This evening we went to
The Europa in East Molesey to see the Urban Gin House Band. The line-up comprised Alan Brock (trumpet), Ray Lindsay (tenor sax, pictured), Roger Limb (keyboard, pictured), Mike Bennett (bass) and Mike Knipe (drums).
Our favourite numbers with this line-up were:
'Body and Soul' written in 1930 by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton and Johnny Green and introduced by Libby Holman in the revue 'Three's A Crowd' then used as a soundtrack theme in the 1947 film named for the song;
'Polka Dots and Moonbeams', music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke, published in 1940;
'It's You or No-one', written by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn, from the film "Romance On The High Seas" (aka "It's Magic") - 1948.
Guests were grouped as follows:
John Shepherd (trumpet), Trevor Dockerill (clarinet), Roy Stokes (trombone) and Nigel (drums) playing 'Bei Mir Bist Do Schön', 'All of Me' and 'I Wanna Little Girl';
Fred Shaw (cornet, vocal), Peter Clancy & Peter Tallent (trombones), Roland (tenor sax) and Trevor playing 'Honeysuckle Rose' and 'Georgia on My Mind';
Mike Bennett's friend Gordon, singing 'Sunny' and 'Bye Bye Blackbird'.
Several of us arrived before any of the main band so Terry, the pub landlord, joked that there was no jazz tonight. Roy Stokes said that was OK, he would ask his wife Mary to perform a striptease for us instead. Terry picked up the telephone, saying "I'll call the band to say it is on after all". I thought this was rather insulting to Mary but she laughed with everyone else.
Labels: Jazz
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