Dave Green (top) and John Critchinson Herts Jazz Festival 2013. Photo credit Melody Mclaren. All Rights reserved

 Melody McLaren who has been  taking pictures all through, picks some highlights of the Saturday of this year’s three-day Herts Jazz Festival. (Alyn Shipton reviewed Friday of the Herts Jazz Festival  for us. Peter Vacher is reviewing Sunday.) Melody writes: 

1. (Above) Lovely to see these great stalwarts John Critchinson and Dave Green (with Clark Tracey) on Saturday afternoon in a free foyer gig at Campus West. Can’t imagine a better way to engage the local Hertfordshire community, as well as loyal Festival fans, with the best of British jazz.

Kenny Wheeler Herts Jazz Festival 2013. Photo credit Melody Mclaren. All Rights reserved

2) – A rare appearance by the legendary Kenny Wheeler, performing in great company with Stan Sulzmann, John Paricelli, Chris Laurence and Paul Clarvis. The finale – Everybody’s Song But My Own – introduced as the equivalent of a “rock anthem” for the jazz community – was extremely moving for those of us in the audience who have heard this covered by so many great British jazz musicians.

Django Bates, Iain Ballamy, Petter Eldh Herts Jazz Festival 2013. Photo credit Melody Mclaren. All Rights reserved

 3) – Having performed with his band Anorak in the previous set, Iain Ballamy dropped in for a mini-reunion with fellow Loose Tubes bandmate Django Bates on his Beloved set. The two last played together in a quartet setting 8 years ago, and last played the tune they chose (This World) – when they recorded the album together on which it appears, All Men Amen, in spring 1993.