Here's a sobering thought...the subject of todays' Sunday Service died at 36, our host, Adrian Cox, has already reached the grand old age of 37! Following hard on the heels of Friday's superb session from Kansas Smitty's, Cox once again focused his attention on Irving Fazola, born in New Orleans in 1912, died in the Crescent City in '49. In his short time on Planet Earth, Fazola lived through two world wars and Prohibition. So far, Cox has witnessed several conflicts (not in a military capacity, more as a world-weary observer!) and an ongoing pandemic. What lies ahead of clarinetist Cox remains to be seen, but judging by the numbers online for this afternoon's sermon (136 at 1:20pm) our man can expect ever-greater acclaim as one of Britain's finest jazz musicians.
Farewell Blues for openers - shouldn't it be a set closing number?! - set the ball rolling on Cox's hour long survey of Fazola's career: Ben Pollack, to Glenn Miller to Bob Crosby's band and the Downbeat poll-winning years in the early forties. A first vocal, this week A Fine Romance, is always eagerly anticipated and, true to form, didn't disappoint. Clarinet Blues as Fazola played with Jess Stacy, taken at an after hours tempo, the only sounds emanating from Toulouse Lautrec were Cox's woody clarinet sound, a gentle foot tapping and a quietly squeaking chair. Hey folks, I've got time for one more tune said Cox, adding, He [Fazola] ticks all the boxes for me. And with that, today's Sunday Service drew to a close with Am I Blue? More next week (one o'clock sharp), it's all about love, being Valentine's Day and all that.
Russell
Set list: Farewell Blues; Good Morning Blues; A Fine Romance; Hindustan; Can't We be Friends?; Pagan Love Song; Clarinet Blues; Sympathy; My Inspiration; Am I Blue?
No comments :
Post a Comment