Olive Rudd (vocals); Bob Wade (trumpet/flugel); Jim McBriarty (tenor); Don Fairley (trombone); Colin Haikney (piano); Alan Rudd (bass); Tommy Graham (drums) + Gordon Solomon (trombone); Cormac Loane (alto saxophone).
(Review by John T)
There are two things that attract me to The Ship on a Tuesday afternoon.
Firstly this quality band who always play a varied and interesting programme sending you home happy following an uplifting performance
Classic Swing played the first set with vocals from Olive and good solos all-round. Gordon Solomon and a guy with an alto case arrived in time for the second set. The alto player was announced as Cormac from Birmingham. I can only remember one guy of that name and it was, as I suspected, Cormac Loane from the 1970s Newcastle Big Band. Gordon and Cormac were featured on several numbers with the rhythm section. The rest of the set featured a 5pc frontline + Olive on occasions. Not heard anything so good for a long time!!
Cormac said he would try and make it to the Elephant to sit in with Classic Swing tomorrow night. Here's hoping!
How many people are still around from that big band?:-
Andy Hudson (electric piano), Sting (electric bass), Kevin Healey (guitar), Don Eddy (drums), Jackie Denton (drums), John Pearce (trumpet), Pete Volpe (trumpet), David Lord (trumpet), Colin Aitchison (trumpet), Malcolm Hutton (trumpet), Alf Parker (trumpet), Aldo Bertorelli (trumpet), Robert Tiplady (trumpet), Graham Sheppard (baritone saxophone), Pat Crumly (alto saxophone), Cormac Loane (alto saxophone), Nigel Stanger (tenor saxophone), Charlie Carmichael (tenor saxophone), Steve Langdon (tenor saxophone), Alistair Atkinson (tenor saxophone), Jeff Hedley (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone), Gordon Solomon (trombone), Brian Chester (trombone), Mike Walsh (trombone), Ronnie McLean (trombone).
John T.
4 comments :
Well John, I'm sorry I missed that session. In answer to your query as to how many of the Newcastle Big Band members are still around - well there are a few including several you didn't mention, obviously having taken the info from the LP the band made over 40 years ago!.
Those who are still around, and not mentioned, include Ian Heslop (bass), Ian Forbes (drums), Germaine Stanger (vocals), George MacDonald (alto/clarinet), Laurie Rangecroft (tenor and now baritone w. SSBB), Terry Ellis and John Hedley (guitars) and me (tenor). Other ones who are no longer with us and who missed the cut include Bill Shaw/Marshall Walker (drums), Trevor Johnson (saxes), Bobby Carr, Mike Gilby (trumpets).
Of the others: John Pearce, Alf Parker, Jackie Denton, Don Eddy, Nigel Stanger, Charlie Carmichael, Graham Sheppard, Pat Crumley, Ken Gibson (aka Geno Binks!) are also gone - there's probably more.
Does anyone have info on the whereabouts of Bob King or Jeff Hedley?
Sadly, Bob King died a couple of years ago. He and wife, Dorothy, had been living out there for a few years - quietly growing tomatoes in the sunshine. Before this, Bob was front row in local band, the West Jesmond Rhythm Kings - playing fine, tail gating trombone, alongside Mike, trumpet, and Derek Fleck, clarinet and saxes - now they're all playing in that perpetual celestial jam session. Bob was previously Head of Arts at Kings School in Tynemouth - he trained as a potter, and worked with Bernard Leach in Cornwall. I'm not sure where this fitted with his tenure in the Newcastle Big Band - as far as I know, Bob had left it before Brian Chester joined. Incidentally, Brian was also a long time member of the WJRK's - on piano, and trombone when Bob left.
Sorry, I should have said out there - in Spain! That's where Bob and Dorothy retired to ........
Bob was a very early member of NBB. Others from that period of whom I'd be interested to hear from/about are Andy Gibb (trumpet); Andy Hollis (trumpet/flute); a trombone player Humphery?
I think they were medical students as so many student musicians seem to be both then and now.
Andy Hollis, I think, went to Russia...
Lynn Weems, who lived in Muggleswick near The Truscotts, had played alto with Ivy Benson. There were a lot of players passed through that band. It wasn't unusual to have two drummers flailing away at opposite ends of the stage. As this was usually Don Eddy and Jackie Denton, or occasionally Billy Young and Ian Forbes the drive was quite amazing!
At the San Sebastian Jazz Festival where the band was a frequent visitor, I think Jackie Denton became adopted by the local Basque community - at the time, both were good at dropping bombs!
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