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Music Reviews

Savannah Jazz Band

Yorkshire's Savannah Jazz Band has been established over many years entertaining the masses. They proudly announce that they never include any 'Deps' so I was somewhat surprised at the indecision between numbers, which I found quite distracting.
Having said that, their music was as always, top class with a strong front line in trombonist and musical director Brian (Sam) Ellis, reedsman Rod Chambers and Bill Smith on trumpet powering the tunes along.

Date published: 18/08/2008

Mike Lovell’s Fylde with Rosie Harrison

Mike Lovell’s Fylde ensemble ‘6 in a bar’ with Rosie Harrison entertained another ‘light in numbers’ audience, with a fine balance of standards and jazz classics, and if you can have better value than an evening of twenty-six numbers then tell me about it. The blonde attractive Rosie is the main singer with a fine range to deal with. Numbers from Al Bowlly's ...

Date published: 22/07/2008

Appeal to keep jazz concerts going

Rochdale Online's jazz reviewer Tony Sheldon has made a heart felt appeal to get the people of Rochdale to come along to 'Jazz on Sunday' concerts so that they can survive.
The club has been losing money at nearly every gig, and the reserves have been rapidly dwindling....

Date published: 08/07/2008

The Howard Allen Dixie Landers

Led by Burt Allen on vocals and intros, The Howard Allen Dixie Landers play ‘easy jazz’ with an ‘unrushed’ style, but the musicians are all ‘heavy-weights’ of their instruments, reedsman Howard Murray switching from baritone, alto and tenor saxes to clarinet, Billy Edwards at 80 playing trumpet better than ever and mad cap trombonist Terry Brunt guesting and fitting in like...

Date published: 07/07/2008

The Blue Magnolia Jass Orchestra

Liverpool’s Blue Magnolia Jass Orchestra is celebrating 40 years of entertainment in 2008 but this annual visit was not one of their best.
Having to call on two deputies didn’t dilute the quality of the musicians, but a late arrival and start and a significant lack of cohesion was all too noticeable and it was really only in the third set that the band were playing as a...

Date published: 24/06/2008

Papa Joe's All Stars

On a tour of the country from Scotland to Worcestershire and in between Kent's ‘Papa Joe’s All Stars’ stopped off in Rochdale on a chilly evening.
Led by drummer Gerry Card, the band played an interesting acoustic mix, but with a guest trombonist and bass player, and a new clarinet recruit, the band lacked cohesion,. Although the musicians were all top class, it felt...

Date published: 12/06/2008

The Mike Carnie All Stars

The Mike Carnie All Stars with Carnie on Drums and keyboard player Derek Harrison doing the intros and vocals played a mixture of popular numbers, the usual aspect being the vocals coming in at the end of the number rather than at the beginning. ...

Date published: 12/06/2008

New Orleans Wiggle

New Orleans Wiggle are a five piece band playing slow style New Orleans jazz which appeals to many aficionados but without some variety for the more rumbustious listeners, an evening can drag unless the band has tight team work and is virtually note perfect, and I regret that they failed on both counts. ...

Date published: 12/06/2008

Roy Potts Ensemble

A feature of the Roy Potts ensemble is the integral guitar work of Dave Alexander in tandem with Potts’ powerful trumpet. If only Roy ‘in the words of Shakespeare’ – ‘me thinks he talks too much’ would cut down the intro’s and let the fine musical arrangements ‘do the talking’. ...

Date published: 12/06/2008

The Tame Valley Stompers

The Tame Valley Stompers are based in Ashton Under-Lyne where they have a residency. Six talented musicians producing a tight sound of first class Jazz, having a sense of fun but never allowing it to dilute the quality of the music. ...

Date published: 12/06/2008

The Old Fashioned Love Band

The old fashioned love band is a crowd pleaser and this was no exception with an evening of the best musicianship and presentation. There has been one chance to the personnel with the retirement of drummer Dave Timmis, replaced by Manchester’s Moe Green one of the best in the business. ...

Date published: 12/06/2008

Derek Galloway's

Derek Galloway’s Bunters Imperials is a band which likes to entertain. Galloway plays brash trombone, is a member of the temperance seven (certainly not society) and has a droll line of patter. ...

Date published: 12/06/2008

Frank Brooker

Frank Brooker often ventures over from the White Rose and his expertise on clarinet and saxes is well admired, but his fellow Yorkies must have ‘visa problems’ as they were all first timers to ‘Jazz on Sunday’. ‘Happy Chappies’ they certainly were and it did not take long for the enthusiasm of the musicians to involve the passions of the audience who were applauding with an...

Date published: 12/06/2008

John Shillito

John Shillito has long been one of the best trumpeters in the business and a full house welcomed his select six up from deepest Devon and were not disappointed! ...

Date published: 12/06/2008

The New Orleans Heat

Coming to Rochdale to end 2007, New Orleans Heat left everyone in festive mood. With musicians from South Wales, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, et al, this band is top drawer and top drawer is what we got. ...

Date published: 12/06/2008

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