Peter Morgan MD & bass trombone. Jill Brett, Elaine Willis, Alan Marshall, Leanne Todd, Chris Karberry, Saxes. Paul Riley Gledhill, Michael Lamb, Ken DeVere, Kevin Eland, trumpets. Chris Kurji Smith, Gareth Weaver, Michael Fletcher, trombones. Bill Brittain, keyboard, Alan Smith, bass guitar, Roy Willis, guitar, Dave Francis, drums. Ruth Lambert, vocal.
It was a cold nor'easter blowing from the sea and it wasn't much warmer inside the New Crown but the band were rehearsing Maynard Ferguson's Coconut Champagne, which took the chill out of the air, following this with Gordon Goodwin's Count Bubba's Revenge, both tunes having some tricky passages.
The concert set started with Five Foot Two Eyes Of Blue, Ms. Lambert gave us Cheek To Cheek even though she was feeling the cold. Lead Alto Jill Brett was featured on Harlem Nocturne followed by Ruth who sang (optimistically) Summertime. The band swung out with Have You Met Miss Jones and Ruth raised the temperature with Peggy Lee's Fever and the band did Witchcraft. The set finished with Ruth and The Man I Love, (not literally) and the band taking it out with C Jam Blues and solos from all sections. It is a feature of this band that the jazz solos are always of a high standard.
Re the cold, Ruth's performnce with her coat on and off reminded me of the folk club at the Bridge about fifty years ago when Jack Elliott of Birtley announced that "as Gerald Moore is busy I'll sing accompanied by cloth cap and muffler" which he did.
A final thought where are all the big band fans around the South Shields area? they don't know what they are missing.
Miles
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