Henry Lowther, Mike Hogh, Willie Garnett, Jimmy Hastings

The genial, generous, good-humoured spirit of the late Eddie Harvey hovered over a packed gig in  his honour at the Drayton Court Hotel in Ealing. The first set featured the London College of Music Big Band directed by Peter Cook, featured on Harvey’s last chart, How Deep is the Ocean. Harvey worked at the college, part of the University of West London, from 1985 to 2010 (Their tribute) Pick of the soloists was fine Trinity-bound guitarist Giorgos Paphitis, featured on Harvey’s Stelios. Later in the evening, a small group (above) featured refined drummer Marc Parnell and pianist Jack Honeybourne, who vividly remembered his first meeting with Harvey: in Karachi in 1947. After I left, the Sound of 17 Big Band were due to play Harvey’s Ealing Suite, originally an Ealing Jazz Festival commission. An evening to reflect on memories of a man who embodied the virtues of British jazz. (Peter Vacher’s Guardian obituary)