Classic Swing @ Jesmond British Legion - May 17

Olive Rudd (vocals); Tommy Moran (tenor sax); Jim McBriarty (alto sax, soprano sax, clarinet, vocals); Neville Hartley (trombone, vocals); Colin Haikney (keyboards); Alan Rudd (double bass); Tommy Graham (drums) 

(Review by Russell)

Oh Lady be Good! for starters - casual swing with Jim McBriarty's vocals mirroring those of Fred Astaire and that's how the session continued, softly swinging, Basie-style. J M opened on alto sax and played more of it on Blue and Sentimental with 'bone man Neville Hartley and pianist Colin Haikney chipping-in.  

Olive Rudd got to her feet to sing It's a Sin to Tell a Lie accompanied by Tommy Moran's assured tenor saxophone playing. The band's singer would return.  

  Of late Classic Swing's repertoire has incorporated more Basie-influenced small group numbers and that's no bad thing. Two charts by the Count himself - Jive at Five and Swingin' the Blues (the latter arranged by maestro Colin Haikney) - reaffirmed the late thirties Kansas City link with the frontline concentrating on Haikney's dots - no time for a beer on this one! Olive returned to close the set singing My Melancholy Baby with more top tenor playing from Moran. 

Classic Swing's interval raffle continued to elude BSH - one of these days! - and upon the resumption, drummer Tommy Graham had the final word on a swinging Oh Baby (Bix and his Wolverine pals). Band singer Olive Rudd sang some Doris Day - Sentimental Journey - with more from Moran and McBriarty, clarinet. Rudd promised she was Keepin' Out of Mischief Now (oh, yeah?!), the boys (anchored by Alan Rudd's in-the-pocket bass playing) purred on At the Woodchopper's Ball and when Olive Rudd suggested The Best things in Life are Free that was it. 

A good session, well-supported, the next one - put it in the diary - is on Friday, June 7, one o'clock.  

Russell