Jazz In The Buff - 50 Acres Of Naturist Jazz

The second annual Founders Jazz Festival was a great success on all fronts. The weather was as wonderful as the music – apart from one brief, but dramatic rainstorm on Saturday evening. Right on cue, it brought pea-size hailstones that beat a crazy jazz rhythm on the marquee roof to the tune of "Stormy weather".

A lot of the popular acts from last year were back along with some excellent new musicians including violinist Mike Piggott, saxophonist Vasilis Xenopoulos and trumpet player Enrico Tomasso. We also had a jazz poetry session with trombonist Paul Taylor who later joined Mick Collins 16 piece modern jazz orchestra for the finale on Sunday night.

Saturday afternoon kicked off with a New Orleans umbrella parade led by Al Fresco's Indoor Four. Despite the clarinet player having an injured ankle, the band valiantly led the parade past the pavilion and across the petanque courts, through the children's play area and back to the Marquee where they were joined by Jazz singer, Eileen Ford, newly christened the Hornchurch Honey.

There were a lot of suntans topped up that weekend and a lot of real ale drank to keep fluid levels topped up. The beer tent volunteers unceasingly pouring glass after glass for thirsty naturists and musicians alike. And what a selection to choose from! Timothy Taylor's Landlord was the first casualty, but be assured, not one pint went down in vain.

The main improvement from last year had to be the lighting in the marquee. Last year was our first attempt at something like this and we have to admit we didn't get everything right first time. This year we had a bit of help from a professional lighting company that Laura, the Chairman of our Social Committee, works for. So a big thank you to Light Projects and Light Inc for the loan of the lighting, which made such a huge difference to the ambience of the marquee.

Co-incidentally, Radio Kent was planning a programme about nudity on the Monday after the Jazz festival. They contacted BN who very kindly pointed them in our direction and the Jazz Festival got several mentions on the programme (thank you to all the visitors who took the trouble to ring the station with such encouraging comments).

The musicians certainly enjoyed it and a few of them commented on what a wonderful responsive audience us naturists were. Two of them enjoyed it so much they cast caution and their clothes to the wind and fully joined in the spirit of the festival by stripping off and playing half their set as nature intended.

In recognition of their contribution to the naturist cause, they were allowed to cool down in the pool. Then, in a brief moment of drama, one of them had to be saved by a visitor when he misjudged the depth of the pool. The other even asked about bringing his family to Brocken Hurst for a camping holiday!

This year we had a bigger tent and a smaller stage, which made more room for the most important people of all, the visitors. We at the Foundation would like to thank every one of them very much for their support and hope that all of you enjoyed it as much as those kind people who took the trouble to ring Radio Kent. All things being well, and due to the huge success and popularity of the festival, we hope to repeat it again next year and even to make it an annual event.