David Gray (trombone, trumpet, vocals); Lawrence McBriarty (trombone, vocals); Brian Bennett (banjo); Paul Grainger (double bass)
The Holystone pub, Thursdays, it's the Vieux Carré Jazzmen. Over the years the line-up has evolved, the present outfit led, as ever, by Brian Bennett, aided and abetted by veteran trombonist Lawrence McBriarty and two recent recruits, string bass man Paul Grainger and 'Showtime', that's the adaptable 'boneman, trumpeter and aspiring vocalist, David Gray.
This week's session focussed upon Showtime - when doesn't a session feature the multi-talented musician?! Avalon for starters, Home, then an unlikely Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival), Showtime switching from one horn to the other, vocals all the while. More regular fayre included It's a Sin to Tell a Lie, Cheek to Cheek (a non-dancing Showtime, although knowing David he could probably do a convincing Fred Astaire) and, at the request of Lawrence McBriarty, Out of Nowhere. Mr McBriarty showed Showtime that he too, is no slouch in the vocal stakes singing Dallas Blues. Mr PG (Paul Grainger) grabbed an occasional solo and boss man Bennett held it all together.
Time was pressing, Classic Jazz Party duties were looming. time to drink up a London Pride and move on to the Village Hotel. Russell
3 comments :
There’s a terrific documentary currently available on Netflix showing never-before-seen footage of John Fogerty’s CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL in concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Narrated by American film actor, Jeff Bridges, the documentary looks into the modest beginnings and meteoric rise of the band. Dave Gray’s version of Fogerty’s ‘Bad Moon Rising’ was (in my slightly slanted opinion) terrific. It’s a fab song with poignant lyrics which can be read as a portent of Hurricane Katrina and the devastating floods which hit New Orleans in 2005.
I go there most Thursdays. The vintage jazz, and the venue, is great. It is deserving of a larger audience. (Content edited),
Barry Aitchison is quite right in saying the Holystone pub is a great venue. It is. However, the pub car park now has a ‘Numberplate Recognition System’ in place which requires customers arriving by car to enter their vehicle registration number into a tablet located on the bar. Failing to do so can result a £100 fine. Other pubs in the area including The Corner House in Heaton have also adopted this system to ensure that their car parking facilities are used by ‘customers only’. Sadly, many bone fide customers park up and either don’t notice the warning signage/instructions or simply forget to register. When that happens they don’t come back. It’s a worrying trend.
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