Customs House Big Band @ the Customs House, South Shields - June 16

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times* and the best of times were at the Customs House in South Shields where the band who were originally formed as a community band at the historic building  returned to where it all began for their annual concert.

CHBB don't cover the big band legends such as Miller, Goodman, Shaw, Basie,  Ellington, Herman or Kenton but lean more towards Sammy Nestico and Gordon Goodwin who seem to be the buzz names on the current big band scene. 

The opening It's Alright With me swung along comfortably with  solos from Marshall and Bentham as well as a 'handbags at dawn' duel between the pair.

More alto solos from Marshall  on A Wonderful Day Like Today and Indiana, the latter having some precision section work by the saxes, before it was time for the ever popular Ruth Lambert to sing a couple of numbers.

Ruth, wearing a glitzy, green gown and looking as glam as ever took the tried and tested route of I Get a Kick Out of You and Mambo Italiano drawing molto applausi from the audience.

Guitarist Johnston composed and arranged I Miss You which had a fine flugelhorn solo by Robinson as well as good guitar by the composer.

After Horace Silver's Song For my Father, Ruth returned for Too Darn Hot and Teach me Tonight before the set finished with Pavanne and Goodwin's There's the Rub.

A quick slurp of Swedish Blonde in the Steamboat then back across the cobbles for the second set and time for me to hold up my hand and confess that Summertime isn't such a bad tune after all - not when it's played like this! An uptempo blast that included an excellent, stompingly fine tenor solo by Joanne Adams.

Moonlight in Vermont as a bossa featured Bentham and Maynard Ferguson's Spirit of  St Frederick (as we were in South Shields it could have been re-titled Spirit of Frederick St) had some high notes from Cracket.

Ruth gave us Fever, Embraceable You and later on Get Happy. Other numbers during this second set were Fall Madness, Brush Taps (Paul Smith feature), When You're Smiling and Charlie the Whale.

The evening finished with Ruth singing Alright, Okay, You Win. It had been a good concert held together by MD Morgan's laconic introductions to the various numbers. See you again next year. Lance.

*The worst of times? At the bus stop when a guy who hadn't been to the concert but had seemingly done several laps around the local hostelries regurgitated the contents of his evening out missing my suede shoes by inches!

Stephen Cracket, Ian Robinson, Ben Chinery, Alan Catherall (trumpets, flugel); Dave Brocklesby, Eddie Bellis. Michael Fletcher (trombones); Peter Morgan (bass trombone, MD); Alan Marshall (alto sax, soprano sax, Flute);  Sue Hurrell (alto sax); Josh Bentham, Joanne Adams (tenor sax); Chris Kaberry (bari sax); John Stephenson (piano); Bradley Johnston (guitar); Paul Carr (bass guitar); Paul Smith (drums); Ruth Lambert (vocals).