The Pedigree Jazz Band: A Tribute to Trad Jazz

Chris Walker and Graham Trevarton, The Pedigree Jazz Band

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The Pedigree Jazz Band returned to Castleton with co-leaders Chris Walker (clarinet) and Roger Marks (trombone) presenting their ‘Tribute to Trad Jazz’ show in tandem with regulars Graham Trevarton on trumpet and cornet (and bugle), Ken Ames on banjo and guitar, Tony Mann on double bass and Colin Larn on drums.

They opened, with everybody on song, parading down ‘Bourbon Street’, Marks peeled off to lead into ‘Chimes Blues’ then a favourite film ‘The Alamo’ was recalled in and among the ‘Green Leaves of Summer’ before, in the evening’s first solo performance, Walker accompanied by Ames’ guitar presented the ladies in an audience again boosted by a number of Jazz On A Sunday’s welcome and much valued visitors from Rochdale Circle if not with a full bouquet then at least with a ‘Petite Fleur’

New Orleans cornettist Buddy Bolden reportedly played ‘loud, fat and brassy’ and Trevarton did exactly that as he waded in successively on ‘All The Girls Go Crazy’ and ‘Livery Stable Blues’

Another solo followed, this time with Ken Ames on guitar and vocals recalling Acker Bilk’s (or indeed Louis Prima’s and even Dean Martin’s) ‘Buona Sera’ before the band reassembled to close the first set with ‘Blaze Away.

It was ‘Singalonga Graham’ time as he and Ames (on banjo now) rolled out the barrel to begin the second set with ‘Beer Barrel Polka’; Ken stuck around to help Marks ‘rock’ or more correctly ‘swing’ through a jaunty version of Brahms ‘Cradle Song’ and it being Sunday a spiritual was included, with Trevarton again at the microphone for ‘Lord, Lord, Lord’.

Leaning more toward the interpretation afforded by the Dutch Swing College Band than that of Edith Piaf ‘Milord’ followed then there was a breathless ‘Dark Eyes’ with Marks’ trombone dominant, the cakewalk ‘Whistling Rufus’ which dates from the latter years of the nineteenth century and from the film ‘High Society’ an ensemble rendition of ‘Samantha’ before ‘Bugle Boy March’ closed the set with Trevarton unsurprisingly enough on bugle.

‘Sukiyaki’ was the starter on the menu in the final set. The foot-tapper ’Black Cat On The Fence’ marshalled by Marks’ trombone went down well also as did Josef Franz Wagner’s march ‘Under The Double Eagle’; Trevarton’s ‘golden tonsils’ assayed the Ken Colyer blues ‘Going Home’; an exceptional banjo solo from Ames lit up ‘The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise; Walker returned for a final solo with ‘Stranger On The Shore’ and they regrouped to finish the evening in style with ‘Midnight In Moscow’ and ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’, with a ‘bang’ courtesy of drummer Larn and with a complimentary ‘Ice Cream’.