RolyVeitch
(guitar & vocals), Jeremy McMurray (keyboards), Mick Shoulder (double
bass), Adam Sinclair (drums) & Steve Andrews (tenor & soprano saxophones,
clarinet) + Ruth Lambert (vocals)
(Review by Russell).
Club promoter Roly Veitch invited
old friend Steve Andrews to make the journey across the Pennines to play a few
tunes in the company of Teesside pianist Jeremy McMurray, County Durham
I Want
to be Happy opened the show with Andrews on soprano then tenor, then
soprano once more. Veitch weighed in with a vocal on But Not for Me (Andrews clarinet). Andrews spoke of his admiration
for Artie Shaw and played a couple of songs associated with him – Don’t Take Your Love From Me and My Heart Stood Still (clarinet and
soprano). In between the two Take the A
Train departed for
Andrews’ trademark robust, wide
vibrato tenor told us about Sweet
Lorraine and the first set drew to a close with Shoulder and Sinclair
firing on all cylinders on Tangerine.
The interval cholesterol feast
met with approval and a platter made its way through to the bar for the Black Sheep drinkers to sample the
fayre. Donated raffle prizes were plentiful. So many were they the start of the
second set was delayed a while as just about everyone was in with a chance of
winning a prize!
A mid-winter Autumn Leaves (Jeremy McMurray, piano, Veitch, guitar) resumed
music matters and birthday boy Veitch sang Look
for the Silver Lining. Yes, R. Veitch thought he’d got away with it not
mentioning his birthday. The room sang Happy
Birthday (lots of smiling faces) and Andrews’ leisurely tenor suggested Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
before inviting Ruth Lambert to join the boys on the stand to sing All of Me (the jazz singer dying, but
not quite daring, to swing it!). Short of a Santa hat, Lambert sang Santa Baby. Anytime Ruth, not just
Christmas!
You Can Depend on Me (Andrews, tenor and soprano and a swift fours
with Sinclair) and in no time last orders were about to be called. Lester Leaps In beat the bell.
Thanks were offered all round; to
the superb musicians on the stand, to Mr Roly Veitch for keeping Blaydon Jazz Club on the road for
thirty-plus years and to ‘Mine Host’ at the
Black Bull, a bouquet of flowers.
A thrilling occasion is in prospect
with the Strictly Smokin’ Big Band taking to the Black Bull’s modest stage when
the club reconvenes on March 15. A dynamic big band in a small room. It has all
the makings of being a contender for Gig of the Year 2015!
Russell.
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