festival at the Dylan Thomas Centre starting this Friday evening 27 February with a guitar concert and a 1964 film at 9pm Yo Soy Cuba (I am Cuba) £3. There is a full program on Saturday afternoon of speakers and films about the revolution and survival of Cuba in spite of fifty years of embargo from the USA. including a Cuban Live Music including dance demonstrations and a disco Salsa party till midnight all for £5 . The program restarts at 11am on Sunday.
For the parochial amongst you St David's Dragon Festival will be held in Mumbles on the very same weekend from Saturday 28 February. Perhaps we are the last to know about it because again the news reached us from yesterdays Guardian. Further details on links to
http://www.visitswanseabay.com
http://www.visitwales.co.uk
Seafood Festival, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain for first two weeks of October. Pontevedra close to Santiago del Compostella is for my money much the best of the two destinations. We are already on the lookout for travel possibilities.
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