Trombonicle 85 / Elephant – Trombone Poetry

It’s been far too long since Trombone Poetry was last exported to Scotland, but an excellent four-day tour with Paula Jackman’s Jazz Masters offered a great opportunity to smuggle it into a traditional jazz weekend in Stranraer.

The photograph shows the venue in question, specially fortified for the occasion, faced with the expected hordes of poetry fanatics and trombone maniacs.

Apart from a mild case of writer’s cramp incurred during the book-signings, few injuries were reported at the Saturday morning session. We look forward to repeating the experiment one fine day, perhaps on the curling rink.

The Blue Planet Orchestra gave an exhilarating performance at the 606 Club. This is one of the few bands that sounds better every time it plays, making the most of the endless possibilities of Roland Perrin’s compositions and arrangements. There could well be another chance to catch the Orchestra in action this weekend, though this may involve a trip to the seaside.

Last month’s forecast of a Tickbird&Rhino event in November has turned out to be slightly inaccurate: it may instead be happening in January, due to administrative overload and whatnot. When it does happen, it will be an informal talk about constraints and creativity, Oulipo and the output of Redriff Press.

In the previous Trombonicle, I shared the poem IN THE MOOD. Since then, various talking-head videos have been cranked out, including a recital of that very poem. These are available on Instagram, which (erratically) copies them over to Farcebook. They are also accumulating on YouTube. What a treat.

A few extra events have sneaked into the calendar before the month ends. I’ll be a guest player at the The Spice of Life in Soho on Friday afternoon, in the company of that fine tenor saxophonist, Al Nicholls, for a ramble through whatever tunes we might both know.

On Wednesday there will be a reunion gig. Not since the glorious nights at the much-missed Indo has Trombone Poetry shared the billing with Near Jazz Experience. This may be some kind of revelation for NJE, as the PA system at The Haggerston actually works, apparently.

On Saturday we have an afternoon of urbanism, with a short film sharing memories of the Elephant & Castle and a new poem, Elephant Walks, responding to the imagery of Harry Townsend, an amateur working class photographer who took photographs of the area from 1919 to 1964.

Later on in the month, we have the much-delayed launch of Hulling, followed by another Northern version of Click Beetle.

GIGS

Merch available at all these events!

Wednesday, 29 October 2025, 20:00

Trombone Poetry + Near Jazz Experience

The Haggerston

438 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AA

Thursday, 30th October, 19:30

Tony Scriven Sunshine Jazzband

Sidcup Jazz Club

Footscray Social Club, 23-27 Cray Road, Sidcup, DA14 5BY

Friday, 31st October, 13:00

Quintet with Al Nicholls : mainstream jazz

The Spice of Life

6 Moor St, London W1D 5NA

Saturday, 1st November, 14.30

The Crocodile on the Bus and other stories

Capturing memories before the Elephant forgets: an afternoon of sharing of memories with the odd poem and song or two, including a new commissioned poem, Elephant Walks, by Paul Taylor

Siobhan Davies Studios

85 St George’s Road, London SE1 6ER

For free tickets, RSVP via the Contact Form

Monday 3rd November, 20:00 doors, 20:30 start

Mick Collins Legacy Jazz Orchestra

Sundridge Park Working Mens Club and Institute

134 Burnt Ash Lane, Bromley BR1 5AF

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Wednesday 5th November, 19:30

Hugh Crozier’s New Orleans Jazz Band

GOSPORT JAZZ CLUB

Gosport & Fareham Rugby Club, Dolphin Crescent, Gosport, PO12 2HE