{"id":3515,"date":"2016-05-31T09:30:54","date_gmt":"2016-05-31T09:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/farnboroughjazz.co.uk\/?p=3515"},"modified":"2018-02-14T19:44:45","modified_gmt":"2018-02-14T19:44:45","slug":"bill-phelans-muskrat-ramblers-friday-27th-may-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/farnboroughjazz.co.uk\/?p=3515","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Bill Phelan\u2019s Muskrat Ramblers\u2019, Friday, 27th May 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

We welcomed \u2018BILL PHELAN\u2019S<\/strong>\u00a0MUSKRAT RAMBLERS\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/strong> back again to FARNBOROUGH JAZZ CLUB<\/span><\/b> on Friday, 27th<\/span><\/sup> May 2016<\/strong><\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span> \u00a0 Band leader BILL PHELAN<\/strong> <\/span>played both trumpet & flugabone. \u00a0He was joined by ALAN CRESSWELL<\/b><\/span>,<\/strong> who played clarinet, JOHN FINCH <\/strong><\/span>was on trombone, ANDY LAWRENCE, <\/strong><\/span><\/strong>double bass, JOHNNY McCALLUM,<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>banjo & guitar and PAUL NORMAN<\/strong> <\/span>who played drums.\u00a0 It was another expected evening of super traditional jazz and they didn\u2019t disappoint us.\u00a0 Keith and I thought they played the best we had ever heard them too, because they were really enjoying themselves.<\/p>\n

\"'Bill<\/a>

‘Bill Phelan’s Muscrat Ramblers’ at Farnborough Jazz Club (Kent) on 27th May 2016. (LtoR) Andy Lawrence (double bass), John Finch (trombone &vocals), Paul Norman (drums), Bill Phelan (band leader, trurmpet & Flugabone), Johnny McCallum (banjo & guitar) and Alan Cresswell (clarinet), Photo by Mike Witt.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Paul<\/a>

Paul Norman plays drums for ‘Bill Phelan’s Muscrat Ramblers’ at Farnborough Jazz Club on 27th May 2016. Photo by Mike Witt.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

They played some good numbers and here are some of them.\u00a0 Quite obviously, they always begin their evening with \u2018Muskrat Ramble\u2019<\/em> and although I was busy \u2018on the door\u2019, I recall they all excelled, Paul was brilliant on drums, with everyone taking thunderously good solos. \u00a0I also recall Bill joking that Paul doesn\u2019t like the number \u2013 ha, he didn\u2019t show it in his playing.<\/p>\n

Then on announcing their next number, \u2018Ciribiribin\u2019<\/em>, Alan called out (again jokingly) ‘he doesn\u2019t like this one any better’ – ha.\u00a0 You may recall I love this tune, as I wrote to one of the composers, Jack Lawrence, (first time ever writing to a composer).\u00a0 I was contacted by his friend (also Diane), who explained that Jack had died a year before.\u00a0 He had been answering everyone who wrote, right up until his demise, aged 96 (on 15th March 2009)!\u00a0 She said it had felt like a time warp, so this number feels special to me (funny, my Mum\u2019s birthday was 15th March).\u00a0 Continuing on \u2026 Bill played wonderful trumpet, with John\u2019s super singing to \u2018Big Butter and Egg Man\u2019<\/em>, with all of us up dancing too.<\/p>\n

\"'Bill<\/a>

‘Bill Phelan’s Muscrat Ramblers’ at Farnborough Jazz Club on 27th May 2016. (LtoR) John Finch (trombone), Johnny McCallum (banjo), Bill Finch (trumpet) and Alan Cresswell (clarinet). Photo by Mike Witt.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Johnny<\/a>

Johnny McCallum plays banjo for ‘Bill Phelan’s Muscrat Ramblers’ at Farnborough Jazz Club on 27th May 2016. Photo by Mike Witt.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Johnny<\/a>

Johnny McCallum plays guitar for ‘Bill Phelan’s Muscrat Ramblers’ at Farnborough Jazz Club on 27th May 2016. Photo by Mike Witt.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Johnny showed his 20yrs with Chris Barber, when he played solo during the following tune ‘Canal Street<\/em> Blues’, such a lovely banjo player, as well as guitarist.\u00a0 Bill was brilliant on trumpet too.\u00a0\u00a0The next tune, \u2018Mood Indigo\u2019, <\/em>we were able to \u2018smooch\u2019 to \u2013 yes, there were some \u2018smooching\u2019 on the floor too, oh I mean dance floor\u00a0\u2013 ha.<\/p>\n

\"Alan<\/a>

Alan Cresswell (clarinet), Pau Normanl (drums) and Johnny McCallum (banjo), three of Bill Phelan’s Muscrat Ramblers, playing at Farnborough Jazz Club (Kent) on 27th May 2016. Photo by Mike Witt<\/span>.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Band<\/a>

Band leader Bill Phelan, plays trumpet with Johnny McCallum on banjo and Alan Cresswell on clarinet with ‘Bill Phelan’s Muscrat Ramblers’ at Farnborough Jazz Club (Kent) on 27th May 2016. Photo by Mike Witt.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Following on, — Bill played his flugabone as a duet with John (F) on trombone, to \u2018Sweet Georgia Brown\u2019<\/em>.\u00a0 It was a super sound, then with everybody joining in.\u00a0 Alan was featured next with \u2018Petite Fleur\u2019<\/em> and a damn good job he did, playing it so beautifully.<\/p>\n

\"Andy<\/a>

Andy Lawrence plays double bass for ‘Bill Phelan’s Muscrat Ramblers’ at Farnborough Jazz Club on 27th May 2016. Photo by Mike Witt.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

‘Too Busy\u2019<\/em> is a lovely up-tempo number and about five of us performing our line-dance.\u00a0 Not many aye, but that made it all the more fun and I can remember thinking how great all their solos were – Andy (my great country man – private joke) great on double bass.\u00a0 I had put a couple of ticks against the following tune \u2018Tie Me To Your Apron Strings Again\u2019<\/em>, because of the lovely sound of John (F) singing and everyone getting up to dance.\u00a0 \u2018Bourbon Street Parade\u2019<\/em> is the tune they always like to end the evening with and I wrote the word \u2018dynamite\u2019 in my notes \u2013 surely I need no other words, do I.<\/p>\n

Your hosts, Diane and Keith<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u2018Big Butter and Egg Man\u2019<\/em> \u2013 Percy Venables & Louis Armstrong (1926)<\/h6>\n
\u2018Bourbon Street Parade\u2019 \u2013 Paul Barbarin (c. 1953)<\/em><\/h6>\n
\u2018Canal Street Blues\u2019 \u2013 Joe \u2018King\u2019 Oliver (1923) <\/i><\/em><\/h6>\n
\u2018Ciribiribin\u2019 \u2013 (m&l) Harry James & Jack Lawrence (1939) (based on melody by Alberto Pestalozza -1889)<\/em><\/h6>\n
\u2018Mood Indigo\u2019- (m) Duke Ellington & Barney Bigard, (l) Irving Mills (1930)<\/em><\/h6>\n
\u2018Muskrat Ramble\u2019 \u2013 (m) Edward \u2018Kid\u2019 Ory (1926), (l) Ray Gilbert (added 1950)<\/h6>\n
\u2018Petite Fleur\u2019 \u2013 Sidney Bechet (1952)<\/em><\/h6>\n
\u2018Sweet Georgia Brown\u2019 \u2013 (m) <\/em>Ben Bernie & Maceo Pinkard,(l) Kenneth Casey<\/em> (1925)<\/em><\/h6>\n
\u2018Tie Me To Your Apron Strings Again\u2019 \u2013 (m) Larry Shay, (l) Joe Goodwin (1924)<\/em><\/h6>\n
\u2018Too Busy\u2019 \u2013 (m) Chester Cohn, (l) Ned Miller (1928)<\/em><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We welcomed \u2018BILL PHELAN\u2019S\u00a0MUSKRAT RAMBLERS\u2019 back again to FARNBOROUGH JAZZ CLUB on Friday, 27th May 2016.\u00a0 \u00a0 Band leader BILL PHELAN played both trumpet & flugabone. \u00a0He was joined by ALAN CRESSWELL, who played clarinet, JOHN FINCH was on trombone, ANDY LAWRENCE, double bass, JOHNNY McCALLUM,\u00a0banjo & guitar and PAUL NORMAN who played drums.\u00a0 It […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bill-phelans-muscrat-ramblers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/farnboroughjazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/farnboroughjazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/farnboroughjazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farnboroughjazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farnboroughjazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3515"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/farnboroughjazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5022,"href":"https:\/\/farnboroughjazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3515\/revisions\/5022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/farnboroughjazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farnboroughjazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/farnboroughjazz.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}