JazzUp! with Away From Home

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I’m delighted to be working with John Morrow for The Riff online magazine. This weekend, we found ourselves at Hitchin’s Club85 for the latest show hosted by JazzUp!

Hitchin’s JazzUp! has always championed the younger members of our musical community, especially with the extended residency of the Joe English trio as support for some more established players. The September 2024 session featured Leeds-based Away From Home, formed by Hitchin’s very own Benji Arnold.

It’s refreshing when bands pay homage to standards, while showcasing their own compositions and that’s what Away From Home does so well. Some beautiful tips of the hat like Wayne Shorter’s ‘Footprints’ and the rarely-heard ‘We See’ by Thelonious Monk were handled well by these engaging musicians.

It’s always a shame when jazz clubs are not packed out and I suspect that audiences sometime stay away from the unknown, which is a great shame. It is only with nights like this from JazzUp! that we can discover the next generation of musicians.

Some of these original compositions from Away From Home show a maturity and considered creativity, particularly ‘A Walk in the Woods’, ‘Close Corners’, the humorous ‘Amos Saves the Day’ and the ballad/funk outing ‘Fresh Air’.

Away From Home are Benji Arnold (trombone), Jamie Gallacher (tenor sax), Isaac Keech (piano), Sean Blake (bass) and Billy Goulding (drums). Watch out for them collectively and individually.


Location: 74 Whinbush Rd, Hitchin SG5 1PZ, UK

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