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| (Photo © Mike Tilley) |
I've waited all year to hear a band like this! Maybe waited all my life or at least since I first heard the Lyttelton band in Camden Town Hall - the one that had Coe, Skidmore, Temperley and Pickard alongside Humph in the front line.
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| (Photo © Mike Tilley) |
What a sound!
The arrangements, mainly from within the band were adapted from the originals by Harry South, Buck Clayton, Frank Griffith and Humph himself.
Chris Hodgkins was in fine form. How could he not be? With the legendary Henry Lowther standing next to him it was a case of put up or shut up! Chris also introduced the numbers with some amusing, often hilarious, quotes and anecdotes from Humph's various books and radio shows.
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| (Photo © Pam) |
The reed section were equally tremendous Diane blowing searing alto (and soprano), gutsy tenor and agile clarinet from Alex whilst Charlotte not only excelled on baritone but also played two penny whistles simultaneously à la Roland Kirk!
(See photo).
Mark Bassey had the (hypothetical) trombone chair well and truly nailed down combining the earthiness of some of Humph's earlier bands with the more melodic approach of his later years.
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| (Photo © Mike Tilley) |
The rhythm section of Birch and Rayner we knew from their recent gig at the Globe with Alison's own band ARQ that they would do the biz which of course they did admirably.
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| (Photo © Mike Tilley) |
It was great to meet and hear Jinjoo live and, despite the limitations of the Nord (there's never a Steinway when you need one), the pianist more than lived up to expectations.
Because of the size of the band solos were limited to one or two choruses which is no bad thing although audiences seem to be reluctant to applaud anything under ten choruses these days! An exception was Henry Lowther's flugelhorn feature on Susan - a piece dedicated to Humph's former manager Susan Da Costa.
The standing ovation at the end, however, showed just how much love there was in the room for the band, the music and, of course, Humph in this the hundredth year of his birth - Lance
Cross a Busy Street; Tribal Dance; Renaissance Man; Fat Tuesday; Mezzrow; Bad Penny Blues; Kath Meets Humph; Cecil Beaton Strides Again; In Swinger; Holy Main; Late Night Final; Wrestler's Tricks; One For Buck; Susan; Let's Get Out.
1 comment :
Really good to read the set list. I had feared this was music that would get 'reimagined' into something else. Glad to hear it's keeping faith with Humph's own ideas.
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