From Cullercoats to Copacabana - The Gala Big Band @ The Gala Theatre, Durham.

(Review by Jerry)

I don’t like to see a gig go unreported but I’m currently pressed for time so, apologies to all – this will be brief indeed.

A good crowd at this lovely theatre was entertained by 15 numbers including solo piano – English Country Garden, a quintet take on Satin Doll and vocals on Moondance – with Alex Kennedy, the drummer, at the mic’ while Paul Edis, the MD caressed the drums! Different!

Either side of these variations we had a more typical big band selection with favourites such as The Power of Love, Gershwin’s Embraceable You and the tricky, frenetic Catch as Catch Can, which the band negotiated with aplomb!

In the second set we had All of Me, Come Sunday and back to back Glenn Miller with String of Pearls and Moonlight Serenade. Apologies to the “jazz police” but we loved it. Back on safer jazz ground, Lil’ Darlin’ was followed by an up-tempo, up-volume finish with Mercy, Mercy, Mercy and, by way of an encore (we shouted loudly enough!), One O’Clock Jump.

Seasoning the familiar were three Edis’ originals, a slow ballad, When All Is Said and Done (“Way sad”), the stomping, vaguely rockish, Techtonic and a bossa nova entitled The Coast (which its composer liked to think Jobim might have written had he lived in Tynemouth!). All very good.

The MD, rightly praising his musicians, said that: “With every gig the standard gets better and better”. No-one in the audience would disagree – nor would I and I have seen pretty much all of their gigs since they were founded circa 2015. Great stuff!

Jerry.