Dave Rae (banjo & vocals), Brian Carrick
(clarinet, tenor saxophone & vocals), Jim Blenkin (trombone & vocals)
& John Robinson (double bass)
(Review by Russell)
Jazz at the Fell at Gateshead British Legion. The cricket club, surely? No,
it was at Gateshead Fell (Jazz at
‘the Fell’) Cricket Club, now the regulars, rather, some of them, have made the
journey to Coatsworth Road ,
Bensham. The British Legion is the place to be on a Friday night to hear New
Orleans/Dixieland jazz. The last day of January brought rain sweeping across
the Tyne . Audience numbers were small, it’s
been this way for some time.
The large concert room with its
large dance floor imposed a barrier, seemingly as wide as the Mississippi , between the musicians on the
stage and the audience huddled together on the fringe of the Terpsichorean
domain. That the few were, for the most part, ‘huddled together’ suggests that
it wasn’t too warm in the upstairs room at the Legion. Dave Rae’s New Orleans
Quartet warmed up by blowing on their hands, so cold it was. The music warmed
the heart. Bandleader Rae’s special guest for the evening - Brian Carrick - had
many a tale to tell of New Orleans evoking images of the Big Easy, the European
architecture, a paddle steamer, street musicians, red beans and rice, the heat
of the Deep South. Yes, Carrick, the inveterate traveller, knows the French
Quarter better than streets of Bensham!
The quartet kicked off with
Carrick’s frozen clarinet way out of key. A frown, a tap and a twist of the
liquorice stick, a further frown, tap and twist and we were off, up and a way
with Red Wing. Carrick joked that he
was always a ‘crappy starter’. Dave Rae and John Robinson know their stuff and
provided faultless rhythmic support throughout. Jim Blenkin’s robust Jim
Robinson trombone style complimented the clarinet. In between numbers Carrick
had a tale to tell, tales of George Lewis (many years ago the legendary clarinettist
gave one of his instruments to Carrick), Punch Miller (in Carrick’s estimation
the equal of Louis), the Barbarin family and others. Bourbon Street
Carrick’s plaintive vocal style
is as good as it gets, often taking a chord and singing an intro. This alone is
worth the admission money. Brian Carrick said he had been talking to a friend
the other day in New Orleans
and believe it or not this Big Easy citizen had seen snow for the first time in
his life. If it’s snowing in New
Orleans then Tynesiders have little excuse. Jazz at
the Fell is a fixture on the scene, show your support by turning out in
numbers, whatever the weather.
Russell. 
No comments :
Post a Comment