Swanage Jazz Club is hosting a gig featuring one of the UK’s top sax players – and helping to raise awareness for a breast cancer charity after his wife died from the disease earlier this year.
Derek Nash, saxophonist for Jools Holland, was due to play at Swanage Jazz Festival in July 2024 with a Stevie Wonder tribute, but had to organise a replacement after his wife Beverley took a turn for the worse.
Sarah Bolter and Not Just Sax will play at the Isle of Purbeck Golf Club
Amazing lady who never gave up hope
Sadly Beverley died the day before the jazz festival started, and now Derek is doing all he can to raise money for Breast Cancer Now, specifically to combat secondary breast cancer.
He will guest with Dorset band and Swanage Jazz Festival favourites Not Just Sax at the Isle of Purbeck golf club on Saturday 12th October 2024 for the regular monthly meeting of Swanage Jazz Club.
And the previous night a live music charity concert featuring Changing Colours and Derek Nash, in memory of Beverley and to raise funds for Breast Cancer Now, will be held at the Hamworthy Club in Poole, Dorset.
Derek described his wife as an amazing lady who never gave up hope, who ‘lived, loved and quietly displayed the inner strength of a titan’ and said that the concerts would be high energy and upbeat, as well as featuring some emotional ballads.
Mayank Patel (right) at the launch of Swanage Jazz Club in March 2024
“Expect duelling saxes!”
Swanage Jazz Club founder Mayank Patel said:
“The Isle of Purbeck Golf Club in partnership with Swanage Jazz Club, is delighted to proudly present an exciting opportunity to see one of UK’s busiest jazz musicians, Jools Holland’s main man, Derek Nash.
“Not Just Sax is a group of five local musicians led by Sarah Bolter on sax, flute, clarinet and vocals and is bound together by a love of melodic, rhythmic jazz whilst pushing boundaries with a variety of well-known favourites and originals composed by pianist Ray Shea.
“Derek is not only a performer but is also a band leader, recording engineer, composer and producer, who met Sarah when he produced her last album.
“Sarah, Derek and Not Just Sax share a love of high energy music as well as beautiful ballads and are looking forward to sharing the stage at Swanage Jazz Club. Expect duelling saxes!”
Beverley Nash, who fought breast cancer for nine years, died in July 2024
Fund raising in memory of Beverley
Sarah Bolter said:
“I had the pleasure of having Derek guest with me at the Swanage Jazz Festival before at the Red Lion, and we had so much fun that I really wanted to do it again!
“This gig has been booked in for a while alongside courses that Derek is running in jazz and blues in Dorset.
“At the time I did ask Derek if he also wanted a Friday gig since he was coming down, which he wasn’t free for but we now also have a charity concert booked in at the Hamworthy Club.
“Sadly Derek lost his beautiful wife Beverley over the summer and in her memory we want to continue her work and so have put together the concert with lots of musicians giving up their time for such a worthy cause!”
Sarah, pictured with Derek, has played Swanage Jazz Festival almost 20 times
“Swanage feels like home for us”
Sarah added:
“The Swanage gig was booked in way before Beverley took a turn for the worse, so it’s not a charity gig, though I may take some collection tins!
“As Not Just Sax, we have appeared 14 times at the Red Lion and for the past five years at the Black Swan, appearing on the programme one year with Louise Clare Marshall and also Jools Holland.
“We also played at St Mary’s Church for Purbeck Arts Weeks, and Derek ran an improvising course at the Swanage Community Centre, so the town really does feel like home for us.
“And we are so looking forward to playing at Swanage Jazz Club in the beautiful Isle of Purbeck golf club on Saturday 12th October – it is one of our favourite places with its stunning views!”
The Jools Holland band, best known for their New Year Eve Hootenanny celebrations on the BBC
Part of Jools Holland band since 2004
The Not Just Sax line-up is Derek Nash, Sarah Bolter on sax, flute, clarinet and vocals, pianist Ray Shea, guitarist Rob Palmer, Andy Chapman on drums and double bass player Pete Maxfield.
Derek Nash, who has been part of the Jools Holland experience since 2004 and has shared stages with many great artists including Eric Clapton, Amy Winehouse, Michael Buble and Sir Paul McCartney, said:
“My beautiful wife Beverley bravely fought cancer since 2015. Over the years the disease ebbed and flowed with countless chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments and at times we thought we might be free of it, although we were still on a programme of injections for 10 years.
“She fundraised, volunteered to help others similarly afflicted, did charity walks, recorded a single and took part in The Show, a fantastic London fashion show where all the models have had treatment.”
Beverley Nash, filmed for the BBC taking part in a cancer charity fashion show, pictured getting on with life 18 months after her treatment
“She never gave up hope”
Derek added:
“She was always helping the fundraising cause and even became the covergirl for the breast cancer magazine Vita on one occasion.
“Sadly, three years ago Beverley was told she had secondary breast cancer, meaning we could only fight it but it would never be defeated as it had spread to different parts of her body.
“But she never gave up hope – even in her last weeks we were so close to being allowed to participate in clinical trials at Royal Marsden, although it wasn’t to be.
“She wanted no flowers, only donations to help others similarly fighting the disease, and Breast Cancer Now will be channelling everything raised on her behalf directly towards combating secondary breast cancer.”
Further information
- Details of the Not Just Sax gig are on Swanage Jazz Club’s website
- The Beverley Nash fundraiser page is on Just Giving
