Jazz and laughter from Mike and Herbie on Valentine’s Day

If jazz and laughter create your desired atmosphere on Valentine’s Day, an evening with Mike Hatchard and Herbie Flowers at St Mary in the Castle could be just the place for you, as venue manager Sean Berkeley explains.

Mike & Herbie are back at last. These guys are two of the best jazz musicians on the South Coast. They’ve performed on the St Mary’s stage countless times but after a period away from the venue they’re back to play your favourite jazz classics, with the odd anecdote thrown in for good measure.

Hatchard, the famous piano player, joins his old friend, bass player Herbie Flowers, to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a concert of music and stories celebrating their respective careers.

“I’m thrilled to be back at St Mary’s with my old mate Herbie for this Valentines concert,” Hatchard says. “We hope to be back again for more gigs in the near future so watch this space.”

At one time this duo were quite ubiquitous, celebrating sell-out concerts along the south coast, on the South Bank and at the Edinburgh Festival. They were described in Sussex Magazine as the “foremost musical alliance in Sussex.”

Captivating without the music, the sheer effortless musical expertise makes this a concert to savour.

Nowadays their appearances together are much less frequent, but they still rock at venues like the Dome in Brighton and the Rye Jazz Festival. Anecdotes abound, stories of discovering Lou Reed asleep on the sofa and waking him up to record (and virtually co-write) Walk on the Wild Side, and less dazzling but equally stunning tales of playing in prisons, hospitals, cycling 1,400 miles towing a piano, acting on Bad Girls, performing with the New Seekers to an audience of two: you name it, one of them will have done it.

An evening with Mike & Herbie Friday 14 February, 7.30pm (doors open 7pm), St Mary in the Castle, 7 Pelham Crescent, Hastings TN34 3AF. Tickets cost £15 plus booking fee and include a glass of wine.

For more information follow @stmaryinthecastle on Instagram or visit the website.

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