Editor
Arts
and Entertainment
The
Inverness Courier
New
Century House
Stadium
Road
Inverness
IV1 1FF
Dear
Editor
I’d
be grateful if you would consider the following CD review for publication.
Ian
King,
1
Ardross Court, 20 Ardross Street,
Inverness
IV3 5NN
Tel:
Inverness 223857
Red
River Blues – Playing Time 61.44 – MONJ2CD – Rowan Studios
I,
KJR, a recent resident of under two months duration, of Inverness, and, as a
life long listener to, Dixieland, New Orleans and Traditional Jazz music, I was
delighted when I spotted a notice in the tourist information centre in Bridge
Street about the Ness River Rhythm Kings who were playing every Tuesday evening
at Nico’s Grill Bar, in the Glen Mhor Hotel, situated midway along Ness Bank,
walkway in Inverness.
Blues,
to describe it fully, it would take me up pages of writings to do so, as there
is no single definition of the term.
Although a pertinent one comes to mind, “to define a structure for
performing the music” another one is “a manner of performance and its
characteristics”.
However,
an ability to “play the blues” has been a requisite of all Traditional Jazz
musicians” since the time of its roots a century ago.
The
Red River Blues is the last of the fifteen tracks on this CD’s entitled
album, which as I hear it, is a very nice a jazz-dance tune.
This
Red River Blues song is new to me, but I do recall years back singing to one
called the Red River Valley. Regarding
other Reds that I’m conversant with, are, Red Heads, a group in the late 20s
led by Red Nichols and, a Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers number, with
among other great jazz musicians noted in the Peppers’ line-up is one Kid Ory
playing trombone of the same period – 1926 to be precise.
With
this Blues - there are five other ones on the album, which opens,
with a low-down Tuba tone, a high-pitched clarinet and an interactive banjo,
accompanied by haunting piano movements which all sets out one element of this
Red River number. The clarion cornet
voice and rippling trombone sound laying down a unique mood to the song,
different to the beautiful tone that one hears coming from this musician’s
trombone when he is heard playing during his live performances at the band’s
Nico’s Grill Bar venue.
Joining
the long-standing appreciative audience of the Rhythm Kings are the tourists
who come from all over the world to visit Nico’s and to listen to “their kind”
of jazz music on occurring weeks. Such
as a gentleman of Scottish parents who came from New Zealand via California,
and the Traditional jazz loving German couple who came from the city of Köln
whom I found most interesting to talk to.
Such
characterisation of the Ness River Rhythm Kings can be expressed thus, as I say
it, with influence as one is walking home in the evening after listening to a
live performance, alongside the River Ness and over the suspension footbridge
looking across the river towards the Glen Mhor Hotel from where I’ve just come,
that is to say, with the midnight moon sparkling silver-shinning-like over the
deep in places sections of the river, so covering up troubled waters, and, of
the flung wind-spray ripples, gently moving over the waves in contrast to the
wide but ever so sweetly, swift, invigorating flowing waters that are winding
continuum down the Inverness way into the Moray Firth.
The
sound quality of this album is very good not forgetting to mention that it has
an adorable New Orleans jazz dancing beat to it. The tempi throughout the album are exquisite. Also, the vocals on
it, and, the all-round musicianship are either conducive or attributable to
present and past top masters of this jazz musical genre. Written with sincerity and, not with
exaggeration.
The
other four Blues are Weary, Riverside, Savoy, and Winin’ Boy the
other ten include a March, Love songs, well-known Traditional jazz dances,
Struts, they are all there for anyone and everyone to enjoy, taking care of
those filled with foot tapping enthusiasms, for that’s what this music is all
about.
I’ve
been acquainted with many Scots, whose metier are and were this kind of jazz,
believing that they all came from the lowlands. True, I have visited the Nairn jazz festival featuring top class
American musicians, the Air jazz festival and Isle of Bute one but little was I
aware that there would be a Ness River Rhythm Kings group playing in the city
capital of the Highlands of Scotland.
The
leader of this group is Pat C Strachan who can be found by giving him a bell on
telephone No: 01381 621490 for information, or look him up on Tuesday evenings
at the Glen Mhor Hotel.
You’ll
be enriched by your actions listening to his kind of jazz music, and learn of
the tunes and of the six musicians who play live in the group where the Tuba
instrument is replaced by a String Bass one.
Kings Jazz ReviewThursday the 22nd of June 2006