National Jazz Archive Fundraiser : Julian Marc Stringle Quartet, Loughton Methodist Church, London (GB) - 23 juin 2018

This is a clarinet-led band, in that sense unusual. Stringle clarinet and vocal/tenor sax on I Can’t Give You Anything But Love Baby, Dominic Ashworth guitar, Andrew Cleyndert double bass, Rod Brown drums. In the main the numbers were from the Great American Songbook, eg Moonglow, Rhapsody in Blue, The Man I Love, I Got Rhythm, Poor Butterfly, Memories of You, Avalon. I really like early jazz clarinet, Johnny Dodds and Omer Simeon for example, but the inspiration here comes from a slightly later era – Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Buddy De Franco. I find the clarinet out on its own for long periods rather unattractive, however accomplished the playing. So, a lack of contrast. The guitarist was the standout musician.