Jazz on Sunday - Mart Rodger Manchester Jazz

Mart Rodger Manchester Jazz

Sunday 26 April saw Jazz On A Sunday welcoming back the unfailingly popular Mart Rodger Manchester Jazz back for another visit to The New Town National Club, Nixon Street, Castleton.

Pater familias Mart brought with him regulars Eric Brierley on trombone, Roger Browne on piano, Louis Lince on banjo and guitar and Chris Pendlebury on drums and with 'deps' Dave Pogson and Keith Allcock fitting in seamlessly on trumpet and bass respectively the evening’s entertainment was every bit as good as we have long come to expect of this band.

As ever they set about matters all guns blazing from the off - a rousing 'Is It True What They Say About Dixie' - easing down for the gentler 'Breeze' then with Mart’s clarinet conjuring up sand dances and memories of music hall greats Wilson, Keppel and Betty they brought us 'Love Songs Of The Nile'.

Pianist Browne soloed and took the vocal for a positively Buddy Grecoesque 'This Is The End Of A Beautiful Friendship', joining Mart in support of Brierley’s rendition of the Swing Era classic 'Lady Be Good' and was again prominent in 'That Old Fash-ioned Love' before the set ended with Lince on banjo and 'Avalon'.

Set two opened with Brierley urging 'Let The Good Times Roll' and Roger offered 'Moonlight And Roses' along with a medley of 'My Fair Lady tunes'. There followed Louis Lince’s own composition 'Dreaming The Hours Away', a rumbustious 'Dinah' from Brierley and then, to round off, from the 1929 operetta 'The Land Of Smiles' his up tempo trombone solo recalling Richard Tauber and 'You Are My Heart’s Delight'.

Set three kicked off splendidly with 'Muskrat Ramble' but its undoubted highlight was the all too infrequently heard 'Japanese Sandman'. No less noteworthy, however, were Mart’s bravura 'St Philip Street Breakdown', vocals from Eric and Roger respectively with 'Georgia on My Mind' and 'I Can’t Give You Anything But Love Baby', Dave’s muted trumpet in 'Rose Room' and Chris and Keith’s drum and bass on the bands “out” number 'It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing'.