Tuxedo Jazz – Jazz on a Sunday

Photo: Valerie Bracken

Tuxedo Jazz – Jazz on a Sunday

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With a nine number first set, the Tuxedo Jazz Band stormed into Rochdale with a flourish. Drummer Brian Woods leads a seven piece unit with trombonist Derek Galloway making the introductions with his inimitable humour.

The gig got underway with the perfect English title of “I Ain’t Goin’ to give Nobody, none of my Jelly Roll” which I am assured was not written by an Oxford don! It was a rousing start with reedsman Gerry Owen adding the vocal.

A neat instrumental blend in “Don’t Give Up the Ship” gave way to the popular “Memphis Blues” in which cameos from Malcolm Hogarth’s piano and Richard Knock’s muted trumpet inter-played with Owen and Galloway.

Going back to a more gentle time Owen sang “There’s an Old Spinning Wheel in the Parlour” with an entertaining banjo solo from Mal Horne.

A lovely Armstrong-esque arrangement of “Black and Blue” with Owen’s melancholy sax strains and Horne’s plaintive guitar backing the voice of Galloway was contrasted by an unusual arrangement of “When You’re Smiling” with chord changes, mini-duos and Galloway finishing with verse.

“I Beg Your Pardon” brought Horne’s vocal into play with Galloway’s trombone driving the tune, Owen’s clarinet provided the melody with Hogarth’s piano pushing the rhythm in a nice arrangement of “Tishamingo Blues” and firing on all cylinders the band played into the interval with “Shake it and Break it” – a superb first set.

Suitably refreshed, Owen’s clarinet was prominent in the all embracing “High Society”, slowing to Galloway’s vocal “You Took Advantage of Me”.

“Twelfth Street Rag” brought a nice change in pace amongst the front line with this favourite number in which tenor sax input accompanied the banjo and vocal of Horne in “Girl of My Dreams” and a very different presentation of Humphrey Lyttleton’s “Bad Penny Blues” from Hogarth’s piano, Isabel Toner on double bass ad the drumming of Woods made enthralling listening.

Then it was off to the bar with Owen’s sax and vocal with the multi-played “Too Busy”.

It was time for the final set and Galloway’s sliding trombone asked “Give Me Your Telephone Number”.

“Blue Turning Grey over You”, such a sad tale of love was well sung by Horne accompanying himself on guitar with muted trombone, gentle trumpet and nuances of the tenor sax.

Owen’s clarinet solo in “St Philip Street Breakdown” was a more gentle version with a slow build and an interlude for double bass whilst “Sheik of Araby” with driving piano, thumping rhythm and powerful front line left hardly any space for Galloway’s vocal.

It was Galloway’s vocal and trombone which led the romantic “A Thousand Good Nights” with Horne’s smooth solo on banjo. “Who’s Sorry Now” had Gerry ‘Connie Francis’ Owen on vocal and clarinet with Knock, Galloway and the integral rhythm section driving the music, and what better number to play out with than “What a Lovely Way to spend an Evening” It was.