Grimethorpe Colliery (UK Coal) Band

Conductor: Richard Evans
Morley Town Hall
Compere: Mike Meadmore
Saturday 29th January

Quality music making and entertainment to go with it. That is precisely what Grimethorpe and Richard Evans produced in front of a capacity audience in the first concert in 2005 promoted by Leeds Leisure Services and compered by Mike Meadmore.

Demand for tickets far exceeded supply, as an appeal fifteen minutes before the start went out ‘for anyone with unwanted tickets to let the organisers know now as people outside want to get in.' When was the last time you heard that at a brass band concert? Nobody wanted to miss this concert and the only disappointment, (if there was one all night) was the actual conclusion of the concert itself, such was the standard of playing on offer.

The programme devised by Richard Evans, featured a selection of the band's winning programme from Brass in Concert last November and with it, a demonstration that when it comes to entertaining audiences, there are not many bands around who can do it aw well as these lads.  The only thing that was missing from the night was the insight into the music (along with the countless gags) that Richard Evans normally brings to any concert.  With Mike Meadmore acting as host, Richard for once took a back seat, but his presence was in evidence as he directed the band superbly. Sometimes it is easy to forget how good a stick man he is with his precise baton work and very musical approach to every item on the menu.

Grimey hit the ground running with the terrific opening number, 'Los Harminos de Bop'; an up-tempo jazzy number that features the horn section on mellophoniums, before Mendelssohn's ‘Hebrides Overture', which was superbly executed with some fine ensemble playing from within the lower and middle sections of the band, along with confident playing from the cornet section. 

Richard Marshall brought the house down at the conclusion of his solo spot.  Brass band purists might not have been amused to see him pick up the trumpet (instead of his cornet) but a reprise of his winning solo performance at Spennymoor of the Kenny Baker hit, ‘Virtuosity', left the audience nothing short of gob-smacked.

Richard then rejoined his colleagues in the cornet section who excelled in the classic ‘Here's That Rainy Day', before a complete change of style with Sandy Smith's arrangement of Bach's ‘Little Fugue In G Minor.'  This is a superb arrangement that suits the sound of a quality brass band to a tee – and Grimethorpe are real quality.

Sandy Smith was then featured in a fine performance of ‘Fantasy Variations' written by organist Leslie Pearson for the legendary horn player, Denis Brain before Percy Grainger's ‘Molly on the Shore' was accomplished without any problems. Then the band took the audience back thirty years.

Released on the 31st October 1975 and spending seventeen weeks in the charts, nine of which were at number one, Queen's ‘Bohemian Rhapsody' was the first song ever to take advantage of a promotional video.  Grimethorpe pulled this one out of their library to roll back the years, and although the arrangement sounds a little dated in style it was still great fun and the band simply let their hair down (apart from some who didn't quite have the lovely locks on their mature heads).

The second half was more of the same.  R B Hall's ‘New Colonial' was conducted in typical Richard Evans style – full of classic precision and a real military feel before Richard Brown gave a fine account of that old standard ‘Autumn Leaves' and the band paid tribute to ‘The Rat Pack'.

The ‘Rat Pack' was a Vegas-based collective of performers headed by Frank Sinatra.  All five male members (Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davies Jnr, Joey Bishop (and the two lesser-acknowledged female ones) could sing, dance, perform comedy, and act well enough to win Oscars.

All the arrangements for the tribute came from Sandy Smith and included ‘The Lady is a Tramp', ‘That's Amore' (featuring Ian Shires and Gary Parker with a touch of visual comedy), ‘I've Got You Under My Skin' (once again featuring the excellent Ian Shires), ‘What Kind of Fool Am I', ‘Luck Be a Lady' and finally, bass trombonist, Mark Frost wandering anywhere he wanted appropriately enough in ‘Wandering Star.' (which was a bit of a head scratcher for us as we thought it was Lee Marvin who made this one famous, and he certainly wasn't a member of the Sinatra gang).

A romp through Rossini's ‘William Tell' was followed with a moving tribute to the victims of Tsunami in a beautifully played ‘Hymn to the Fallen,' before the band concluded with PDQ Bach's ‘1712 Overture'.  A spoof on the popular ‘1812', this Sandy Smith arrangement has musical references to 'Yankee Doodle, 'Pop Goes the Weasel', Jack Benny's 'Violin Exercise', Dvorak's 'New World Symphony' and Bach's 'Toccata in D Minor'.   This was cracking stuff that didn't insult the intelligence of the audience who lapped it up, and it is a great way to finish any concert.

The audience thought that was it (especially as the band were walking off stage) and got up to leave, only to walk back in again as the trombone section stood up to perform ‘Show Me The Way To Go Home.'  One by one, the band returned including conductor and last but not least, soprano Kevin Crockford (who was on great form all night) complete in overcoat, who returned for the last note.

Grimethorpe's ability to produce quality music making and entertainment was once more on show and once again they reminded the audience that they are the undisputed ‘Kings of Entertainment.' Great stuff.

Malcolm Wood

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