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| © Lance |
More Christmas fayre. The sparkly tops and the once a year jumpers were well to the fore and the ephemeral thoughts of peace and good will were in the air - at least for the moment.
Those who groan at the thought of another avalanche of songs about snow should stop and listen to the actual music - in the main - they're very good tunes, at least they are when arranged by Barrie Forgie and played by the hard-hitting BBC Big Band and, if they have to have words, there's few better than Emer McPartland to sing them.
The band is rammed with top soloists and section players. When it comes to lead trumpets, Tom Walsh is right up there - and I mean right up there, the sky's the limit! Tom Tait filled it out with Steve Fishwick and Tom Dennis blowing the jazz.
The trombones (3 out of 4 pictured with big band enthusiast Tony Eales*) stood out as a perfectly harmonised section with impressive soloists.
The saxes, a dream team if ever there was one. Sammy Mayne and Martin Kershaw on altos; Julian Siegel and Konrad Wiszniewski on tenors with Andy Hunter blowing baritone. All five doubling on the usual doubles. For me, one of the highlights of an evening packed with highlights was the pairing down front of Hunter and trombonist McLeod playing Forgie's cleverly titled God Rest Ye Gerry Mulligan. Something else! McLeod, incidentally, helped me with the names and the spellings - thank you Kieran.
Piano, bass and drums - you couldn't get much better than Aspland, Hastie and Gordon. Aspland was featured on, among others, Claude Thornhill's Snowfall. A great arrangement that paid tribute to the original and One O'Clock Jump.
Back in 2022, Hastie was justifiably crowned as the Young Jazz Musician of the Year. He plays bass left-handed and there's nothing wrong with that - some of my best friends are left-handed.
Tom Gordon drove things along swingingly before exploding on the Sing, Sing, Sing finale. Forgie gave this Christmas credibility by mentioning Handel's Christmas oratorio The Messiah in his introduction - one Messiah to another!
Which brings me to Emer McPartland. What a great voice with an incredible range. Part West End, part jazz, the perfect mix for an evening such as this.
Knocked out! Lance
Deck the Halls; Ding Dong Merrily on High; Silent Night; Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (v); Embraceable You (v); Santa Baby (v); Winter Wonderland (v); Sleigh Ride; Snowfall; One O'Clock Jump; Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer; God Rest Ye Gerry Mulligan; Let it Snow; I've Got my Love to Keep me Warm (v); The Christmas Song (v); 'S Wonderful (v); Santa Claus is Coming to Town (v); Hot Toddy; Christmas Medley; White Christmas (v); Sing, Sing, Sing
* Photo (l-r): Kieran McLeod, Ollie Martin, Pete North, Tony Eales
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