Budvivar @ The Chillingham

Budvivar: Fiona Littlewood, Stuart Findon (ten), Chris Finch (pno), Eddie Nickson (gtr), Jim Crinson (bs), Eric Stutt (dms), Debra Milne (vcl). ----- Take It To The Bridge: Dave Weisser (tpt), Darren Grainger (alt), Barry Ashcroft (pno), Tom Dibb/Eddie Nickson (gtr), Jim Crinson (bs), Ian Forbes/Eric Stutt (dms). ----- Budvivar really went for the jugular this month. The two tenor frontline, reminiscent of Zoot and Al (Zoot & Toot?), worked well. With Debra adding her voice instrumentally on numbers like "Four", "Green Dolphin Street", "Well You Needn't", "In Walked Bud" and other boppers the frantic tempos got the adrenaline circulating and the pulses revving. Some great solos from both of the saxes as well as blasts by Eddie on guitar, Jim on bass and Chris on piano. Eric Stutt, on drums, like Jim and Eddie, kicked both bands along whilst Debra successfully got her head and her vocal chords round the tempos di bop. "I Won't Dance" was rather more civilised, albeit with a couple of 'two left feet' moments, but Debra's "Black Coffee" couldn't have been bettered by Starbucks. In the two months since I last heard them, Budvivar have come on in leaps and bounds. I look forward to hearing them again in April or whenever their next gig is. (Promoters take note.) Tom Dibb, who earlier had had a guitar blast with the Take It To The Bridge boys, returned for the jam session. Tom is from Rotherham which may explain his strange headgear; he plays great guitar.

Ian Forbes sat in on drums. Photos. Lance