"I didn't believe in reincarnation - not until yesterday when (JATP) was brought back to life and playing better than ever!"

The Jazz Repertory Company presents A Tribute to Jazz At The Philharmonic. Cadogan Hall, London. Sept. 14

Charlie Shavers, Howard McGhee, (or) Roy Eldridge, Dizzy Gillespie (tpts); Charlie Ventura, Flip Phillips, Illinois Jacquet (ten); Tommy Turk (tmb); Oscar Peterson, Nat Cole (pno); Les Paul, Barney Kessel (gtr); Ray Brown (bs); Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich (dms); Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday (vcls).

(Review by Lance)

I didn't believe in reincarnation - not until yesterday afternoon that is when Cadogan Hall was transformed into the Shrine Auditorium, LA and the above star-studded line-up was brought back to life and playing better than ever!

Buddy and Gene having a drum battle, three tenors honking and squealing selling excitement by the second. The trumpet battle - was it Shavers and McGhee or Roy and Dizzy? They played fast and loose with Georgia Brown she was never sweeter until these guys "kissed" her and sent her, and us, home with a smile on her/our face.

Of course  it wasn't all wham, bang, thank you mam! we had a seductive ballad medley, vocals by Nicola Emmanuelle as Ella and Georgina Jackson as Billie. 

The Peterson trio, as seen through the eyes of Nick Dawson (pno), Nigel Price (gtr) and Joe Pettitt (bs), opened the show with introductions from Richard Pite as Norman Granz and later as Gene Krupa.

Pete Long, Ray Gelato and Dean Masser blew a rousing, was it, Billie's Bounce? that turned into a Pier Six brawl with the tenor players slugging it out for chorus after chorus then 8's and 4's and 2's.

Interval time and I thought it can't get any better than this but it did!

Richard Pite and Elliott Henshaw recreated the drum battle, Dean Masser blew Body and Soul which segued into Callum Au playing I'm Getting Sentimental Over You and Tom Walsh blowing I Can't Get Started.

Pete Long was now on clarinet - not an instrument I associate with JATP - and he sounded good maybe Buddy De Franco did a stint with the Granz circus?

Perdido, maybe it included Mordido and Endido, had everyone going for broke and the only causalities were the audience whose blood pressure and adrenalin flow must have hit the ceiling! Long reminded the worshippers of how the old JATP audiences were unrestricted in their  applause and, if they didn't quite reach the heights of those wild hipsters, some of whom would eventually desert jazz for Rock and Roll, the mature misters and missus' present did their best. My larynx was most certainly in overdrive!The Blues kept the tradition going although I had hoped that Dawson and Price would do a take on the legendary Cole/Paul choruses.

The final trumpet battle 'twixt Tom Walsh and George Hogg meant the concert ended on a high and I use the word intentionally. Top C was merely the starting point for these guys and I've been on a high ever since!

Lance.