Classic Swing @ The Ship, Monkseaton - July 10

(Review by Russell)

The Ship Inn on Front Street is home to Classic Swing. For a couple of years or so the band has maintained a Tuesday afternoon residency at the pub, one of three Monkseaton hostelries, each one no more than a stone's throw away from the others, offering regular jazz sessions. 

It Don't Mean a Thing sang Olive Rudd. Classic Swing's setlist embraces the New Orleans/Dixieland era through to 1930s small group swing. Give Me the Simple Life, I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby, the band's vocalist was in good voice and 'S Wonderful made it four vocal numbers in a row.

Jim McBriarty likes to sing a tune or two and Just Squeeze Me presented a first opportunity of the afternoon. McBriarty approached Ellington's number in typically relaxed style, the same could be said of Don Fairley's trombone solo and Bob Wade's trademark squeeze 'n' tease trumpet playing. Basie's Swingin' the Blues closed out a fine first set with Wade in his element.

Hello Central give me Doctor Jazz...so sang Olive Rudd in opening the second set. A set of several requests - Out of Nowhere, Blue Skies, Undecided with top solos from McBriarty on tenor, Wade, trumpet, and Fairley once more. 

Occasionally a gig comes up with something a little different. It hadn't escaped the notice of your reviewer that Neville Hartley was in the house and later fellow trombonist Gordon Solomon walked through the door. This could be fun! As Wade and McBriarty retired to the bar, Messrs Fairley, Hartley and Solomon formed a frontline 'trombonium' to play Lady Be Good. And it was pretty darn good! The penultimate number featured all - band and guests - on a storming C Jam Blues. Yes, it was well worth jumping aboard the always-on-time Tyne and Wear Metro (read about  BSH's Editor in Chief's travails yesterday journeying from South Tyneside to Cullercoats)! Tuxedo Junction took us up to three o'clock. A canny session, as they say.        

Russell.                       

Bob Wade (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jim McBriarty (clarinet, tenor saxophone, vocals); Don Fairley (trombone); Colin Haikney (piano); Alan Rudd (double bass); Tommy Graham (drums); Olive Rudd (vocals) + Neville Hartley (trombone); Gordon Solomon (trombone).