THEY rounded off their first set with a popular jazz standard Weary Blues.

But there was nothing weary about this performance by a group of musicians hailed as Europe’s most swinging jazz band since 1945.

The Dutch Swing College (DSC) Band’s mission was to preserve the jazz genre which had been banned in the Netherlands by the Nazi party.

It was on May 5 1945 - Liberation Day – that the band gave its first public performance.

And it is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its jazz freedom with a United Kingdom tour which stopped off at Eastleigh, delivering a mouth watering musical cocktail for Concorde jazz aficionados.

The seven piece band hit the ground running in true Dixieland style with Way Down Yonder in New Orleans.

Fidgety Feet lived up to its billing as a real Dutch firecracker and Keesjan Hoogeboom switched effortlessly from trumpet to vocals for The Music Goes Round And Round, a 1936 hit recorded by legendary American band leader Tommy Dorsey.

Later Keesjan teamed up with musical director Bob Kaper for a charming duet of When My Sugar Walks Down The Street, a 1920s jazz standard covered by a galaxy of jazz stars including Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Nat King Cole.

One of the highlights of the first set was a solo double bass interpretation of Louis Armstrong’s Ain’t Misbehavin by bassist Adrie Braat.

Classically trained, he had private lessons with the Count Basie Orchestra’s celebrated bassist John Clayton.

And those lessons certainly paid off. For Adrie enthralled the audience with his skilful working of a jazz classic.

Gershwin’s I Got Rhythm was the signal for six band members to vacate the stage for a sizzling drum solo marathon by Anton Burger, whose thunderous drum beat threatened to lift the rafters of the Stoneham Lane club.

Tonvan Bergeijk demonstrated his great banjo playing on Duff Campbell’s Revenge, part of the Dixieland medley.

After a rousing version of South Rampart Street Parade the Dutch Swing College Band’s encore included When The Saints Come Marching In – American gospel hymn which has become the chant of the St Mary’s faithful.

It came on the eve of Saints’ Euro clash with the band’s fellow countrymen and rounded off a match winning performance at The Concorde for the Dutch Swing College Band.

Duncan Eaton