New Orleans Heat – Jazz on a Sunday

Always one of the most popular visitors the multi-talented New Orleans Heat made their annual visit to Jazz on a Sunday to great acclaim!

Led by pianist Barry Brummett, this seven piece ensemble makes regular visits to Sweden and on one such trip, powerful trumpeter Gwyn Lewis succumbed to the ultimate temptation, and as music is the food of love, incited his Swedish “spider” into his martial “web”. Eat your heart out Sven Goren Erikson!

With Christmas on the horizon, the band includes numbers with a seasonal feel, and the fans enjoyed an evening of top class entertainment.

In a vibrant fist set, vocals were shared with Lewis (yes, the newly married one) singing “Yes, Yes, In Your Eyes”, and the contrasting “Winter Wonderland”, and welcoming back the suburb reeds man John Scantlebury, he vocalises with “Shine,” plus Sax and the internal trombone of Mike Taylor; and a great arrangement of “Dallas Blues” with a clarinet intro to his own vocal with muted melancholy trumpet, and mini solos for trombone, Tony Peatman on banjo, Harry Slater on d/bass and Colin Birchall on drums.

A short second set featured that of requited “Dirge,” “St James Infirmary Blues” given the macabre treatment by Lewis with mellow sax and muted trumpet and trombone and it could have been called the Scantlebury session. A vocal “Oh Marie,” backed by the Piano. A sweet clarinet solo “I walked in the Garden Alone,” and a driving sax solo and vocal “All of me,” with piano and rhythm section in full flow.

Suitably refreshed, Lewis ripped into “Somebody Stole my Gal,” backed by Grummet’s bouncing piano, slowing down to the peaceful “Away in a Manger,” instrumentally gentle with glee club strains.

A raucous “Willy the Weeper.” Led by Lewis driving sax and interspersed with the percussion accessories faded away for a more controlled Lewis vocal “I Beg Your Pardon,” featuring the smooth trombone of Mike Taylor.

“Down in a Jungle Town,” set the tempo rising and the decibels rose as Lewis went into orbit with “All the Girls Go Crazy,” honky tonk piano, driving rhythm and frontline fire power.

With the onset of Christmas, the welsh contingent of Lewis’ muted trumpet and Scantlebury’s gentle clarinet and vocal eased through “Silent Night,” before Scantlebury led the band out with a powerfully instrumental “Kansas City Boogie.”