New Orleans Heat

New Orleans Heat

A much-changed New Orleans Heat line-up was welcomed to Jazz On A Sunday at the New Town National Club. Regular trombonist Mike Taylor was temporarily unavailable while recovering from hip replacement surgery, banjo player Tony Peatman had resigned from the band at the conclusion of its latest European tour, cornettist Gwyn Lewis has opted to take up permanent residence in Sweden and reeds player John Scantlebury was also out of action.

The quality and professionalism of their replacements for the evening, namely Dave Vickers on trombone, Alan Birkinhead banjo, John Pashley trumpet and Roger Bird clarinet and tenor, in support of regulars, Barry Grummett piano, Harry Slater bass and Colin Bushell on drums was such that not a beat was missed and what was heard was still demonstrably the distinctive and familiar sound of the New Orleans Heat.

Leader Grummet was at once to the fore barrelhouse piano style as clarinettist Bird took the microphone and they opened up with ‘Down In Honky Tonk Town’. The latter then switched to tenor for the Kid Thomas number ‘Algiers Strut’, banjoist Birkin-head offered ‘Tishamingo Blues’, there was the spiritual ‘Over In The Glory Land’ from trumpeter Pashley, a front line collaboration on ‘My Gal Sal’, from reedsman Bird ‘St Louis Blues’ and to close the first set ‘Joe Avery’s Piece’ (a “dead ringer” for ‘Rock Around The Clock’).

Set two began with another vocal, namely ‘Waltz of the Bells’ (also known as ‘Ting-A-Ling’) from Pashley. This was followed by a decidedly up tempo version of ‘When I Grow To Old To Dream’ before Bird came to the microphone first with another spiritual ‘Walking With The King’ then ‘Someday Sweetheart’ and after picking up his clarinet again the jazz clarinetist’s undisputed party piece ‘St Philip Street Breakdown’.

Next up was Grummet leading the ensemble through ‘Darkness on the Delta’ before the set came to an end with Bird, first on tenor with ‘Smile’ then handling the vocals with a “happy jazz cum pop” version of ‘Last Night On The Back Porch’.

The final set was an unashamed songfest, beginning with Birkinhead and the 1948 Tin Pan Alley hit ‘I’m Looking Over A Four Clover’, Pashley assaying ‘Beer Barrel Polka’ (more popularly known as ‘Roll Out The Barrel’) and then Bird stepping forward for ‘St Louis Blues’.

Pashley went ‘Walking In A Winter Wonderland’, there followed a mini-medley of World War One songs namely ‘It’s A Long Way to Tipperary’ and ‘Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit-bag’ from Birkinhead’ and then Birkinhead again with ‘I Can’t Give You Anything But Love Baby’ before to finish the evening there they were to all intents and purposes the New Orleans Heat of old blowing up a storm with some seminal rock and roll and ‘Caldonia’.