At long last, the return of Musicians Unlimited! Same band, new venue. Same crowd plus many more new faces! What's that about folk being reluctant to venture out?! South Durham Social Club on leafy Westbourne Road is the new place. A proper social club - ie don't expect to see a handpull on the bar - offering a concert room stage, things were set fair.
In the Mood for starters. Don't laugh, Miller handled by a top notch big band can be more than respectable. And this was more than alright! Cue applause, we'd waited so long to hear Teesside's number one big band. One wag wondered out loud: Do you think we'll get a few more bum notes than usual? Not a bit of it, the band sounded just fine, minus one of the reeds...Has anyone seen Sue? quipped MD Mick Donnelly. Tenor saxophonist and ace flautist Sue Ferris had driven to the wrong venue. Arriving at South Durham SC as Major Miller's number drew to a close could be seen as a good move! Ready in a trice, Sue took her tenor chair in time for Blues in the Night.
Another wag said: This [South Durham Social Club] used to be a nursing home. Looking around the spacious concert room, quick as a flash a friend offered the observation: There's a few care home clients in here today!
It was time for the band's vocalist to step up. Singing Cheek to Cheek, Jan Spencelayh nailed it in one. Terrific! It was as if Jan and the band had never been away. Jive at Five, Sweet Georgia Brown, yes, Musicians Unlimited are back!
Interval. Raffle time. Your correspondent was a winner! Oh, no he wasn't! The person charged with reading out the ticket numbers got the three numbers in the wrong order...boo! Oh, well, some other time...
Second set. Things Ain't What They Used to Be featuring guitarist Ian Bosworth and Sue Ferris on tenor blowing the roof off. Wow! Bill Watson soloed on On the Sunny Side of the Street, Jan returned to sing The Very Thought of You (excellent) and then MD Donnelly decided to throw a difficult chart at the orchestra. Bassist Mick Shoulder swapped his upright for electric bass and off they went on Gordon Goodwin's Count Bubba. All sections were put through their paces and all notched up A star performances. To close out a first gig in eighteen months, Musicians Unlimited went out on Tito Puente's Oye Como Va. They're back, and they'll be back next Sunday, one o'clock, at South Durham Social Club.
Russell
Russell
Musicians Unlimited: Mick Donnelly MD; Kevin Eland, Bill Watson, Dave Harrison, Alan Catherall (trumpets); John Day, Dave Brocklesby, ?, Peter Morgan (trombones); Kim Skerritt, Josh Bentham, Sue Ferris, Barbara Fagan, Jill Nelson (reeds); Ian Bosworth (guitar); Gary Hadfield (keyboards); Mick Shoulder (double bass, bass guitar); John Bradford (drums); Ernie Jackson (percussion); Jan Spencelayh (vocals)
Set list: In the Mood; Blues in the Night; Cheek to Cheek; Jive at Five; What a Difference a Day Makes; Sweet Georgia Brown; Too Marvellous for Words; Witchcraft; Things Ain't What They Used to Be; On the Sunny Side of the Street; The Very Thought of You; Count Bubba; Oye Como Va.
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