Cyril Davies Tribute Show @ the Eel Pie Club - 12 May 2010

This was a real good down home British R&B night, but not too ‘British’ because the rhythm section Costa Tancredi – Bass and Peter Miles – Drums, hit that back beat and swung the whole night. Add Bob Hadrell’s superb organ playing and Alan Glen’s ‘Freddie King with a dash of jazz’ guitar and we had one superb band providing backing for a host of excellent performers.

The evening opened aptly with Davies’ own classic ‘Country Line’ special and then proceeded to be the sort of gig that we used to have, in fact Cyril himself would definitely have approved. In common with the type of show that Cyril, in concert with Alexis Koerner, would have put on, there was no over indulgence the solos were economical and the arrangements concise. I was staggered to find later that there were no monitors for the band. To have such quality, and to go to the trouble of filming in high definition, and yet have no monitoring seems astonishing. For all that the musos segued in and out with real precision.

There were numerous highlights including John O’Leary’s ‘Early in the Morning’, Papa George’s ‘Smokestack Lightning’, I’ve heard that tune over and over but Papa G always makes it sound fresh, Art Thiemann & Nick Newall blowing great sax on ‘Watermelon Man’, Paul Cox’s excellent ‘Stormy Monday’ and much more. Earl Green’s ‘Everyday’ was great with one amusing misunderstanding between guest singer and band. The finale ‘Rock Me Baby’ was a touch chaotic as all the guest musicians climbed on stage; this included a whole line of guitar players at the back of the stage (Monty Python’s Gas Board sketch anyone?). Pete French was on vocals and a slightly bemused Robin Bibi appeared on centre stage looking as if he’d just been beamed down.

It was so crowded that I swear that for a moment I saw Alan Glen’s legs off the floor! But joking aside it was a great evening with great playing from all concerned, and how they did it all without monitors will remain an eternal mystery.

Vicky Martin