REVIEW:
RAY GELATO AND THE ENFORCERS, The Concorde, Eastleigh
HE is known as the Godfather of Swing.
And it is easy to see why as Ray Gelato breezed into Eastleigh on a gale threatened night to produce a barn storming performance of jazz with a zing.
He showcased his big toned passionate tenor saxophone skills sprinkled with his distinctive jazzy swingin’ vocals.
It is a winning formula which has made him very much part of jazz royalty.
He has twice played in front of the Queen and performed at former Beatle Paul McCartney’s wedding.
A major force in the revival of swing music, Ray and his band have played to full houses across the United Kingdom, including the iconic Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Europe and Japan.
They regularly pay homage to a glittering array of American big band legends including Louis Jordan, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins and Frank Sinatra.
Ray and his talented musicians produce a cutting edge to a genre of music which has the audience foot tapping even before the first note is struck.
The Concorde curtain raiser was a 1935 jazz standard Blue Lou followed by a tribute to one of Ray’s heroes, Texan Arnett Cobb, sometimes described as the wild man of the tenor sax.
American bandleader and song writer Louis Jordan was known as the King of the Jukebox for his role in popularising the swing era. And he always figures prominently in any Gelato playlist.
To the joy of jazz aficionados he delivered two classics from the Jordan songbook, Barnyard Boogie and Jack You’re Dead.
He rounded off the first set with a rhythm and blues number Don’t Toy With Me Baby. After the interval he hit the ground running with Sweet Georgia Brown. Written in 1925, the jazz standard and pop tune still has that WOW factor.
Ray sat it out as highly talented pianist Gunther Kurmayr took centre stage with his powerfully performed rendition of Duke Ellington’s Take The A Train.
It is nearly 30 years ago that Ray Gelato first stepped on stage at The Concorde which this year celebrates its 60 th anniversary.
And the welcome sign will always be there for a musician who has guaranteed that the magic of the swing band era will never fade.
Duncan Eaton
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