Tame Valley Stompers - Jazz on a Sunday

Photo: Valerie Bracken

Tame Valley Stompers

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Valentine’s Day meant love was in the air, and Mayfield’s clubhouse manager Catherine’s imagination had run riot, as Jazz on a Sunday was welcomed with the tables, walls and band area bedecked with hearts of red and pink in all shapes and sizes and candles to be lit!

It was the night to present the Harry Cameron Memorial Trophy for Band of the Year (2008/09) which had been delayed due to the weather conditions on 10th January.

A near full house had arrived to see and hear the Tame Valley Stompers and if anyone went home disappointed, then they must be very hard to please.

All these guys are top musicians in their own right, and with trombonist Terry Brunt in trademark beret and floor length scarf doing the introductions in his own inimitable way, the scene was set for entertainment plus.

A bright ‘kick off’ with “Hiawatha” set the pattern, trumpeter Roger Wimpenny provided the vocal for “Dream” with cameo pieces from muted trumpet, Brunt’s trombone and virtuoso of the clarinet Paul Broomhead.

Changing the mood with front line fantasia and a breath of Spain with “Dardanella” and the keyboards of Noel Broadgate at full speed, gave way to Broomhead’s soprano sax solo of “China Boy” as an apparition in red floated across the floor in the shape of Castleton’s dancer extraordinaire Cath steaming up the glasses of Brunt and Wimpenny whilst Broomhead remained unflinched!

“Everybody Loves My Baby” brought bass guitarist Pete Smith to the mike to vocalise with the tune driven along by the front three. Wimpenny then produced his party piece with ‘two voices in one mouth’, taking both parts in Armstrong’s “That’s when I will Come Back to You”.

A superb arrangement of “Chimes Blues” for trumpet, clarinet and trombone led to the interval number of “Just a Little Walk with Thee”, a moving theatrical performance which would have had Andrew Lloyd Webber reaching for a contract.

It was presentation time, and Jazz on a Sunday was delighted to welcome Stephen, the son of Harry Cameron, with his wife Karen, to say a few words and present the trophy to drummer and band leader Norman Pennington, along with individual trophies for all the musicians.

With the whole place buzzing the gig got back on track with “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”, obviously the band had not seen the England rugby team’s abysmal performance in the afternoon, as Brunt sang with gusto backed by mini-solos on tenor sax, keyboards and Smith’s bass guitar.

A nice arrangement of “Tishamingo Blues” for muted trombone, trumpet, clarinet and keyboards, then had the band in full flow with “Bogalusa Strutt”.

“I Remember It Well” had Broadgate playing the parts of Mr & Mrs Maurice Chevalier giving way to the most beautiful tune of “Playel’s Hymn”, written at the turn of the 20th Century, and superbly performed by Broomhead’s clarinet and Broadgate’s keyboards et al.

The old Chris Barber favourite “Whistling Rufus” resonated to the sound of the clarinet followed by a newly written song titled “Getting Older Blues” sung by Brunt with the band in full power blues mode.

It was left to the voice of Wimpenny to reach the second interval with the Tommy Burton number, “You Meet the Nicest People” with the open tones of tenor sax, keyboards and rhythm section.

If the crowd were having a ball, the band was revelling in the atmosphere and were back on stage before you could say ‘a pint please’, with two requests.

Firstly “St Philip Street Breakdown” played by Broomhead’s talking clarinet with breathtaking speed, tone and musical magnificence, and followed by Brunt’s unique rendition of “St James Infirmary Blues” backed by his own deep muted trombone tones. We welcomed to the stage with a guitar solo, Chris Corcoran, who joined the band for the final set. Chris is a young guitarist with talent aplenty who joins the band at various opportune gig sets.

Changing the mood with a neat presentation of “Temptation Rag” as Wimpenny slowed things down with his vocal on “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” well, it was Valentine’s Day.

Into rock n’ Roll mode with “I’m Goin’ to Kansas City”, Smith vocalising, Corcoran back playing guitar, and Broadgate’s stride keyboard setting the temperature rising, to cool “Down by the Riverside” the front line all in good voice.

The plaintive soprano sax and vocal of Broomhead did full justice to Jelly Roll Morton’s “Wining Boy”. The band then went ‘walk-about’ with Wimpenny singing “Royal Telephone” switching mid-stream to Lonnie Donegan’s “Putting on the Style”.

It was nearly the end of a fantastic evening but not before a power performance of “Climax Rag”, boogie keyboards and trombone sliding out of control as the band changed pace with great abandon till finally Wimpenny and gang led the band out with the New Orleans favourite “Goin’ Home”. Nobody wanted to leave!