It was a night of mixed fortunes for me personally, owing to my ongoing hearing problem, but it turned out to be a truly fabulous night for everyone, with 15 jammers and plenty of non-players. Unfortunately our MC Mike Dearing was forced to pull out at the eleventh hour owing to a severe stomach bug. Luckily for us, Mike quickly arranged a replacement in the shape of Alan Vincent, which was a nice surprise in itself. Owing to Mike’s absence, we didn’t have the use of his monitor, but that didn’t prevent our houseband guest Michael Goulding from giving us a terrific opening set – his partner Rebecca Turner was unable to be with him this week owing to a previously arranged engagement.

A nice mix of numbers from Michael was enhanced by the aforementioned Alan Vincent and the ever-dependable Clive Nash, beginning with a funky version of “It’s All Over Now”. Other noteworthy numbers were “”Unchain My Heart”, “Messin’ With The Kid”, “Just A Little Bit” and “Cross Cut Saw”, but playing “I Feel Good” in the key of B did feel quite strange for me – I think I just about got away with it!

Not only is Michael Goulding a supreme vocalist and guitarist, he is also a great bass-player, hence we had no hesitation asking him to play bass on Bonnie Taylor’s jam set. Even on such a busy night, we still had just enough time to hear three more numbers from Michael and the houseband, those being the unplanned “Stupid Cupid”, “Tulsa Time” and “Shake, Rattle And Roll” – a great way to end a memorable night!

The night held even more surprises, and once again we had a good choice of bass-players, including the slightly eccentric Joe Larner who sadly left quite early after playing quite well on his jam set. But it was Paul Soper who provided much interest when he arrived with what looked like a Mahalo ukelele bass, which was astonishingly effective – he also gave us a few vocal numbers, and very good they were! Good to see Bonnie Taylor here too, which was quite unexpected, and although I knew Ed Croney would be here, it was nice to see him back with us playing drums.

Our Queen Bee Vera arranged all six jam sets which were led by Billy Sharpe, Martin John, Steve Cook, Ray Wallen, Bonnie Taylor and Paul Soper.

Everything ran smoothly despite Mike Dearing’s absence which kept me on my toes throughout the whole night, so I must thank Michael Goulding for yet another super show, not forgetting Alan Vincent for stepping in at such short notice. Last but certainly not least, our thanks to all our jammers for their contribution towards a fab night. Time to call…

The Roll Of Honour:

• Vocals - Bonnie Taylor and Martin John
• Harp+Vocals - Ray Wallen
• Bass+Vocals - Paul Soper
• Guitar+Vocals - Billy Sharpe and Steve Cook
• Guitar - Richard Stenhouse, Kevin Molyneux, Ian Hammond, Alan Taylor and Murray
• Sax - Peter Harvie
• Bass - Joe Larner, Michael Goulding, Richard Stenhouse and Terry Duggan
• Drums - Marc Turner, Ed Croney and Clive Nash

As always, a fresh batch of mp3s will soon be uploaded by our Webmaster Ken Cumberlidge, and Peter Harvie’s photos can be enjoyed on Our Facebook page.

Special thanks to everyone who helped to set out the backline and also for storing it all away at the end of the night.

Next time at Leytonstone Blues Jam:
Next Week’s houseband guest will be “Sultan Of Slide” and Customtones head honcho Martin Fieber. Hopefully, our MC Mike Dearing will be back by then – meanwhile, we send Mike our best wishes for a speedy recovery. Please arrive early and grab a seat before they are all taken up.

Something for the weekend:
Every Thursday, drummer Phil Overhead hosts his Blues jam at The Three Compasses, 62 High Street, N8 7NX starting at 8.30pm – free entry, plus a very competent houseband and backline provided.

Blues nights return at The Southgate Club on Friday 11th July; their featured band will be “Sonic Blues” featuring guitarist Matt Withey who is no stranger to The Leytonstone Blues jam. They will be supported by “Ray Wallen” – again, no stranger to The Leytonstone Blues jam…mmm..sounds like a great night’s entertainment! For further details, check out www.stharmonicas.co.uk

On Saturday 12th July at The Manor Arms, 150 East India Dock Road, E14 0BP, the multi-talented John Parry will be guest of honour with Ronnie Collins’ Last Project. There’s never any shortage of entertainment when John is behind a mic and guitar, again, please arrive early and grab a seat at this small but very friendly little pub. 3.00pm-6.00pm. Please use beer-garden entrance after 3.00pm. No charge at the door.

Thanking All Our Jammers & Listeners,