Chicago Teddy Bears - Jazz on a Sunday

Photo: Valerie Bracken

Chicago Teddy Bears at Jazz on a Sunday

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The Chicago Teddy Bears Society Jazz Band have been around for a long time and always provide an evening of first class entertainment.

Led by trumpeter Kenny Doran straight into “Teddy Bears Picnic” – surprise surprise – a long first set showed all the facets of their varied performance with the first three numbers ranging from the classic “Avalon” to the stomping “Shout ‘Em Aunt Tilly” via “Saratoga Swing”.

“Bye Bye Blackbird” brought bassman Rae Owens’ vocal into play with the front line of Doran, Dave Thomas on clarinet and trombonist Tony Dunleavy driving the tune.

Ellington’s “Mood Indigo” featured silky clarinet and the guitar strings of Tony Ormesher, before drummer Brian Singleton took the mike for “There’ll be Some Changes Made” backed by octogenarian Neville Goodwin’s keyboards and a subdued front line as Mayfield’s little sparrow took to the dance floor. Doran’s vocal of “Going Back to Old Virginia” with muted trumpet, clarinet et al led to the first break.

Into set two with the rousing “Hindustan”, the band then went blue with Owens’ vocal of “My Blue Heaven” with some neat trumpet and keyboards followed by a gentle arrangement of “Sweet Little Alice Blue Gown”.

The brass bass of Owens and banjo of Ormesher pushed along Doran’s vocal of “Coney Island Washboard”, and the mini solos of the front line three produced a superb version of one of my favourites; “Tishamingo Blues” . Leading to the second interval Owens went from softly through frantic to formula one with “Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gave to Me” and then gave way to Singleton’s vocal of the humorous “Dapper Dan”.

With so much packed into the first two sets, it was inevitable that the final set would be short in quantity, but certainly with no loss of quality.

“China Boy” featured the banjo talents of Ormesher, who then accompanied Owens’ ‘party piece’ “Leaning on a Lamppost” a la George Formby and then in the style of Johnny Cash.

Doran’s fine trumpeting directed “Jazz Me Blues” in a well crafted arrangement, “Jambalaya” with a bossanova feel with solo clarinet, integral rhythm and Owens’ vocal and perhaps with rugby on their minds, the band played out with “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” with the duo songsters of Owens and Doran.