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rhythmaningI saw the Gillespiana Big Band play at my nearly-local basement venue back in April (oh, months ago…), and it was a lot busier than the last time I was there. It was packed. Maybe because a big band has more people to get their mates a long. There were several familiar names amongst the rosta – Freddie Gavitas on trumpet, Dennis Rollins on trombone, Jim Richardson on bass. A young trumpeter, Tommy Walsh, was superb, hitting all the high notes, and the lead tenor of Elizabeth Greenwood was great.
This is clearly a pick up band of sorts – I read a review of a February gig at the King’s Head, and most of the musicians were different. But it was really, really fun. Focusing on the afro-cuban bop of Dizzy Gillespie’s big band in the late 40s and 50s, they played all the favourites – Cubana-Be, Cubana-Bop and A Night In Tunisia amongst them – and they closed with a raucous version of Manteca.
Excellent stuff!
This is clearly a pick up band of sorts – I read a review of a February gig at the King’s Head, and most of the musicians were different. But it was really, really fun. Focusing on the afro-cuban bop of Dizzy Gillespie’s big band in the late 40s and 50s, they played all the favourites – Cubana-Be, Cubana-Bop and A Night In Tunisia amongst them – and they closed with a raucous version of Manteca.
Excellent stuff!
