[Dixielandjazz] Andors jazzband

[pat ladd]

Hi Cees,

heard Andors Jazzband  from Holland at my local jazz club last night.

They were on their way home after the Bude Festival and the guy who runs our 
club booked them in a weak moment as they are not the sort of band we 
usually have.

We usually have straight dixieland jazz but Andors JB was entirely 
different.

In the first place there were 10 of them. Probably the largest group we have 
had at the club. Secondly they all wore evening dress. Quite a shock.

The line up was strange. 3 clarinets doubling saxes. 2 trumpets, 1 trombone. 
Keyboard. Banjo and sousaphone and drums. The band looked extremely 
studious. More like a Classic ensemble. Rimless spectacles, hair slicked 
down.Written music???

They played 20`s and early 30`s tunes, arranged in the dance band style of 
the time. No microphones, which was a mistake as the singing and the chat 
between numbers was lost to some extent. This was a shame as the 
introductions were often very funny.
The musicianship was of a very high standard and the band was tight.

The trombone player, although he has been with the band for some time didn`t 
seen to fit with the rest. During his solos he tended to do a bit of 
mugging, rather like George Chisholm,   and would blow a rasping tailgate 
slide occasionally as if he would like to blast out a good jazz lick.

The audience was small by our standards, probably less than 100, holiday 
weekend  partly to blame but everyone there enjoyed the very different 
music.

I enjoyed it enough to buy a CD although I was influenced by the sales pitch 
which likened trapeze acts in a circus which cannot get insurance to 
travelling musicians who were in a similar position. The leader drew a 
harrowing picture of half starved wives and children waiting at home for the 
few pennies that the bandsmen brought home from the sale of the CD`s. He had 
the audience in fits of laughter. Not bad for a second language.

A different and very enjoyable evening.

Pat