I’ve been going to a regular Tomorrow’s Warriors jam session run by artistic director Gary Crosby OBE, since we met in 2017 (on the panel of An Evening of Jazz – Dance and Music). The jam is for those of us that are “too old” to be “youth” musicians of the main organisation so we often joke that perhaps we should be called Yesterday’s Warriors!
Either way, with a mix of student and professional musicians the jazz jam is a relaxed, social gathering of like-minded creatives who are as keen to learn new tunes as they are to go over old standards, chat and make new friends. Gary is continuously bringing people together in a safe and creative environment and from this group has created a core band who are called The Rezidents.
I was happy to join The Rezidents for a jam of “Oleo” at Friday Lunch: The Rezidents in the Central Bar foyer of the Royal Festival Hall on Friday 28 February 2020. It was a bonus to have a lovely tap friend from Athens, Greece, Natasha Martin who was not only able to come along to see and hear me jam with the band, but for us both to join in an impromptu finale.
Jazz is truly alive and buzzing.
