Henley Living Advent Calendar night 15: WotJam at the Eyot Centre

A JAZZ band was the surprise on night 15 of the Henley Living Advent Calendar.  

WotJam, a group of musicians from Whitchurch-on-Thames, surprised audience members at the Eyot Centre on Wargrave Road.

The band played a number of jazz standards including Blues Walk by Lou Donaldson, Stompin’ at the Savoy by Edgar Sampson, Take the A Train by Billy Strayhorn, Five Spot After Dark by Benny Golson before finishing with a jazz twist on the Christmas song, Winter Wonderland. 

The group consisted of three saxophonists, one violinist, a bass player, a guitarist, and a clarinet player.

Leslie Meynerd who plays saxophone in the group said she enjoyed performing with the band. She said: “It’s a great group, it's like therapy. We love it, it’s our life.

“We're actually more of a workshop. We go every single week to this beautiful venue, the Stables in Whitchurch and we have been going for nearly nine years.”

Ms Meynerd said tenor sax player Ruth Jolly saved the band last minute after their trumpeter pulled out last minute.

She said: “We had a crisis tonight, at nine o clock this morning I opened up my email and our Trumpeter who rehearsed every single rehearsal with us for weeks had come down with covid.

“Ruth had been off to Asia for her son’s wedding and had just come back. I said please can you play and she was amazing. Thanks to her she saved the day.”

Following the band’s performance, a raffle was held for the Eyot Centre which provides access to social and river-based activities for the young people of Henley and surrounding areas.

Prizes donated by the centre included a Bell Boating experience for ten people. A dragon boat experience for four people and a six-day car parking pass for Henley Royal Regatta 2024.

Sue Perry-Whitehead the manager of the Eyot centre said: “The centre is so important to Henry because the river is not just for the posh people with fancy hats on.

“We are a charity that is dedicated to getting kids of all backgrounds out on the river to foster a love of paddlesports, so one day they may well be rowing at Henley Regatta.”

Guests were treated to food and drink from The Happy Gurkha, a Nepalese catering company run by retired Gurkhas and their families, who served hot pakoras and spring rolls.

The remaining venues are as follows: 18 Market Place, 19 Simmons & Sons, 20 Henley Community Hub, 21 Catherine Wheel, 22 Bull on Bell Street, 23 The Anchor, 24 St Mary’s Church.

For more information, visit www.livingadventcalendar.co.uk

A full report and pictures from the opening week of this year’s calendar will appear in next week’s Henley Standard, out on Friday, with daily updates on www.henleystandard.co.uk