 |
| (© Jeff Pritchard) |
As there was no drummer involved in the line-up tonight, there was ample room for all four musicians to occupy the bandstand and it also meant that the bass had an important role to play in the overall sound and keeping the tempos going. I was pleased to see local bass player John Sandham on board and he helped a lot in giving the group a good overall sound.
I must admit I had not seen many harmonica players before I first came across Robin Sunflower but I do remember that in the early days of television there were many variety acts that featured harmonicas such as Larry Adler, Tommy Reilly, Morton Fraser, alongside jugglers and acrobats etc. I saw a guy called Herbie Hudson once on a jazz cruise who impressed me and I believe he still plays around the Newcastle area as his name sometimes pops up on BSH. I’m not sure if north east BSH readers know about Robin Sunflower but if he is is not well known outside of the Greater Manchester area he certainly should be.
He seems to have a wide taste in music and as to be expected he is a big fan of Belgium harmonica master Toots Thielmans and his set list tonight included some of Thielmans' catchy tunes such as Indian Nuts, Midnight Cowboy Theme and Bluesette. Sunflower likes to sing and his vocals were featured on most of the tunes; he kept them short and they reminded me a bit of the vocal style of Jack Sheldon. Both guitarists were given lots of solo space and the gig went down well with the regular Sunday nighters although attendance was slightly down on normal.
The next jazz night at the Railway is Tuesday Dec 13 with reedsman Gair Carson. Mike Farmer
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore; Bluesette; Body and Soul; Hello Little Sunflower; Tenor Madness; In a Sentimental Mood; I've Got the World on a String; Summer Samba; God Bless the Child; Indian Nuts; All the Things You Are; Midnight Cowboy; Caravan.
No comments :
Post a Comment