Saxophonist Simon Currie adds extra spice to Apollo Big Band

Jazz@stockcross Apollo Big Band with guest Simon Currie, at Sutton Hall Stockcross, on Friday, March 1

Review by KENDALL GORDON

FIRST day of spring according to the meteorologists, but at a rainy three degrees celsius the weather thought otherwise!

Fortunately, at a packed Sutton Hall the temperature was raised by a heart-warming performance from the Apollo Big Band, with guest frontman Simon Currie adding extra spice to the proceedings.

The band kicked off with an up-tempo number Charlie The Whale. Musical director Les Bruce couldn’t tell us why this name, but it perfectly showcased the soloing talents of Trevor Howard (tenor sax), Ben Wood (trumpet), Diane Prince (trombone) and Cliff Rowley (piano).

Then locally-based musician Simon, whose accomplishments include touring with blues icon Paul Jones, came on and fronted all but two of the remaining numbers, swapping with consummate ease between alto, tenor, baritone saxes and flute.

He also treated us to illuminating information about the tracks being played, along with some musical insight in an exposition of “what makes jazz?”. The answer: “Playing the wrong note at the right place” as then demonstrated by Simon, aided by the band’s rhythm section.

Highlights of the many jazz standard numbers included a classic version of Take The A Train which had the rythym section trading four bars with each other and Simon on tenor.

Then there was perhaps the less familiar Lester Leaps In, by Lester Young, played by him in Count Basie’s band and apparently based on the tune of I’ve got Rhythm, featuring assured playing from Trevor Heyward on tenor sax alongside Simon’s alto.

Sandu also stood, giving Les Bruce on alto sax the chance to trade musical calls and responses with Simon, marked as a job well done by a ‘high five’ between them at the end.

Bossa was served up in the form of Carlos Jobim’s No More Blues and Wave. The latter featuring the classy dual flute playing of Simon and Lorna Mountford, transporting us to the delights of Rio De Janeiro.

We had funk too, with pulsating versions of the Average White Band’s Pick up the Pieces and Gordon Goodwin’s arrangement of Play that Funky Music.

The evening concluded with a lively big band arrangement of Lennon and McCartney’s Norwegian Wood, sending us out happy into the ‘spring’ evening, which by now had dropped to two degrees, offering us heavy rain and sleet. No matter, we’d had a great evening’s Big Band entertainment to keep us warm on the journey home.