Beatle Jam
KENT BARKER, a self-confessed incompetent Ukulele player, profiles one of the bands that will be bringing their four-stringed instruments to Hastings for Beatles Day.
The BIG Ukulele Jam are usually to be found rehearsing in the back room of the Bull at Benenden on a Monday night. This evening, though, the Bull is booked so they have gathered in the nearby home of two of their members. There’s just the slightest feeling of panic in the air. “Hastings Beatles Day is less than three weeks away and this is our first full rehearsal,” says musical director Russell Cruse.
But in fact the Benenden and Iden Green Ukulele Jam, to give them their full name, know the songs they‘ll be performing pretty well. They’re part of the regular repertoire of well-known rock tunes that has taken them round numerous venues in the Southeast since they were formed 8 years ago – or was it nine? No one seems to remember. In that time they’ve played weddings, sports clubs, wassails, village fetes, birthday parties, numerous Ukulele gatherings, and are a regular fixture at a local three-day Grateful Dead festival!
“It all started when someone bought a job lot of £20 ukes, flogged them in the pub, and persuaded Russell and his wife to start holding group lessons that quickly turned into sessions after we had mastered the three chords needed for Octopus’s Garden,” recalls a founder member.
Since then there’s always been a regular core of 8-10 players even though the Jam’s line-up has changed markedly, sometimes due to artistic ‘differences’, but more as people move into or out of the area – one is now living in Vancouver. And there are some part-timers – like this writer who is invited to make an ass of himself playing Christmas gigs despite a major deficit of musical ability.
The BIG Jam may be reluctant to admit it, but Beatles Day poses a number of challenges. There will be more than 300 musicians on a wide variety of instruments playing across three stages at the White Rock Theatre on 2 April. Many are amateur, but some are well-known local professionals, so standards are expected to be high. And then there are the usual logistical concerns. “We don’t know anything about the PA system, or whether we need our own amps, or indeed any of the arrangements,” says bassist Steve.
“We thought Beatles Day would be a good challenge,” says Russell – a former music teacher, “and we’ve come up with some unique arrangements for the four songs in our allotted time slot.”
The organisers of Hastings Beatles Day say this year will be bigger and better than ever. “If you’re looking for an excuse to party, reminisce or simply be entertained, this is the event for you!” says event manager Gillian Payne, apparently undaunted by the task of ensuring the hundreds of musicians, as well as assorted dancers and choreographers, are able to play smoothly across the various stages with continuous performances for 11 hours straight.
Beatles Day is on 2 April at the White Rock Theatre in aid of the Sara Lee Trust for people with cancer or life-threatening illness. Tickets from hastingsbeatlesday.com.
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