[Dixielandjazz] For Pat Ladd -- Cell Block 7

[pj.ladd]

hey pat,

How about a report on the Cell Block 7's gig.  I understand you went to
catch them?>>

Your wish is my command O Master!

Last Friday was the first gig of the CB7 current tour. They have done  four
tours before.  All their gigs are around the Bristol area and .Wendy and I
managed to pick the one which was farthest from home . A small village named
Huntspill which is almost in the Bristol Channel. The weather was appalling.
Pouring rain mixed with sleet and large hailstones plus strong gusts of wind
as the front went through. The journey, in the dark,  was  all across 
country and normally
takes jjust under an hour. It took us almost 90 minutes.

The venue was a large pub with a goodsized restaurant where the gear was set
up when we arrived.

We had a good meal while we waited for the CB7 to emerge from their beer 
(and cider )
drinking session in another room.

(If the rest of this report is a little disjointed please forgive me as at 
that point Easter Sunday lunch intervened. This  involved my family, a 
bottle of champers, a bottle of selected French wine and a rather nice joint 
of lamb with mint sauce, roast potatoes and all the trimmings and an hour 
asleep before a roaring log fire. I feel a little dozy)

To continue...CB7 performances are unique. They are not your usual 
collection of jazz standards played in the same old way. Jazz standards are 
certainly played, although not the usual run of the mill selection. Apex 
Blues for instance is well known but not hackneyed.  The line up is not 
`standard either` No piano and a  euphonium instead of string bass. 
Perfectly acceptable but not `bog standard`. The rest of the engine room  is 
banjo and drums while the front line consists of   trombone, two trumpets 
and a clarinet doubling soprano sax.

What makes the band unique is the use of  double barreled, or maybe double 
belled,  euphoniums ( I bet thats not right but Bob Romans can correct it in 
due course) This odd instrument involves the incestuous welding together  of 
a couple of brass horns by a mad octopus. For arguments sake we will assume 
that they are a French horn and a tuba. The instrument has two bells of 
different sizes and (I think) five valves. Bob Romans assured us that both 
parts of the instrument cannot be played simultaneously. For which much 
thanks.

Not content with one of these odd looking horns CB7 flout THREE. The 
carefully arranged numbers and the odd instruments produces a glorious 
mellow sound that is quite lovely.
Such instruments call for unusual numbers to showcase them. A number called 
`Buglers... something or other,  (Parade or Holiday) was taken at breakneck 
speed. The death defying musical pyrotechnics produced by the musicians had 
to be heard to be believed. We had arrangements by Leroy Anderson, hardly 
your usual jazz night fare. A trombone solo from Dan, the only one apart 
from Bob whose name I can recall involved such slide work that if the lights 
had been turned off I am sure we could have seen the slide glowing red hot.

The band played two 45 minute sets to a very appreciative audience. 
Appreciated to the extent that three encores  including Buddy Boldens Blues 
were demanded by the audience.

A great evening slightly, but only slightly marred by the lack of a 
microphone for the announcements. Several asides which had the front line in 
stitches were lost on the audience.  The other missing element was of course 
Bill Gunter.  Wash board playing I can take or leave alone but Bill at the 
microphone was a class act, second to none.  Bob Romans told a Gunter joke, 
and credited it to Bill, and the laughs came in but as Bob would be the 
first to admit, it didn`t have that indefinable Gunter touch.

Talking to Bob I was pleased to hear that Bev is coping well and is still 
heavily involved in the Sacramento Jazzfest. Love to Bev from Wendy and I.

Thats it. I bet Leonard Feather never wrote e review like that.

Cheers

Pat.