Marsden Jazz Festival

I have put a collection of my 2008 Marsden Jazz Festival on-line. They can be found within my public Picasa Web Albums. The photograph above is from the series and one I am particularly fond of. It was Saturday lunchtime and the start of the parade by Dave Brennon's Jubilee Parade Band. I have been taking photographs of them for years and they have been marching up and down the streets of Marsden for even more years. This year it was cold and wet and I felt sorry for the band as they gathered at the top of Peel Street. I said to the saxophonist, "It's a poor day for you, I'm sorry about the weather". But he would not have a bit of it. This was nothing compared to conditions he had played in before. A little wet drizzle wouldn't put him and his colleagues off. We stood talking for a few minutes more. And then there were a couple of bangs on the big bass drum and the leader blew his whistle. The band fell into step and started marching down Peel Street into the rain. Magnificent.