Jazz on a Sunday: The Wirrorleans Jazz Band

Jazz on a Sunday: The Wirrorleans Jazz Band

Led by drummer John Blackman with a strong front line of Stan Williams on trumpet, Dave Dixson on reeds and Andrew Mackenzie on trombone, the Wirrorleans crossed the Merseyside border for a superb evening of classics, standards and, unusually, five vocalists out of a six-man ensemble.

Twenty-one numbers played with style and panache.

The blues were well interpreted with ‘St James Infirmary’, ‘Royal Garden’, ‘Tishamingo’, ‘Tin Roof’ and Louis Armstrong’s ‘Dippermouth’.

Favourites ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’, ‘Creole Love Call’, ‘Birth of the Blues’, ‘Dinah, Hindustan’ and, of course, ‘Just A Closer Walk With Thee’ were very much appreciated.

‘Christopher Columbus’ closed the first set with the front line at full power.

Brian Hall on guitar and Keith Allcock on double bass drove the rhythm section and Mackenzie vocalised with ‘Dapper Dan’ and collaborated with Hall in ‘My Romance’.

‘After You’ve Gone’, ‘Someday You’ll be Sorry’ and ‘Honeysuckle Rose’ encouraged audience response, ‘Big Butter and Egg Man’ tested the tonsils of Blackman and the band drifted away towards the M62 with the strains of ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’.

Jazz on a Sunday programme: 
https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/events/search?searchtype=text&searchvalue=Jazz+on+a+Sunday