(Review and photos by Kat Rutter)
A fundraising concert in memory of local musician Mick Danby. This was one of two concerts in aid of the Brain Tumour Charity/Spirit of Mick Danby Fund with the second one taking place in Leeds in the New Year. As many people on the north-east jazz scene know, Mick was a talented and inspirational musician and singer who lost his brave fight against brain cancer in February 2014 aged just 52.
The line-up included: Emma Fisk and James Birkett, Appletwig Songbook, Storiella, The Lindsay Hannon Plus and the Tenth Avenue Band. The compere for the evening was Ian Ground, a friend of Mick Danby and member of the same choir, Heaton Voices.
The event kicked off with the jazz violin and guitar duo Emma Fisk and James Birkett. Their style of music is very reminiscent of the Hot Club of France and revived the 1920s sound of Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang who were major influences on Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt. They played a few Venuti and Lang compositions including “Cheese and Crackers” and “Sunshine” which were both up-tempo numbers featuring that ‘hot’ violin style that characterises 1920's swing.
The duo also played other jazz standards such as “I Found A New Baby” and “Paper Moon”. Their set was mostly lively swing tunes but they also played a couple of slow numbers including a beautifully melancholic rendition of Gershwin’s “Someone to Watch over Me”. Fisk and Birkett are certainly very accomplished and skilful musicians.
Appletwig Songbook, a five-piece band, were next onto the stage. They are a roots band with an original sound which combines traditional songs with contemporary jazz, rock and world music influences. Led by Richard Scott, who is the musical director of Heaton Voices, Appletwig Songbook is one of the bands that Mick Danby used to play in. They played a range of instruments between them such as keyboard, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, violin and flute and most of their repertoire were original compositions. These included “The Bigg Market”, “Save Me” and a mining song called “Monday Morning”.
Two of their numbers were written by the late Keith Morris who was a powerful force on the local music scene: “Talk on the Telephone”, a song about separation and “This Song” with lyrics by David Bradford which is probably Keith’s most famous song. This was a very contemporary jazz number with a 5/4 rhythm and a bluesy middle section. It was a very authentic piece with great vocals from Richard Scott. The band finished with a rocky arrangement of a traditional miners’ song, “The Collier’s Rant” which certainly got the audience tapping their feet.
The first group after the interval was Storiella who are a vocal trio singing largely a cappella or with minimal accompaniment on ukulele, banjolele and shruti. The trio features Teresa Driscoll, Mick’s widow and the organiser of the concert. They specialise in three part harmonies and have lovely voices. Their first song, “For You” by singer-songwriter Judie Tzuke, featured harmony and counterpoint in a beautiful blend of the three voices. Next was a Canadian piece, “River and Sun”, which is a song about loss. Their rendition was very moving and particularly poignant considering the occasion. They also did a fantastic version of Jason Mraz’s 2008 Reggae number “I’m Yours” which showed what a versatile line-up Storiella are. They finished their set with “Jingle Bell Rock” which not only involved Ian the compere but audience participation too.
The penultimate performance of the evening was by The Lindsay Hannon Plus, a vocal led quartet who played original songs as well as traditional jazz and blues standards. They started with “The Spy”, a Doors number that is very bluesy. This allowed Lindsay to exhibit her powerful dynamic range to the full. Then came the Bossanova hit “No More Blues” followed by “Miss Otis Regrets” sang as a ballad with a solo on the double bass as an intro. It was a beautiful rendition of this traditional standard as a plaintive lament. This number allowed Lindsay to use the gentle and tender colours in her voice to good effect.
“Heather” came next, an original composition which was written with Lindsay’s collaborator Liz Cornay. This number featured a fantastic guitar solo from Mark Williams. The Lindsay Hannon Plus finished with a blues number, “Romeo Bleeding” by Tom Waites and overall it was an intense and engaging performance. After the show, Lindsay said “We were very glad to be playing for Mick Danby’s charity concert as he was a much-loved friend and colleague - and an excellent bass player.”
Rounding the evening off in style was the Tenth Avenue Band, a 16-piece street band featuring a range of wind and brass instruments including saxes, a trumpet, trombones, and flutes along with bass and percussion. They played a mixture of jazz, latin, reggae and ska as well as songs from around the world including South Africa and Colombia. It was a fantastic set which lifted the spirits of the audience and got people onto their dancing feet. The highlights of their performance included the Kid Creole and the Coconuts’ song “Annie I’m Not Your Daddy” and the Specials’ 1981 hit “Ghost Town”. This last number was particularly effective as the band came out into the audience playing their instruments whilst encouraging everyone to join in with the lyrics.
And the Beat Goes On was a great night and really captured the spirit of what Mick’s legacy is all about.
Please go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/btcspiritofmickdanby if you would like to make a donation to this wonderful cause.
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