Graham Woodhouse – trombone
Dave Leithead – trumpet
Kelvin Smith – clarinet
John Irwin – banjo/guitar
Steve Peters – bass
Jeff Hobson – drums
They promised us a trip back to the “Trad Boom” days and that’s exactly what we got. The band, very smartly turned out in their all black attire, presented the authentic trad line up with not a saxophone in sight, Jeff taking the stage first to lay down a swinging two beat rhythm as the rest of the band filed on to kick off with Sweet Georgia Brown. The crisp, clear sound of the ensemble evoked memories of 1960s concert stages with evidence of well rehearsed arrangements and solos progressing to controlled collective improvisation and a tidy finish – just the sort of thing which made the three Bs so popular in the boom days.
The numbers were shorter , as in the days when they were restricted to a 78 record, but there were all the old favourites;
Sukiyaki, Hello Dolly and Kenny’s first hit, Samantha, all delivered in the exuberant Ball manner and well interspersed with offerings from the original trad songbook. An authentic sounding Dippermouth Blues (most of us remembered to shout “oh play that thing!),Muskrat Ramble, once recorded by the three Bs together at The Royal Festival Hall – was anyone there? and a gentle Float Me Down the River took us right back to the roots.
It seemed that, of the three big names, most stimulation came via the Barber band. There was a version of Indiana with Graham soloing on trombone which was very reminiscent of Chris’s offerings, Kelvin played a beautifully fluid version of Petite Fleur in tribute to the late Monty Sunshine and the band started Whistling Rufus in true Barber style then developed into their own version. (I can remember my grandmother launching into the Cakewalk when she heard my newly acquired 78 of the Barber recording)
No trad night would be complete without a banjo feature and, after a shaggy dog story about a gig in Birmingham and Ome banjos, John gave us an ever accelerating and humorous version of All Through the Night and then back to Kelvin for a creditable impersonation of Acker with Stranger on the Shore
The band came back together for the final two numbers, Lazy River, recorded by both Barber and Bilk and, with an admirable solo from Jeff, In a Persian Market from a recording by Acker.
Just as the 50s revival of earlier jazz grew into the trad boom, perhaps the current trend in reviving the sounds of that era may lead to another escalation of popularity and tonight’s band could well be one of the leaders.
Peter Farrall
