Neil Yates’ Trumpet Fatty Jazz Band @ Llandudno Jazz Club - September 28

© Richard Morris

Neil Yates (trumpet and vocals); Liam Byrne  (saxophones); Andrew MacKenzie  (trombone and vocals); Andy MacKenzie  (guitar and banjo)

Billed as trad jazz, the audience were treated to many of the songs and tunes from the New Orleans and Dixieland canon. It has been too long since I last came to the trad jazz evening at Llandudno Jazz Club. 

All four musicians are regulars on the north-west jazz circuit and all are band leaders in their own right.

Neil, who has been the curator of jazz at this venue every Monday evening for the past few years and is one of the UK’s top trumpeters, was celebrating his 56th birthday. Liam had brought three saxophones to the gig: a Selmer tenor, Conn soprano and the rarely sighted Conn bass. The bass sax is a monster which, due to its weight, Liam played on a stand. He effortlessly switched between the three often playing two on the same tune. This provided huge variety in the concert and was something of a virtuoso performance by Liam which I count as being fortunate to witness.

© Richard Morris

Andy started on banjo for the first few songs including Dr Jazz and Exactly but also played guitar on many tunes. He really is a tremendous player adept at modern jazz as well as trad. Neil and Liam on soprano provided great solos on Honeysuckle Rose. Andrew’s dulcet tones were given an airing on It Had to be You. The last song in the first set was St Louis Blues.

Following a break for pizza the second set opened with the Louis Armstrong song Struttin with Some Barbecue - the title I was informed is a euphemism for taking a nice looking young lady out for a walk. A raucous take on Papa Charlie Jackson’s Shake That Thing was followed by I’ve Got the World on a String  a song composed by Harold Arlen in 1932 and later recorded by Frank Sinatra. Neil provided vocals on this song.

The pace quickened with the upbeat Some of These Days written and composed by Shelton Brooks and published in 1910. The concert concluded with the classic After You’ve Gone featuring Andrew on trombone.

A terrific concert with four high class musicians.

Live Jazz takes place each Monday from 8pm at this venue which is a dog friendly and award winning traditional rustic style pub  The Penrhyn Arms where the food is as good as the music. It has a large tropical beer garden.  Modern and traditional jazz usually alternates each week. Next Monday 5 October will therefore be modern jazz. Social media tells me a Quintet will include Neil Yates and saxophone player Dean Masser with the rest of the band tba. Richard Morris

Set list included: Dr Jazz; Exactly Like You; The Love Nest; Honeysuckle Rose; I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling; It Had to be You; St Louis Blues; Struttin with Some Barbecue; Shake That Thing; I’ve Got the World on a String; Some of These Days; After You’ve Gone

Llandudno Jazz Club, Penrhyn Arms, Pendre Road, Penrhynside,  Llandudno LL30 3BY

Facebook: The Penrhyn Arms

Mondays @ 8pm.£15 cash entry pp for Modern Jazz and £10 pp for Trad jazz, no booking required but recommended if dining. Tel Mark on 07792 834707 to book a table.