Old Fashioned Love Band - Jazz on a Sunday

Jake Reeves, Old Fashioned Love Band

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Mid April brought another visit from the Potteries’ Old fashioned Love Band. Superb musicianship and every note had the aficionados clamouring for more. Led by trumpeter and vocalist Mel Hill and featuring the dreamy thirties voice of banjo and guitarist Jake Reeves, there was something to please everyone.

“Wabash Blues” featured Willie Entwistle on alto sax, switching to clarinet in a fine arrangement of “Stardust” with Hill’s lead trumpet and vocal.

Beidebecke’s “Rhythm King” was neatly interpreted by Mike Pembroke’s solo trombone ably supported by the rhythm ic strains of Reeve’s guitar, the double bass of Harry Forellis and the integral drumming of Moe Green.

“Magnolia” had Entwistle’s solo violin accompanying Reeves’ vocal. Never a dull moment!

Hill led off set two with “Mama’s Gone, Goodbye”, followed by “Oh Baby” played with a Spanish cha-cha beat, trumpet in tandem with percussion with Entwistle’s violin solo in the melting pot.

Reeves’ dulcet tones gave due deference to “When I Take my Sugar to Tea” and “Mississippi Sandman”, and the neat drumming of Green enhanced the gentle alto-sax solo of Entwistle in “Paper Moon”. An up-tempo “Rosetta” led the way to the bar.

Into the final strait, and the band was on fire. Eleven numbers in never ending entertainment.

From Hill’s vocal rumba with “Sway” through Armstrong’s “Black and Blue” to Johnny Green’s classic “Out of Nowhere” , Hill’s vocal interpretation with double bass and the powerful alto sax of Entwistle.

An Old Fashioned Love Band gig would not be complete without Reeves’ guitar and vocal of “The New Yorker” or a five minute technical drum solo from Moe Green in “China Boy”.

“Whining Boy Blues” well presented by Hill and a vocal/solo by trombonist Pembroke with “Dinah” brought the gig to a close as the band played out with “Til We Meet Again”.

15/04/12