[Dixielandjazz] report

[Patrick Ladd]

Hi all,
just general interest. I organised a group of 23 to attend  a Chris Barber concert on Saturday. How many more can there be? He is the same age as me. Chris is amazing. Mingled with the audience in  the foyer during the interval, stood throughout almost the entire concert. I could not even stand for that long let alone blow as well.
What a band! This is now of course the BIG CHRIS BARBER BAND with 10 players which allows some lovely arrangements. 3 woodwinds using all 3 as clarinets or mixing all the saxes. Including of course our own Bert Brandsma blowing up a storm. 3 Horns with some nice arrangements. Chris appreciates that some of the stuff is now beyond him and has one of the trumpeters doubling trombone  sometimes. Chris is still moving and singing with a solid beat and his voice is still pretty accurate. His announcements are as inaudible as ever. I don`t think I have understood a word he says since 1970.
Exchanged a few words with Bert but he was busy selling CD`s.
The event was not improved by the organisers, the Wiltshire Music Centre, laying on a school rock band at full throttle while the audience was assembling and trying to get a drink. As it was almost impossible to make oneself heard across the bar above the rock band, this was an uphill struggle. Still, it was a warm summers evening and most of the crowd escaped to the comparative quiet of the grounds. A lot of old stagers in the audience who . like me, still think of Barber from the days of Otillie Patterson, and Lonnie Donegan. Of  all the bands which Chris has put together over the years he says that the present one is the one he is enjoying most. The crowd certainly thought so.

Cheers

Pat