Kings Reign in Rain

Those intrepid Kings of Rhythm from Jesmond West failed to have their spirits dampened by the Wallsend weather which was wet.

Despite the rain, poor acoustics and an audience that was slowly drowning in apathy, WJRK gave a workmanlike performance. Understandably, they concentrated on theoretical crowd-pleasers such as "Indiana" and "Doctor Jazz" rather than the less hackneyed and often more melodic numbers from their CDs. Mike Durham gave a solid lead and Brian Chester's trombone was as ribald as ever but Derek Fleck on clarinet seemed to be under-miked. This wasn't a problem for the rhythm section. Keith Stephens, banjo; Phil rutherford sousa; Mac Rae drums came across loud and clear.

I look forward to hearing them again in more compatible surroundings.