By Peter Baird
Maybe there were some nerves. Our first-ever music festival event at The Turrill Sculpture Garden. Jazz and fusion combo Kool Skool’s first gig together for 30 years. Early summer British weather to cope with. What could possibly go wrong? Well actually, nothing went wrong. Everything went remarkably right, from the beautiful gently breezy sunny day, to the wonderful acoustics in the garden, and of course the splendidly enthusiastic and brilliantly jazzy Kool Skool. If they hadn’t mentioned it quite early on in their set, nobody would have guessed the musical hiatus that this gathering had brought to an end. A bit like riding a bike, any early wobbles quickly steadied to a polished tour of past hits and favourite covers.
The garden created a perfect location for the show; trees and shrubbery formed a natural auditorium that gave the open-air concert an acoustic quality of the highest order. The new sculpture show, launched just the day before, offered a lovely backdrop, and the small bar did brisk trade throughout the afternoon. So the audience, maybe some meeting up for the first time in 30 years too, had a very pleasant couple of hours in the heart of Summertown!
Thank you to everybody who joined us for the first of four Saturday concerts, including the helpers and supporters of The Turrill. This next Saturday, 10th June we welcome Oxford-based salsa band Mambo Tropical. With temperatures set to reach a sultry 28 degrees in the afternoon, their Latino mix of salsa, bachata, and merengue will provide a perfect ambience, to get everybody in the summer holiday mood! Be sure to join us at 2pm – 4pm.
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