Dave Donohoe Band - Jazz on a Sunday
Date published: 24 April 2009
The Dave Donohoe Band has always been popular visitors and the Jazzers duly put in their appearance but Donohoe now lives in the Scottish borders and only intermittently draws his bandsmen together.
This was painfully obvious, as the pauses and discussions between numbers superseded my irritation levels and in my ears on many occasions, the musical numbers often lacked cohesion.
However, having said that, there was still a lot to enjoy with a fine rhythm section of Mal Horne on banjo/guitar, Jim Swinnerton on double bass and Bill Evans on drums, complementing the front line with Donohoe’s trombone in the ascendancy.
Noel Broadgate joined the band for the gig and he was given the opportunity to show his various skills on the piano in a number of cameo pieces.
Vocals were shared with Donohoe’s expressive version of Paul Robeson’s “River Stay Away from My Door”, backed Dave Pogson’s muted trumpet on the rarely played “Born to Lose”.
Pogson brought back memories of PJ Proby with “Hold Me” without a split in sight, whilst reedsman Frank Brooker with sax gave a fine rendition of “Bueno Sera” with interludes for piano and trombone.
The full brass driving “1919 March” stopped long enough for Horne’s banjo solo, and Humphrey Lyttleton’s “Fish Seller” allowed Swinnerton’s expertise on the bass, and the guitar riffs of Horne, to come to the fore.
The second set, full of variety, included Donohoe’s vocal and Brooker’s melodic clarinet in “Little Ole Wine Drinker Me” and a Caribbean arrangement backing Donohoe in “Cool Water”.
“Moose March” featured a clarinet solo, while muted trumpet and guitar accompanied Evans’ vocal “Without You for an Inspiration Dear”.
"That’s A Plenty” had front line frenzy with Evans giving an exhibition of stick drumming and a neat few bars from Broadgate.
Brooker got the last set in motion singing “Strutting with some Barbecue” followed by solos for clarinet and banjo in “Have You Ever Been Lonely”.
Gospel time with Evans leading “Do Lord, Remember Me” with sax infusion, and Kid Ory’s “Do What Ory Says” powered by Pogson’s trumpet and Donohoe’s instructions.
The popular “Caledonia” was given the full bluesy vocal treatment by Brooker with the band in high octave, and the Jazz on a Sunday glee club joined in the final offering of “April Showers”.
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