Millennium Eagle Jazz Band - Jazz on a Sunday

Photo: Valerie Bracken

Millenium Eagle Jazz band - Jazz on a Sunday

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Matt Palmer brought his Millennium Eagle Jazz band to Castleton for another evening of pure entertainment. This Midlands outfit features teenage drummer Jack Cotterill the latest in a line of family drummers and he was given the floor with a solo during the early number of “That’s A Plenty”.

Reedsman Palmer vocalised with “I Ain’t Goin to Give You None of my Jelly Roll”, before a neat duo for trumpeter Pete Brown and trombonist Andy Holdorf combined well in “Black Bottom Stomp”.

Banjoist Chris Etherington accompanied his vocal of WC Handy’s “Hesitating Blues”, and a fine blend of bandmandship did full credit to “Thriller Rag”.

“Sailing Down the Old Green River” the old popular sing-a-long gave Holdorf the opportunity for singing and sliding with Palmer’s driving sax pushing it along.

A great start to the second set with “Canal Street Blues” led into Etherington’s version of “Chesapeake Bay” with trombone and clarinet input, and a duo for Brian Lawrence on bass on Cotterill’s drums.

Palmer’s soprano sax excelled with Bechet’s “Petite Fleur” with the backing of Lawrence’s bow bass, and then vocalised that old Edwardian plaintive favourite “Porter’s Lovesong to a Chambermaid”.

“Moose March” changed the mood with a driving front line, Brown lubricated his vocal chords with “The Best Things in Life are Free” before a trumpet/trombone duo led to the break with “Redwing”.

Suitably refreshed, the band acknowledged Brown’s 71st birthday, then broke into a well crafter arrangement of “South Rampart Street Parade”.

A request for “St James Infirmary Blues” was given the dirge treatment by Holdorf’s vocal and muted trombone.

Palmer’s clarinet and vocal recalled “My Little Bimbo Down on the Bamboo Isle” as the stage cleared for Cotterill’s drums in a five minute presentation of “Digger Digger Do”. He’s good.

Birthday boy Brown’s vocal and trumpet solo with “My Mother’s Eyes” drew an attentive audience with an interlude for double bass with banjo and brush drumming.

The front line powered along “Climax Rag” with a great crescendo, and the band played out with “Show Me the Way to Go Home”, Messrs Holdorf, Etherington, brown and Palmer harmonising only lacking the straw boaters.