Silver Leaf Jazz Band - Jazz on a Sunday

Photo: Valerie Bracken

Silver Leaf Jazz Band

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A rare visit from Barnsley’s Silver Leaf Jazz Band attracted a full house, and apart from the odd ‘hiccup’ the jazzers enjoyed an evening of musical entertainment.

Led by reedsman David Hepworth with wife Liz on double bass, the band played a selection of standards with vocals shared.

Trombonist Alan Osborne took on the Sophie Tucker role with “Some of These Days” backed by Mick Roddy’s banjo, while the band’s arrangement of “Yellow Dog Blues” had David Hepworth leading on clarinet with the muted trumpet of John Pashley.

“All of Me” brought Liz Hepworth’s vocal into play, with tenor sax solo from the ‘other half’. “Go to New Orleans” featured New Orleans trained trumpeter and vocal by Pashley, before all the band were “Bouncing Around”.

A long first set continued with the gentle sound of “Spain” softened by muted trombone and trumpet, before Pashley’s rendition of “S’Wonderful” with Mayfield’s ‘petit oiseau’ taking to the dance floor.

“Clarinet Marmalade” got a short second set off to a rousing start, with a mood change and a bossanova beat to the vocal and double bass Liz Hepworth with “Sway” musically fuelled with integral banjo and powerful trumpet “Just a Little While to Stay Here” slowed to the tunes of a spiritual Sunday, and the set closed with a warning to all wandering footballers “Making Whoopee” with trombone, trumpet, tenor sax and words of advice from John Pashley.

Into the third half with “Bogalusa Strutt” and a tune new to me but not new to jazz as it was written in the twenties – “Bright Star Blues” – short pieces for trombone, trumpet and clarinet.

“Louisian-i-a” had Osborne in good voice and trombone, with Roddy’s banjo in full flow a superb David Hepworth clarinet solo gave full depth to “Over the Waves” with the blending rhythm of double bass, banjo and Peter Cridland’s drums.

“Gettisburg March” had the feet stamping and the band played out French style with Sidney Bechet’s “Dans la Rue de L’Antibes” with a powerful finish! Oui oui!