Dixie Landers

The Howard Allen Dixie Landers takes its name from vocalist and leader Bert Allen and reedsman Howard Murray, and play entertaining happy music, to keep the toes tapping.

This first visit to ‘The Jazz on Sunday’ was very well received by a large crowd and my only real gripe was the “Discussion time” taken between numbers, and their slow arrangement of “Tishamingo Blues” seemed to dilute the tune.

The powerful trumpet of Billy Edwards allied to the eccentricity of trombonist Terry Brunt completed a strong front line, and four Allen vocals in there first set were full of variety! “Avalon” brought out the talents of Alf Kiernan’s piano and the drumming of Moe Green, one of the best in the business whilst contrasting “Baby won you please come home”, includes mini solos from Brunt, Murray and Kiernan.

The slow muted trumpet of Edwards complimented the dreamy “Blue turning grey over you” whilst “Shine” showcased the bass guitar nuances of Pete Smith and Murray’s flying clarinet. “China boy” had the drums of Green in overdrive.

Some superb pieces in set two presented vocals by Allen with “Sweet Sue” backed by piano and sax and “Black and blue” featuring piano intro and Edward’s Trumpet drifting from mutes to driving whilst Murray’s sax travels in the opposite direction – Magnificent.

“Knee drops” a Louis Armstrong number brought a trombone blast and trumpet perfection. Murray’s tenor sax brought some “meditation” - very apt – and after a frontline blast with “Byole Boy march” the set finished with Green’s drum solo of supreme stick work in which the cymbals and drums needed interval refreshment.

It didn’t have a title but I suggested “The flying sticksman” as the performance built to a crescendo like that famous train.

And so to the final set in which Allen’s “China town, my China town” with swinging sax brought some fine arrangements with Edward’s super tone and Kiernan’s soft piano notes in “Give me a kiss to build a dream on” a driving front line with Murray’s bluesy sax and Kiernan’s solo in “Tin roof blues”, an unusual presentation of Ellington’s “Mood indigo” and “solitude” by Brunt’s trombone backed by Kiernan, Allen’s version of Sophie Tucker’s “Some of these days”, Brunt’s assonant voice and Murray’s melancholy sax in “St James infirmary blues”, and to finish the evening, the gang blasting out with Bert Allen vocalizing “I double dare you” into the cold night air.

Dixie Landers
The Broadfield Hotel
Sunday 14 January 2007