The popular local beat group Ricky Cool and the In-Crowd took their enthusiastic fans back to the swinging Flamingo Club – a sixties hot-spot famed for its nights of flamboyance, glamour and music that fused blues, jazz, ska and reggae together.
The six piece ensemble of Ricky Cool on vocals, harmonica and saxophones, Ted Bunting on saxophones, flute and vocals, bass guitarist John Roy Potter, guitarist and singer David Parry, keyboard player Nigel Darvill and animated and lively drummer Harry Weston Cottrell. played an energetic set that ranged from the music of Georgie Fame, Booker T and the MG’s to classic jazz and pop songs performed in new arrangements.
The first half of the gig looked at the history of the Flamingo, how music played at the club changed the popular music landscape, with many leading musicians of the time, such as Georgie Fame attracting other musicians to listen to the sounds and styles, from the blues and jazz, to the ska and two-tone that would cause developments well into the 1970s and beyond.
Starting with the saxophone-driven Night Train, they played many hits of the time, ranging from Time is Tight to Yeh Yeh, while other pieces such as an interesting cover of John Barry’s Bond theme From Russia with Love which added a brooding sound into the mix.
Jazz was also featured throughout, with Duke Ellington’s Skaravan being a showcase for the combined talents of the group. The In-Crowd was a chance for the keyboard skills of Nigel Darvill to shine, while Ennio Morricone’s The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly had an almost dance make-over to the overly familiar theme.
The evening was closed with Prince Buster’s Enjoy Yourself, which saw many in the audience dancing and singing along, before the encore of Keep on Running and The Liquidator ended this very popular and action-packed concert in good style.