Pensacola Boulevard @ Dorman's Jazz Club, Middlesbrough - Nov. 7

Django Zazou (trombone/accordion/vocals); Donna Hewitt (clarinet/tenor sax); Josh Bentham (trumpet); Graham Thompson (keys); Ron Smith (bass); Mark Hawkins (drums); Vicky Jackson (vocals).

This recently formed band of familiar local musicians played together for the first time as this month's guest band and provided the audience with a night of fine entertaining jazz mainly from the 1920s to the 1940s era.

The lively T'Aint No Sin sung by Django set the style for the night with solos from

Josh, tonight on trumpet as opposed to his normal tenor or alto sax, Donna on clarinet and Graham on keys. 

Vicky was then called upon to sing I'm Beginning to See the Light. It included a nice tenor sax solo from Donna. Georgia White's Was I Drunk?, with it's nice slow intro followed, then a swinging blues with fine drum work from Mark and bass from Ron driving it along. Vicky showed how versatile a singer she is with Goody Goody, it had the band really swinging with trombone from Django and fine honky tonk piano from Graham.

The mood was then changed with Donna switching to clarinet and backed by piano, bass and drums played a moving version of Acker Bilk's Stranger On The Shore.

Staying in a melancholy mood, Vicky then sang the classic Georgia on my Mind with solos from trombone and piano.

The tempo was raised by Django singing Irving Berlin's When the Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for Alabam followed by an interesting version of Minor Swing that included excellent trumpet work from Josh and accordion from Django.

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps and He's a Tramp, - two Peggy Lee style numbers  sung by Vicky - showed how tight an ensemble they were, producing a full band sound and bringing the first set to a close.

The second set began with Virginia Liston's Right Key, Wrong Keyhole sung by Django and included a nice muted trumpet solo from Josh.

Josh and Django then stepped aside to allow Donna to show her clarinet skills on Sidney Bechet's Petite Fleur with nice piano from Graham and fine drum and bass backing from Mark and Ron. 

Cole Porter's Let's Fall In Love was sung as a duet by Vicky and Django with solos all round.

An old up tempo Pasadena Roof Orchestra style Voodoo Blues was followed by Django singing the amusing and well known King of the Swingers with muted trumpet and clarinet solos.

After Vicky sang All That Jazz, Route 66 was declared the final number with Vicky again singing, with tenor sax, trumpet, organ, and trombone solos making for a great finish.

However an encore was demanded from the audience so Bessie Smith's Gimme a Pigfoot finally brought the night to a close.

This was a different, but certainly entertaining, night of well played jazz that went down well with the audience.

Thanks as usual go to the staff of Dorman's Club for their help and support with the night. Ron Hampton