A fair amount of flitting about went on in February, especially in the company of Harry Strutters, who showed up in Bury St Edmunds, Wavendon and Hull, all just about sold out events.
The night after Hull Truck Theatre, this trombone was transported to Beverley to join some old friends in the Climax Jazz & Blues Band at The Lairgate. This was a real pleasure, weaving through a parade of venerable tunes with fellow-trombonist Paul Sharpless, Dave Ellis on bass, Pete Robinson on drums (not heard since our residency at the Humberside Theatre), Dave Peacock on banjo, Charlie Appleyard on trumpet and Howard Brears on sax and clarinet. We look forward to a repeat.
The Yiddish Twist Orchestra were eating pizza and flinging bagels in Holborn, where we unleashed Elvers, Ben Mandelson’s slippery new number and Bergman, a new knees-up dedicated to our Willy, written by the trombonist.
An inflated Roberta Pla Latin Jazz Ensemble brought Barranquilla to Peckham, and Snowboy & The Latin Section brought Latin Jazz to a Soul weekender in the Cotswolds. John Bennett brought his 1970s winners like Gemini 6 and Where’s Gary Cooper? to the 21st century.
A Bigger MOUTH started another monthly residency at that Hoxton jewel, the Hundred Years Gallery. The recent recording is now being raked through in a slightly rattled studio somewhere in Porto.
The big poetry event was the first Book Party, to promote Better Late Than Sorry, staged at Deli Felice, in Rotherhithe, where the poems were read out in Italian [just testing] and the books sold like hot torte.
MARCH EVENTS
Monday 6 March, boarding 20:00, sounding 20:30
The BBC : Adam Bohman, Jonathan Bohman, Richard Crow: paraphernalia & transcripts
Dominic Lash : solo guitar
Trombone Poetry
Bar & Co.
Temple Pier, Embankment
opposite Temple tube
(between Blackfriars and Waterloo Bridges)
£8 / £5 concs
Wednesday 8 March, 19:00 start
A Bigger MOUTH – improvising ensemble:
13 Pearson St., London E2 8JD
Thursday 9 March, 19:30
Swinging at the Cotton Club
Harry Strutters Hot Rhythm Orchestra
The New Wolsey Theatre
Civic Drive
Ipswich IP1 2AS
Friday 10 March, 18:00 – 21:00
Trombone Poetry (short set) + sundry turns
Rotherhithe Voices
Deli Felice
40 Albion Street
Rotherhithe SE16 7JQ
free admission