[Dixielandjazz] Cleethorpes Jazz Festival

[Ken Mathieson]

Hi Folks,

My Classic Jazz Orchestra made the long trip south from Scotland on Sunday to play at the Cleethorpes Jazz Festival. Cleethorpes is a small town right next to Grimsby at the mouth of the River Humber on the English East Coast and its jazz festival has now been running for 5 years to packed audiences. In addition to a number of excellent regionally-based bands and singers, headliners this year included internationally-acclaimed artists like guitarist Jim Mullen's Organ Trio, singers Claire Martin and Tina May, pianist Dave Newton, bassist Dave Green and the wonderful saxophonist, Alan Barnes.

We were working with Alan in a programme of Benny Carter's music. It's demanding music to play - full of subtle complexities - and even his potboilers have an elegance about them. Alan, as usual, played like a dream, but so did the guys of the CJO. Two of our regulars, tenorist Konrad Wiszniewski and trombonist Phil O'Malley were touring in USA and Canada with Tommy Smith's Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, so we had 2 deps (subs) on board: the highly experienced Stewart Forbes on tenor and the hugely talented 24 year-old trombonist Kevin Garrity. Both did their jobs excellently and Kevin's glorious tone was remarked on by numerous audience members at the end. He is a name to watch out for.

It always surprises me that hardly anybody seems to play Benny's music nowadays and that I have to explain to audiences, even jazz audiences, who he was, what he achieved and how he was regarded with near-reverence by jazz musicians everywhere. It seems astonishing that a man whose name was synonymous with top quality as a player of several instruments, as a bandleader and as a composer/arranger is now largely overlooked a mere 10 years after his death.

Cheers,

Ken Mathieson