Mike Durham (tpt/vcl), Barry Soulsby (clt/vcl), Laurence McBriarty (tmb), Brian Sibbald (bs), Brian Bennett (bjo/vcl), Fred Thompson (dms/vcl).A surprisingly low attendance, given that it was a bank holiday and the usual bank holiday banquet was on the table. On top of that, Mike Durham was on trumpet what more could a purist jazzer ask for?
Perhaps a little less rain is the answer. I'm sure the torrents that flowed from above cancelled out the appeal of the sumptuous array of sausage rolls, quiche, pork pies and sandwiches - enough to have fed a minor republic for a month - that complimented the music.
Tonight, Mike Durham on trumpet helped to make it a nicely balanced front-line with Barry Soulsby's clean lines contrasting with Laurence McB's earthy growls.
Usual trad fare with the exception of "When Somebody Thinks Your Wonderful" and "I Saw Stars". Fred crooned the former and Mike the latter.
I always associate "Stars" with, apart from Django, Becky Kilgore or Roly Veitch (in the audience tonight - Roly not Becky) so hearing it played on banjo was certainly an interesting alternative. Truth is, it's a great tune no matter what the line-up.
Brian B wore an unusual pair of shoes tonight - the soles at the toes are angled at about 45 degrees. This is quite a hazard for a banjo player - the weight of the resonator could easily cause him to topple over if he leaned forward. Perhaps he should have a lead attached to prevent this happening. Come to think of it, perhaps all banjo players should be on a lead.
Only joking (I think...)
Lance.
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