Windy City Weatherbirds @ Jamboree, London - Jan. 7

Magnus Pickering (trumpet); Gustavo Clayton Marucci (clarinet, vocals); Ed Parr (trombone); Cornelius Corkery (guitar); Chris Hyde-Harrison (double bass)

From Soho to King's Cross. Exiting Ronnie Scott's (Gilad Atzmon's amazing Organology), racing down to Leicester Square Underground station (negotiating the traffic and dodging kamikaze cyclists), down onto the platform, then four stops on the Piccadilly line to King's Cross. 

Out of King's Cross, taking a left turn, crossing at the lights (dodging kamikaze cyclists), over to Gray's Inn Road, then down St Chad's Place to Jamboree. From A to B in thirteen minutes! What's the hurry? The Windy City Weatherbirds were about to take to the stage! 

From 2026 Gilad Atzmon to circa 1926 Chicago. The Pickering brothers - Magnus, Daniel and Joe - are proud purveyors of the Windy City's amazing jazz scene of a century ago. This evening it would be Pickering brother, singular. In the absence of Daniel and Joe, trumpeter Magnus would lead the line as usual. Trombonist Daniel is working in Orkney and Joe is in far off Shanghai. This evening, the Windy City would play two sets as a drummer-less five piece instead of the usual sextet line-up. 

Opening with Back Home in Indiana, it was good to hear the Weatherbirds again. Embraceable You featured Gustavo Clayton Marucci's clarinet and vocals. Excellent clarinet and an excellent voice!* The ever-genial Magnus P lead from the front with consistently good trumpet playing. To his left, a new face - trombonist Ed Parr. A Guildhall graduate, Parr impressed!

I Found a New Baby, Eubie Blake's Memories of You, a tremendous Limehouse Blues with the frontline going for it and the rhythm boys - Cornelius Corkery, guitar, and Chris Hyde-Harrison, string bass - as impressive as they were on the Weatherbirds' 2024 tour of the BSH heartland. 

To open the second set, Gustavo sang another one - My Blue Heaven. Yep, the man can sing! Some of These Days stoked the fires with the front three soloing as if there were no tomorrows, the engine room not letting up for so much as a nanosecond. A Hot Club-style original composition (written by Gustavo) received its world premiere here at Jamboree. And So I Fall, the tune, the only tune of the night requiring sheet music! On first hearing it's a winner.

The Weatherbirds never fail to radiate their enjoyment in playing the music and Oh, Lady be Good! (and many others) illustrated the point. If I Had You featured fine solos from all five musicians. The Weatherbirds and the audience were enjoying themselves and no one objected when the set overran. Rose Room closed a most enjoyable evening. Thanks to the Windy City Weatherbirds.           

* At the 2025 Scarborough Jazz Festival, BSH heard Gustavo playing clarinet and bass clarinet in Billy Marrows' Grande Família. The music of Billy Marrows is at the opposite end of the spectrum to that of the Windy City Weatherbirds! Russell                

Set list included: Back Home in Indiana; Embraceable You; I Found a New Baby; Memories of You; Limehouse Blues; Deed O Do; I Want a Big Butter and Egg Man; My Blue Heaven; Some of These Days; And So I Fall; Oh, Lady be Good!; Misty; Just You, Just Me; If I Had You; Rose Room.