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| © Richard Morris |
A ticket at short notice took me to Davenham Players' Theatre - an intimate, very well run, establishment which provides jazz monthly save for the holiday months of July and August. Not my first visit here and as usual a friendly welcome was received. The Stray Horns are described as Shropshire’s top roaming party band, offering infectious fun and top quality music that's perfect for a wide range of functions covering a variety of genres including a whole lot of jazz.
All five
musicians were well known to me
having seen Antony as recently as September 21
playing trumpet at the Llandudno Jazz Club. Here he was playing his first
love - the sousaphone - in a most entertaining fashion. There are not that many professional sousaphone players
in the UK but Antony is one of them. Jamie is a brilliant trumpet player and Mike is known as one of the
UK’s best saxophone players and has recently been on tour with Echo and the
Bunnymen. Rarely does 2-3 weeks go by without catching Andrzej and Gaz playing
at north-west jazz clubs.
The set list
below summarises some of the tunes played including several of the many medleys
in their repertoire. Fun is an essential part of a Stray Horns’ gig and the
audience were fully entertained by the high jinks, comedy and playfulness.
Andrzej sparkled
on piano and all three brass players excelled both individually and as an
ensemble. Gaz is a stalwart of the UK jazz scene and can be seen leading his
own band or in others such as that of Dean Stockdale. A very talented drummer.
The choice of
tunes provided all three brass players with the opportunity to shine. I particularly enjoyed their version of Jimmy Buffet’s Brown
Eyed Girl - a tune best
known as one of the songs played by Van Morrison. Also high praise is due for
their trip on Duke Ellington’s Take the A Train.
A great two hours of music and entertainment and thoroughly enjoyed by a full house. Richard Morris
Set list included: Take the A Train; Medley including In the Summertime; I wanna be Like you; On the Sunny Side of the Street; Medley including YMCA and Down by the Riverside; Brown Eyed Girl; Bye, Bye, Blackbird; Tequila; Sweet Georgia Brown; When the Saints go Marching in
Davenham
Players Theatre, 59 Church Street, Davenham, Northwich, Cheshire CW9 8NF Website: https:www.davenhamplayers.co.uk; Instagram
@davenhamtheatre
The Stray Horns: Instagram @thestrayhorns Website
www.strayhorns.co.uk
Email emailstrayhorns.co.uk Youtube/Tik Tok/Facebook/Linktree/Soundcloud
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