Brew #96

Many surprised faces, including John Etheridge, Hugh Hopper and John Marshall, when the reclusive former Soft Machine founder and keyboard player Mike Ratledge turned up for the final bars of the Soft Machine Legacy band’s gig at Pizza Express Jazz Club in February, two days after Elton Dean died. Ogun’s Hazel Miller is organising an Elton Dean tribute night at the 100 Club on 9 May. More details next month… Vortex jazz club officials publicly disturbed, but privately delighted, to hear the Vortex name "borrowed" by TV soap opera Holby City. Meanwhile the club is planning something big for its first anniversary at the new address in May… Was Evening Standard and Jazzwise writer Jack Massarik loudly auditioning for a part in the forthcoming series of Grumpy Old Men at Brad Mehldau’s Barbican concert or was he just understandably miffed, along with about 50 other locked-out punters, at having to wait until the completion of the first, lengthy, number before being allowed in by the over zealous doorstaff. Jack was later seen with his head deep in a copy of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic, Fall Of The House Of Usher.