Reporter: Tony Sheldon
Date online: 12/06/2008

A long awaited visit from the South Midlands based ‘Antique Six’ was enthusiastically received by a welcome attendance at the start of the holiday season!

The gig began with a tribute to the late founder of the band, Reedsman Dick Chapman – ‘South Rampart Street Parade’ and a more entertaining evening of professional musicianship would have been hard to find.

Although led by drummer Graham Smith, the intros were made by Trombonist Richard Leach and the first set featured Leach in 'Ory’s Creole Trombone’ and Armstrong’s ‘Keyhole Blues’ rarely presented!

Powerful trumpeter Chris Mercer was the main vocalist with ‘I’m Crazy bout ma baby’, ‘Come Back Sweet Papa’ and ‘Coney Island Washboard’ with Smith rattling the steel thimbles.

Tight arranging brought great renditions of ‘ Beale Street Blues’, ‘Black Bottom Stomp’ a neat rhythm section interlude in the frisco ‘Smoky Mokes’ and a front line blend in Lyttletons ‘Memphis Shake’ in a first presentation.

In the second set guitarist Clinton Sedgley made us dream of ‘Spain’ with muted trombone and an unusual arrangement of ‘Aint Misbehavin’’ led by bassist Andy Robins with guitar, brush drumming, and a soft frontline sound of gentle sax and muted trombone and trumpet was the showcase for a rousing wolverine blues and reedsman Chris Pearce’s fine clarinet solo in the ever popular ‘High Society’.

The final set even eclipsed the earlier music. Mercer with trumpet vocalised in ‘Sunset Café Stomp’ and ‘When the midnight choo choo leaves for Alabama’ Leaches’ muted trombone (and vocal) played a really mean ‘Saint James Infirmary Blues’ and Pearce used a selection of mutes in an unusual arrangement of ‘San’ another rarely played number.

Mutes were also to the fore on the front line and a superb Smith drum solo in ‘Bei Meer Bist Du Schein’ and my ‘Piece De Resistance’ was another first. A beautiful arrangement with Pearce’s clarinet and Sedgley’s guitar chorus, in ‘Over the Rainbow’ – Dreamy.

They played out with ‘Goin’ Home’ as we drifted away to our ‘carriages’ !– quite a night!

The Antique Six
The Broadfield Hotel
Sunday 6 August 2006