Les Hanscombe’s Tailgate Jazz Band, 31/01/2014

LES HANSCOMBE’S TAILGATE JAZZ BAND made their second appearance on 31st January 2014 at Farnborough Jazz Club (Kent).  Unfortunately, my computer was ‘down’ when they first visited us on 28th June 2013, but Keith and I can recall they were a wonderful traditional jazz band.  The musicians who played this time with leader and trombonist LES, were BRIAN GILES on trumpet, BRIAN HART on reeds, BRIAN STAPELY on drums (yep, three Brian’s!), GERRY HOSKINS on double bass, plus OLLIE BENSON on banjo & guitar. After the previous week, with a lot of you missing for one reason, or another, last week I asked you to please return to the fold, so we could show Les and band a warm welcome back.  I am so sorry I asked you, because (although still lean on the ground), many of you did push yourselves to come.  The reason for having to push yourselves, was no reflection on the band, it was due to more dreadful weather conditions endured to get here.  Yes, tons more rain.  The band made it through the flooding, but a lot of you were once again missing.  Perfectly understandable, but to everyone who made an effort, we thank you so much for giving the band a warm welcome back.   Gordon, one of our main dancers, turned up, although still out of commission for dancing, so some of our ladies did asked nicely for a dance from some of you shy guys, which did make a change aye?  No seriously, we have plenty of fun, with or without dancing.   ‘Back Home Again in Indiana’ was the first number noted down , then  Les sang the next number called ‘Look Down that Lonesome Road’, with Brian H playing tenor sax.  I wrote ‘really lovely number’ to next one, called ‘Mama’s Gone, Goodbye’.  It has a lovely 1920ish happy beat, so plenty of dancing. Ollie brought out the guitar and Brian S played a lovely drum solo to ‘On Treasure Island’.  This number was a ‘No.1 hit’ for Tommy Dorsey, definitely one for dancing too. The band was in a happy mood with their choice of numbers.  They were all very melodic.  The next one was ‘You Came out of Nowhere’, with Brian G on trumpet, using a mute on and off throughout the number and Brian H playing tenor sax, wonderful.  Next number Les sang to and Brian H chose to play clarinet with ‘All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm’, another good dancing number.  Then a lovely start with ‘engine’ only to ‘The World is Waiting for Sunrise’ (being Brian S giving great drum solo, plus Gerry and Ollie) and then ‘Bei Mir Bist Du Shon’ followed.  I wrote ‘great drums, great guitar, great trombone, oh what the heck, great all!’  My last number written down was ‘Creole Love Call’ I wrote ‘yeah’.  What a simply lovely feeling the band left us with.  Les’s Band will return on 10th October 2014.

Please keep us ‘Live’.

Diane and Keith

‘All God’s Chillun Got Rhythm’ – Walter Jurmann, Gus Kahn & Bronislau Kaper (1937)
‘Back Home Again in Indiana’ – Ballard MacDonald & James F. Hanley (1917)
‘Bei Mir Bist Du Shon’ – (m) Sholom Secunda, (l) Jacob Jacobs (1932)
                                                                             Re-written by Sammy Cahn & Saul Chaplin (1937)
‘Creole Love Call’ – © Duke Ellington (1928) (lost court case by Joe ‘King’ Oliver (1923)
‘Look Down That Lonesome Road’ – (m) Nathaniel Shilkret, (l) Gene Austin (1927)
‘Mama’s Gone, Goodbye’ – A J Piron & Peter Bocage (1924)
‘On Treasure Island’ – Joseph Burke & Edgar Leslie (1935)
‘The World is Waiting For Sunrise’ – (m) Ernest Seitz (l) Gene Lockhart (1919) Seitz conceived @ 12yrs-1904
‘You Came Out of Nowhere’ – (m) John Green, (l) Edward Heyman (1931)