Dave Rae (banjo, vocals); Mick Hill
(cornet, vocals); Liz Bacon (clarinet); Jim Blenkin (trombone, vocals); Ian
Wynne (piano); John Robinson (double bass); Paul Bacon (drums)
(Review by
Russell)
All the Girls Go Crazy - don't know 'bout
that but in its own way Wednesday's New Orleans jazz session in Springwell
Village stirred more than a few with an all-too-rare appearance by Ian Wynne.
Sitting at the upright our unassuming pianist opted for being one of the guys
rather than hog the limelight as Dave Rae sang the opening number.
In addition to leading the frontline,
Mick Hill sang two or three numbers - Put on Your Old Grey Bonnet, Basin
Street Blues and When You and I Were Young, Maggie -
as well as playing some half decent N'awlins' cornet. Fellow brass man Jim
Blenkin knew the melodies inside out and chipped in with a vocal or two, Harry
Warren's Crying for the Carolines particularly effective. From
time to time, clarinetist Liz Bacon glanced over her left shoulder to
acknowledge pianist Wynne's sterling contribution.
Dave Rae's first class banjo playing
acted as a rhythmic pulse from which the septet took its cue. Engine room
buddies John Robinson, string bass, and the delightfully minimalist drumming of
Paul Bacon steered a steady course down the Mississippi. The collective
improvisation on Sam Morgan's Bogalusa Strut was a real treat,
a highlight of an excellent first set.
Another bottle of Brown, the second
set would surely prove the equal of the first. Clarinet Marmalade didn't
tax Liz Bacon although I'm a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas'
tongue-twisting lyrics threatened to tie-up Mick Hill but somehow, as if
Houdini, our veteran trumpeter wriggled free and crossed the finishing line a
winner! A fine evening of New Orleans' jazz concluded with a sprightly Tiger
Rag featuring Paul Bacon's wood blocks 'n' all and band leader Rae's
one vocal chorus and out.
Earlier, during the interval the
Levee Ramblers' special guest Ian Wynne caught up with all and sundry and with
the raffle done and dusted (a Tuba Skinny CD went to a good home...hope they
enjoy it!) the lights went down for our guest's solo piano spot. Ian Wynne held
the standing-room-only audience spellbound with an astounding display of ragtime,
stride and boogie woogie piano. In quick succession - Pixie (James
Booker), Dorothy (Dr John) to start, Professor
Longhair's Crawfish Fiesta and a boogie woogie flourish to
finish, these either side of a magnificent version of Fats Waller's Handful
of Keys which deservedly brought the house down.
Russell
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