Worth Valley Hot Stompers - Jazz on a Sunday

Ruth Gardziel, Worth Valley Hot Stompers

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When it was announced that the Worth Valley Hot Stompers were appearing on April 1st my mischievous humour was called into question, but this little known band from the Halifax area provided a feast of entertainment led by young trumpeter Mark Croasdale and featuring superb blues singer Ruth Gadziel.

Reedsman John Pashley opened the gig vocalising “When You’re Smiling”, also adding the vocal on favourite “Tishamingo Blues” in which a fine arrangement featured the piano of Keith Fort.

Gadziel’s jazzy intonations shoed their versatility with the contrasting numbers “Hey Lordy Papa”, “Hello Central”, and “Do Your Duty” and the trombone of Jon Moreman with Jeff Kitson’s double bass added to a finely constructed “”East Coast Trot”.

Gadziel set the scene after the break with the plaintive “Summertime”, the dark “I go Walking After Midnight” and the hectic “Running Wild” with the front line going hell for leather.

“Big Butter and Eggman” brought Pashley’s clarinet and vocal to the fore, and a neat band fusion in “Tipitipitin” even had Croasdale lubricating the tonsils.

The final set gave Gadziel plenty of scope with popular favourites “Pennies from Heaven”. “Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’ve Gone” and “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out”, quite a performance and as the pace slowed down, “My Gal Sal” and “Fair and Square in Love” gave more opportunities for the banjo of Ron Payton and the integral drumming of Steven Fort.

A fine gig was brought to an end with the front line leading “Alice Blue Gown” and any April fooling was left in the minds of the doubters.