Great jazz, great memories

"TWAS with a feeling of strangeness this week that the punters at the St Clement's Arts Soiree enjoyed the unusual experience of listening to authentic jazz from yesteryear and all trumpets yet in the knowledge that the maestro who set up the soiree all those long years ago had died a few days ago at the age of 88.

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One felt almost as if Pieter Scholtz, Professor Emeritus of Speech and Drama, was also there enjoying the excellent and rousing music of Beat-Route, led by Daniel Sheldon (trumpet and flute horn), to the theme “Swing — and all that Jazz”.

Beat-Route was formed in 2004 by Sheldon. With him at St Clements were the inimitable guitarist, Logan Byrne on double bass and Bucco Xaba on drums.

“A longstanding band is one thing, a longstanding jazz band is a real feat that flies in the face of convention,” says Sheldon.

Pieter Scholtz’s life and career are to be fittingly celebrated and honoured by the arts communities on a date yet to be decided on.

Cry baby

TWO ladies are in discussion. Says one: “Have you ever read a book that made you cry?”

“Yes, I have.”

“What book made you cry?”