Sammy Rimington and the New Orleans Wiggle

After 50 years honing his expertise with the clarinet and alto sax, Jazz on a Sunday welcomed Sammy Rimington back to Castleton where he last visited in 2002. Joining Richard Lord’s New Orleans Wiggle, a large crowd enjoyed an evening of the best in musical appreciation.

Getting the show on the road with “Four Leaf Clover” and a Gerry Owen vocal of “Everywhere We Go”, Rimington joined Owen for a slow band version of “Shake it and Break it” featuring Jim Sinnerton on bass.

Taking centre stage, Rimington’s clarinet led “Alice Blue Gown”, nicely blending with Dave Aspinwall’s trombone. Changing to alto sax, Rimington also vocalised with “Trust in Me” and a swinging version of “Dance to the Mardi Gras” which featured Pete Beaumont’s piano, and some scat singing from Aspinwall.

Vocalist Caroline ‘Topsy’ Hilton took the mike with “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” with cameos from clarinet and bass, and finished the set with “Georgia Brown” following Beaumont’s boogie piano intro and Rimington’s driving alto sax.

The second set began with Owen and Rimington on alternating clarinet and alto sax with “Panama Rag” prominent. Introduced by trumpet man Jon Hummerston, Rimington’s alto sax solo of “Honey Sweet Blues” was complemented with piano and trombone.

Favourite “Move the Body Over” had Rimington in full flow with vocal and clarinet before Topsy Hilton returned to the mike and asked me to join her in a song I had written dedicated to my wife on our 28th wedding anniversary “Only for You” and then with full power and with Beaumont’s piano entertained with “Give Me a Pig Foot” before finishing her second session with “My Life Will be Sweeter Than This” accompanied by clarinet and blending band. “Waltz of the Bells” finished the set with solo alto sax. Lord’s rhythmic drumming and neat cameos of instrumental excellence.

The final session produced a superb Riminton clarinet solo request of “St Philip Street Breakdown” supplemented with slap bass and drums, before slowing down with “O Holy Night” backed by Beaumont and Lord.

“Rip ‘Em Up Joe” brought Owen back to join the band in blasting away and “Algiers Strutt” had the band in full throttle with Owen’s clarinet and Rimington’s alto sax.

The superb jazz tonsils of Topsy Hilton rejoined the fray with “Mama’s Gone Goodbye” before the all exploded with a rocking “Hound Dog”, boogie piano, driving alto sax et al.

It was the gentle sounds of “Love Songs of the Nile” finishing the evening with Topsy in top form, Rimington’s solos on both clarinet and alto sax with the rest of the band complementing a unique evening in the continuing story of Jazz on a Sunday.