Maine Street Jazzmen return to Castleton

The North East based Maine Street Jazzmen - Jazz on a Sunday’s 2012 Band of the Year - were welcomed back by an enthusiastic audience on Sunday 4 May and once again lived up to their title and proved to be at the top of their game.

Led in fine style by Herbie Hudson on trombone and harmonica was John Cowan (sitting in on trumpet-cornet for an indisposed Ray Harley) along with regulars Jim McBrighety, Malcolm Armstrong, Alan Rudd and Rod McNamara. Together they kicked off with a rousing version of ‘Avalon’, which saw the formidable Hudson-Cowan combination setting the scene for the rest of the evening.

The opening set continued with perennial favourite ‘Canal Street Blues’ followed by a vocal rendition by Herbie Hudson of ‘My Gal Sal’.

Next we were transported by Olive Rudd, wife of Alan Rudd, back to the nineteen fifties with ‘Doctor Jazz’ after which Cowan and Hudson assumed centre stage for ‘Bugle Boy March’.

The set ended with McBrighety’s carefully restrained alto playing, Armstrong on the piano and Rudd’s solid bass all supporting Hudson’s trombone, harmonica and larynx for ‘That Old Fashioned Love.’

Beginning the second set and still on song, Hudson elected to wander ‘The Streets Of The City’ and joined forces with Cowan’s American long trumpet to go ‘Marching Through Georgia’. They both gave way to Mrs Rudd who entreated ‘Make Me A Pallet On The Floor’.

Jim McBrighety finally got his share of the vocal limelight after a high octane band rendition of ‘Royal Garden Blues’ before reverting moderately mollified to his accustomed clarinet persona for ‘Creole Love Call’.

Hudson’s vocal and blues harmonica offering of ‘C C Rider’ attracted prolonged and well deserved applause followed by Mrs Rudd’s ode to the Andrew Sisters with ‘Bei Mir Bis Du Schein’.

The set came to an end with Hudson,  Cowan and McBrighety, along with their rhythm section, taking off at considerable pace ‘Up A Lazy River’.

The final set included the numbers ‘Running Wild’, ‘Nobody Wants You When You’re Down And Out’, ‘Give Me Your Telephone Number’ and ‘At The Jazz Band Ball’.

The evening was then ended with Mrs Rudd’s bouncy ‘How’d Ya Like To Love Me?’ and Hudson’s ‘Take Me Back To New Orleans.’

Sadly for Hudson, it was goodnight and back instead to Newbiggin by the Sea and in the fullness of time to the band’s next engagement at the Seaton Sluice Club.