Remembering Tom Hall @ The Grand Hotel, Tynemouth - July 23

Rendezvous Jazz: Maureen Hall (vocals); Gavin Lee (clarinet, alto sax); Don Fairley (trombone); Brian Chester (piano); John Robinson (double bass); George Davidson (drums, vocals)

The rather grand setting of Tynemouth's Grand Hotel hosted Maureen Hall's get together of family and friends to remember the life and times of Tom Hall. As the room tucked into a sumptuous buffet, Maureen recounted stories of Tom's mischievous sense of humour, whether at work, at the cricket club or on holiday, and, to put the icing on the cake, for the best part of an hour and a half, Rendezvous Jazz played some good old Dixieland and New Orleans jazz.

A swinging Weary Blues set the standard. Maureen, flanked by Gavin Lee (in great form on clarinet and alto sax) and the evergreen Don Fairley (trombone), told the stories about Tom - the one about winning over his new work colleagues, bringing a smile to their faces, the one about Tom being a little worse for wear on a special occasion (Maureen forgave him!) and the one about the carrot in the cricket pavilion, best not to go into too much detail about that one...

Bobby Shaftoe (a favourite of Tom's) was given a jazz treatment, Maureen sang Victor Young's One Hundred Years from Today, an instrumental take on Swing That Music, and much more, the jazz fans and any non-jazz fans in the room loved every minute of it. The room filled with laughter as Maureen told the tales, some of Tom's cricketing pals confirming the voracity of the sporting escapades. 

That Teasin' Rag from 1909 and a typically spirited Bill Bailey, powered along by the rhythm section - Messrs Brian Chester, John Robinson and George Davidson -  saw it home. It had been a splendid afternoon remembering Tom Hall. Russell