Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club - August 25

Mick Hill (trumpet, vocal); John Faragher (clarinet); Jim McBriarty (tenor sax, vocals); Brian Bennett (banjo); Jude Murphy (bass, vocal); Tommy Graham (drums) + John Broddle (vocals).

This afternoon's  return to the Crescent Club by the Vieux Carré Jazzmen was also designated as a tribute to Mac Rae who left us a couple of weeks back, almost to the day.

The revamped Vieux Carré built their programme around numbers loosely associated with the late multi-instrumentalist who probably played or sang just about every known jazz standard  during the course of his lifetime.

Trombonist McBriarty, L wasn't available so McBriarty, J forsook his clarinet for tenor sax and John Faragher - all the way from Berwick-upon-Tweed - took over the clarinet chores. Fred Thompson was also indisposed so Tommy Graham occupied the drum stool, Jude Murphy replaced Paul Grainger on bass, Mick Hill blew long model cornet and leader Bennett banjoed the band into a cohesive unit. All performed well.

A goodly crowd of a certain age gathered to see the band head Over the Waves, a tune not unlike the Mario Lanza hit from the 1950s - The Loveliest Night of the Year. As there weren't any Italian tenors in the house the number was performed sans words.

The Isle of Capri à la Ken Colyer followed - no words on this one either although no doubt there were those in the audience who knew an alternative lyric that could have had the place shut down!

Jim McBriarty sang It's a Sin to Tell a Lie and the band kicked in with The Faraway Blues. It may have been a pick-up band but everyone was slotting in nicely.

(Photo by P.Durham)

John Broddle was invited to sing and he entertained us with When You Wore a Tulip and Up a Lazy River. Later he would sing Roses of Picardy, If I Had You and Should I?

Jim also kept the vocal mic warm with If I Had my Life to Live Over and Mick Hill sang on Jelly Roll Morton's Doctor Jazz.

Interval time meant a pint of Doom Bar and a chip butty that would feed half the population of nearby North Shields for a month - it took me all of 15 minutes.

Give me Your Telephone Number, I felt cried out for a vocal - maybe next time.

There were, however, more vocals from Jim: I Get the Blues When it Rains and Carry me Back to Old Virginny.

Finally, a long awaited vocal from Jude. Jude had been a stalwart in the rhythm section but it wasn't until she sang Georgia on my Mind that the audience realised what a star they had in their midst.

If you like your jazz on the traditional side then this is the place to be except on this coming Saturday afternoon (August 28) when a trimmed down version of the band play two sets (2:00pm & 3:00pm) in Jarrow's West Park. In fact, if you're crossing the river via the Tyne Pedestrian Tunnel you can catch Arthur Scargill preaching to the converted on a space nearby at 11:00am, have a pint in the Albion Gin and Ale House and hear some Irish folk music before weaving your way up to the park. Alternatively, you could get the Metro up to Newcastle and watch The Toon play The Saints (Southampton). The West Park looks the better bet. They may also play The Saints - and win! Lance