The Old Fashioned Love Band

Into 2009 and ‘Jazz on a Sunday’, still moving forward, welcomed one of the fans’ favourites ‘The Old Fashioned Love Band’, playing a mixture of classics led by trumpeter Mel Hill, trombonist Mike Pembroke and guest reed virtuoso John Hallam completing a strong front line.

Banjo/guitarist Jake Reeves sings Al Bowley/Noel Coward thirties style compositions and the attentive audience applauded “I Saw Start”, “I’m Building up to an Awful Let Down”, “Rhythm and Romance” and “The New Yorker”, accompanying himself on guitar and banjo with the gentle double bass of Harry Forelius.

Hill vocalised (always the balladeer with tales of love) “If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight”, “Pennies from Heaven”, “Can’t Believe You Aren’t in Love With Me” and “Sugar” with carefully constructed instrumental blending.

Hallam’s master class clarinet interpreted “Stumbling” and sparkled through Hill’s vocal of Jelly Roll Morton’s “Wining Boy Blues” and then stamped his style with “St Philip Street Breakdown” also switching to sax taking the prominent role in “Mama’s Gone, Goodbye”.

Pembroke’s trombone often interspersed with his vocals offering “Baby Won’t You Please Come Home”, “Shine”, a slow version with muted trumpet in “Beale Street Blues” and leading “The Sheik of Araby”, everyone in full flow and Moe Green drumming frantically.

With always something to enjoy Hill upped the decibels with “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” And a nice arrangement of “You Came to Me Right Out of Nowhere” had Hill back to the romantic with Reeves’ guitar and Hallam’s smooth sax. Reeves’ banjo then had even the strings swooning with “Maria Elena”.

“I Can’t Escape from You” had the band firing on all cylinders then they all escaped to leave Green’s percussive power for five minutes expertise with the sticks in “China Boy”.

Into the finale with the front line attacking the “Wabash Blues” and signing off with “Dinah” with everyone blasting through the speed barrier.