October Features
Great River Jazzfest | Final Notes
Continued: British Jazz Festivals
Another singer worth mentioning is Mellow Avstreih, a young singer who has appeared with various bands in the last few years. We heard her with Paul Munnery's Swing Street.
The Whitley Bay Festival was at a new venue, The Village Hotel, because their previous venue was sold and was being renovated. The new hotel was much improved; the food, rooms, and staff were excellent. It was nice to have air conditioning throughout, although many Brits, unaccustomed to air conditioning, turned it down or off at times.
Once again there was a pre-festival concert at The Sage in Gateshead. This year it focused on Benny Goodman. The first half featured songs and events from his life, and the second half was a recreation of the 1938 Carnegie Hall concert. The band was led by Keith Nichols, and German reedman Matthias Seuffert assumed the role of Benny Goodman, doing an excellent musical portrayal. This was a sold-out concert.
Starting out the festival on Friday afternoon was the Rae Brothers' New Orleans Jazz Band with some new additions. Trumpet player Clem Avery was sick, so Mac Rae switched from clarinet to trumpet, and Liz Bacon, wife of drummer Paul Bacon, took the clarinet role. Another newcomer was the youthful Ian Wynne on piano. All were excellent.
In addition to the New Century Ragtime Orchestra, there were three other 1920s-'30s orchestras. The Bratislava Hot Serenaders appeared at this festival for the third time and were wonderful as usual. Josh Duffee from Davenport, Iowa, led The Jean Goldkette Orchestra which was comprised of festival musicians. Despite limited rehearsal time, they sounded good. Festival director Mike Durham sang.
October 2008 issue | © 2008 The Mississippi Rag
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