Jazz on a Sunday – The Tenement Jazz Band

The Tenement Jazz Band

Whilst it is notoriously difficult to persuade young people to dip their toes into the world of traditional jazz there are an encouraging number of new young bands who are seemingly determined to continue the tradition of a tried and tested music that has flourished for over 100 years.

So it was with great anticipation that the Rochdale Jazz Club welcomed five fine musicians from Edinburgh (no passports needed yet!) and on their first nationwide tour The Tenement Jazz Band were greeted with great acclaim and recipients of rapturous applause,

Led by John Youngs (on guitar and banjo, along with humorous intros and assorted anecdotes) they brought us a selection of tunes covering the decades in which the genre evolved.

Opening with Sugarfoot Stomp the first set included Dusty Rag, Canal Street Blues, South and the leader on vocals with Louisiana Fairytale.

In set two trumpeter Charles Dearness was up front for Hilarity Rag a la the late Ken Colyer. Youngs vocalised again with Blue Drag and Exactly Like You while trombonist Paddy Darley's arrangements of the rarely played Chocolate Avenue and Meat On The Table provided plenty of food for thought before the set finished with a superb rendition of Sidney Bechet's Petite Fleur by clarinettist Steve Feast.

The band began the final set with New Orleans Wiggle and New Orleans Bump; strutting its stuff to the tune(s) of Strutting Along, Stockyard Strutt and Bogalusa Strutt, the always popular At A Georgia Camp Meeting and the unusual Deep Bit Moan with Doug Kemp on double basss driving the rhythm along.

Until We Meet Again aptly summed up the enthusiasm of the audience that had clearly reveled in a vibrant performance by these young musicians which bodes well for the future of the traditional jazz scene.

Jazz on a Sunday runs on Sunday evenings at Newtown National Club, Nixon Street, Castleton:

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/events/search?searchtype=text&searchvalue=Jazz+on+a+Sunday