The music of George Gershwin was played by a talented trio of musicians at the first Sunday Night Jazz evening of the year.
Led by Nick Dewhurst on trumpet and guitar, the trio was completed by double bass player Tom Moore and Jim Wynn on piano. They played a set of familiar music, but put a new spin on some of the pieces with forays into blues as well as jazz.
With elongated but fitting solos from all of the players and a wide selection of Gershwin’s most famous pieces, they started with Strike Up The Band – the lively interplay and simple tune being a good starter.
It Ain’t Necessarily So had a bluesy arrangement with strong bass, while the slower ballad But Not For Me was also well delivered.
In the second half they played an upbeat Fascinating Rhythm and the ballad Somebody Loves Me, as well the more familiar They Can’t Take That Away From Me and Nice Work If You Can Get It.
Summertime was a showcase for supple blues playing and a steady swinging rhythm, as well as including some of the more intricate guitar playing of the evening.
They saved the liveliest piece for last – I Got Rhythm – with a solo from Jim Wynn that quoted The Flintstones theme and was later echoed back on trumpet, with some increasingly high notes leading to some interesting interplay between the three instrumentalists in the song’s coda.
