JAZZING ABOUT

PART TWO: 

Delphic Oracles

The Band Club, Delph, every Friday at 8.30

with

The Spirit of New Orleans Jazz Band

Delph Band Club, Lawton Square, Oldham, Greater Manchester OL3 5DT, 01457 874465

Admission: No charge 

Photographs by Andrew Liddle 

DIRECTIONS AND PARKING

If you are coming by motorway leave the M62 at junction 22 and go up the hill on the A672 in the direction of Oldham. Stay on this road for a couple of miles until you reach a crossroads, the prominent feature of which is The Junction Inn. Turn left onto the A640 signposted Huddersfield, then immediately turn right on to the A6052 signposted Delph. As soon as you cross the bridge into the village you will find Lawton Square down the first left. Do not drive down this road, however, because the club does not have on-site parking. 

It seems that everybody has their own favourite area for parking. There is a car park at the other end of the village, about two hundred yards away, opposite the library and theatre. Those who don’t fancy the walk can go down the side-road immediately opposite the club and to the right there is a walled area (behind the Methodist Chapel!) which is ideal for parking.

THE BAR  

The bar has an unusually wide range of well-maintained beers (Tetley’s Smooth Flow, John Smith’s Bitter and Chestnut Mild, guest beers from the local Greenfield Brewery, including the very popular Delph Donkey, as well as Guinness, and San Miguel and Carlsberg lagers), and a good selection of bottled and canned beers and ciders, spirits and soft drinks, all at decent prices. 

BAND'S REGULAR PERSONNEL 

• Dave Pogson, trumpet and leader 

• John Brunton, reeds 

• Mike Taylor, trombone

• Pete Beaumont, piano 

• Mal Horne, banjo and guitar 

• John Muskett, bass 

• Bill Evans, drums

BAND'S HISTORY AND  STYLE 

On Friday nights all roads lead to Delph, that pretty village nestling beneath Saddleworth Moor on the Pennine hills, where Spirit of New Orleans, one of the best bands on the jazz circuit, play to capacity audiences. 

There is a clue in their name to the sort of eclectic mix they have to offer and the particularly attractive sound they create. They are not an out-and-out New Orleans’ band by any means, yet undoubtedly they belong to the Big Easy in spirit if at times they move way up river in substance. Their repertoire is enormous and embraces everything from the classic jazz standards of the 1920s, through Swing to the relatively recent Rhythm and Blues with occasional forays, even, into Country and Western. A typical programme, carefully crafted by leader Dave Pogson to accommodate the preferences and style of guest musicians, seems always to include some Jelly Roll, Armstrong, Fats Waller and Ellington. 

Dave is a smooth, reflective, melodious trumpeter, John Brunton a reedman of exciting virtuosity and the trombonist’s chair is often occupied by that fine Kid Ory specialist Mike Taylor. The rhythm section superbly driven by Bill Evans’s drumming (deservedly singled out for high praise by Sammy Rimington on his last visit) features the outstanding Mal Horne, surely one of the best banjo players around, and John Muskett, an extremely versatile bass player. Pete Beaumont, their pianist of choice, is a lovely ensemble player as capable equally of crafting solos of great sensitivity as of laying down a boogie straight from the barrel house. 

Formerly the Dave Donohoe Band and retitled when their leader moved to Scotland in 2006, they have been playing at this venue since 1998. Part of their appeal is that where personnel varies because of individual commitments, the regular replacements (for example Jim Swinnerton, Mike Pembroke, Derek Galloway, Brian Ellis, Dave Donohoe, Noel Broadgate , Malcolm Hogarth, Andy Wallace and Barry Wood, to name but a few) are always musicians of a very high quality who bring with them the capacity for even greater variety. A band for all seasons, all occasions, all moods, then, with an unusually large number of good singers, Spirit of New Orleans appear regularly to great acclaim at jazz clubs in Lancashire and Yorkshire.

LOCAL CHARACTERS 

The club’s Treasurer, larger-than-life Bob Rodgers, has for many years had his own stand-up comedy spot, in the raffle break, and has a genuine talent for making people laugh out loud. In recent times fellow raffle-presenter and stalwart of the local dramatic society, John Kenworthy, has taken to warbling old folk songs and shanties, of which he appears to have an encyclopaedic knowledge.

CONCLUSION

Where else can you get so much good entertainment for nowt but the price of a raffle ticket. This is a warm and friendly club which attracts jazz enthusiasts from throughout the region and local people who drop in at all times of the night. The extremely varied programme appeals to such a diverse audience and generally by the time the famous beef sandwiches - the best and cheapest you’re ever likely to find - are served the club is virtually full to capacity. The Band Club, home of the local brass band (which has just won a national award), is very much a focal point in the local community and has a genuinely homely feeling.

Andrew Liddle
October 2010