Tag Archives: Neville Dickie

Neville Dickie at the Sherborn Inn May 20, 2014

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Neville Dickie piano with Jeff Hughes trumpet, Stan McDonald soprano sax, Steve Taddeo drums

Neville Dickie piano with Jeff Hughes trumpet, Stan McDonald soprano sax, Steve Taddeo drums

Neville Dickie tours the U.S. every year around this time.  Neville is from Surrey, England and is known worldwide for his stride piano, boogie woogie, with a powerful left hand and flashy fingering on the right hand.   We all looked forward to his 13th appearance at the Sherborn Inn; thanks to Ellen and Stan McDonald.

He was joined by Steve Taddeo on drums, Stan McDonald on soprano sax, and Jeff Hughes trumpet.  He is a charming entertainer, and enjoyed having a few beers and renewing acquaintances with the fans that come out to hear him every year.  They come from all over New England – he fills the house.

Neville Dickie
Neville began his renowned “showing off for the Company”, backed by Steve Taddeo, with Jimmy McHugh’s Doing The New Lowdown, marvelous.
He said there’s nothing complete without Fats Waller, Keeping Out of Mischief Now.  He’s known for his rapid left stride, but we like his active right hand toying with the melody.

He once heard Stan and Ross Petot play the Harlem Hotcha, written by James P. Johnson.  It was originally done by the Omer Simeon Trio with Johnson on piano, Simeon clarinet and Pops Foster bass.  Neville’s lightening left hand was supported by Steve feeling his way on snare drum and hi hat, trying not to be intimidated by the famous Dickie.

Neville invited Stan McDonald and Jeff Hughes to join them, with a piano intro to Rose of The Rio Grande.   Neville played chugging, rocking chords, Stan on hot soprano sax also did the vocal, Jeff’s trumpet softly in the background.  Neville started with the verse on a  Darktown Strutters Ball,  fingers floating over the keys.  Stan on sax and singing.

Back to the duo of Neville and Steve with I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter, Neville playing in 6ths and left hand patterns like Jelly Roll Morton, giving his playing a “New Orleans” flavor.  (I was coached by Ross Petot.)

Neville had several DVD’s for sale, he included a free CD with each one sold.  He played ingenious stride on one of the tunes on his Back to Boogie DVD, Bells of St. Marys.  He explained how the composer,  Douglas Furber, was on a boat leaving South Hampton in England when he heard the Bells of St. Marys as the boat was leaving.  It inspired him to write the tune. Dickie ended the piece with dramatic bell sounds on piano.   Going back to boogie woogie, he turned to the jazz style of Albert Ammons with his 1940’s boogie, Shout for Joy.

Neville invited Stan and Jeff back.  Neville’s right hand played warm, soulful, cascading piano to Jeff’s glorious horn solo on Bunny Berigan’s I Can’t Get Started.  Sweet!

Jeff Hughes, wearing a straw fedora hat and Neville Dickie

Jeff Hughes and Neville Dickie play Bunny “Berigan’s I Can’t Get Started”

Neville said “You won’t hear anything better than that!”  We totally agree.

Neville enjoys sharing the stage, playing backup piano in the quartet for Maggie.  The Ensemble’s powerful performance, with Stan’s scorching soprano sax turned Tijuana into  a barn burner!

McDonald on sax, Hughes trumpet

Stan’s scorching sax

Our own dynamic pianist, Ross Petot, sat at the piano playing haunting and elegant melodies during intermission.  His hands crossed playing stride on I Hate Myself For Being So Mean To You by Isham Jones; Somebody Loves Me,  Who’s Sorry Now, But Not For Me, Love For Sale, King of Araby.

Ross on baby grand

New England pianist Ross Petot

In the middle of Araby, Neville returned and took over the treble end of the piano.  The two together are remarkable piano pyrotechnicians.  The baby grand vibrated with impeccable rhythm!  We look forward to this every year!

Neville Joins Ross at bass end of piano

Neville Joins Ross at piano

Ross at bass end, Neville treble

They trade places, playing 4-handed piano
drummer ecstatic at playing with both pianists

Taddeo joins the pianists

Neville back at the piano with the volatile Finger Breaker.  Jelly Roll Morton composed Finger Breaker; Willie ‘the Lion’ Smith called it Finger Buster.  Either way, it’s extremely fast and difficult.  Harlem Blues went from Blues to intense Boogie.  It was the first blues ever published – 1940 – by Blue Note founder, Albert Lion.

Quartet resumes with All By Myself, Jeff backing Neville with soft trumpet;  James P Johnson’s Old Fashioned Love, Stan on sax and vocals. Neville boogied with a hispanic tinge on Dardanella.

Steve back with Neville playing marvelous left-hand boogie woogie on Golden Earrings, from the movie with Marlene Dietrich.   Swanee River Boogie was ecstasy!  We never get enough boogie!

Closing time was approaching; Neville wanted to give Taddeo a chance to play.  He said he’d make it easy, started Honeysuckle Rose with a slow, rolling left hand.  Steve went along, adding a soft drum roll.  By now he was comfortable with Neville, and tore into his Gene Krupa walk-around routine, stepping away from the drums with sticks tapping the beat, tapping on anything within reach, table, glasses, dishes, never missing a note.  That caught Neville and the ladies at the nearest table by surprise!  He tapped on, back towards Neville and returned to the drums to audience applause.

Neville looks on in surprise as Steve taps on ladies' table. Taddeo walk 3
Smiling young drummer

George Hannah

 

 

 

Steve has been teaching drums to student George Hannah. George sat in on drums, playing just the right accents and sounds with Neville on Indian Summer.  We’ve been watching him grow up with drums – he’s come a long way!

 
The quartet returned with Wild Man Blues, with trumpet in glissando, staccato phrasing. They closed this evening with sax and trumpet intro to Lover Come Back To Me.

Myron Idleson called this the Mount Rushmore of Jazz Concerts.  He said their talent is a gift from God, and their playing is their gift to God.  I’ll add ‘to us too’.

Neville headed for New Jersey to play with the Midiri Brothers for the Tri State Jazz Society, then on to Maryland.  If you’re ever in England, Neville and wife Pat started the Sutton  Jazz Club where he plays monthly at The Thomas Wall Centre, Benhill Avenue, Sutton, Surrey.  http://www.jazzpiano.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/advance_dates.htm

Neville doing Pine Top Boogie in 2008 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndAtEgHTiGo
2010 at the UK Festival https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QusM01B4miw

We look forward to having him back here again next year.

Steve will be in concert with the Midiri Brothers here on August 12th.  Dick Donovan’s Big Band directed by Steve Taddeo is at the American Legion, 140 River Rd. Middleton MA every Monday evening.

Jeff will be back at the Sherborn Inn with The Wolverine Jazz Band, Swing Times Five,  and Debby Larkin, Dave Whitney, Dan Gabel.  They all want him.  And  He’ll still be wearing a hat.

Stan’s Blue Horizon Jazz Band will be back at the Sherborn Inn June 17th.

We are so fortunate to have all this marvelous jazz!!  I count my blessings every day!

Marce

Neville Dickie at the Sherborn Inn, June 4, 2013

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Neville piano, Jeff Hughes trumpet, Stan McDonald reeds, Dave Bragdon drm

Neville Dickie and Band

The Sherborn Inn was packed elbow-to-elbow with eager fans for celebrated British pianist Neville Dickie’s 12th appearance at the Sherborn Inn on Tuesday, June 4, 2013.

After mixing with his fans, Neville sat at the baby grand and revived a fount of pieces from the 1920’s with ragtime, boogie, stride – pop.  With drummer Dave Bragdon, he started on the 1920’s Charleston Mad, from one of his many albums.  He turned to Dave and asked “What do you fancy doing?”  They came up with a sunny and warm version of  Benny Goodman’s  Red Sails in the Sunset.

Neville turns and watches Dave

Neville and Dave

Dickie generally plays solo piano in concert. Not here; he takes it easy and becomes part of the band, giving him a chance to relax, walk around, talk with his enthusiastic fans.

Stan McDonald on soprano sax

Stan McDonald

 

 

Stan McDonald joined them on soprano sax, with Jeff Hughes on trumpet for James P. Johnson’s If I could Be With You, Neville starting with the verse, Stan on vocal and saxophone.  Roses of Piccardie, It Had To Be You, with Neville’s clever backing and multi-layered playing.

Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams.  Jelly Roll Morton’s Tijuana, crisp soprano sax.

Jeff was featured on a boogie that they created on the moment, The Sherborn Boogie, Jeff getting glorious sounds from a rare 1946 Martin Committee Olds Trumpet.  (Jeff has a vast collection of instruments, and he makes them all sound great!)

Jeff Hughes featured on trumpet with Neville and Drums

Jeff Hughes feature

During the break, Ross Petot kept the piano hot, giving us umpteen inspiring variations of Gershwin’s Sentimental Gentleman from Georgia.  He has a fantastic left hand of his own, definitely with some James P. Johnson influence.

Four handed piano, Ross and Neville

Ross Petot and Neville

 

He slipped into some eight-to-the-bar (probably for Neville’s sake)  and played his specialty stride piano on Stairway to Paradise.  

Neville joined him for four-handed piano, two pyrotechnicians playing an ingenious variety of choruses.
Lynn Sickle and Janet Borgman

 

Neville said he’s happy to see the same faces here, year after year, and remembered Lynn Sickle. She was in her special chair – always next to the piano, here with Janet Borgman.  Neville played his own swinging version of All of Me, Lynn’s favorite – he remembered.

It’s hard to tell who is having the most fun here, Neville or the fans.  He relaxes, tells tales, he’s “one of the guys”.

He says “Musicians like to drink, and I’m no exception. I read that liquor is the root of all evil, so I gave up reading.”
“I quit drinking once, it was the worse 20 minutes of my life!”
“I enjoy playing here at the Sherborn Inn;  Stan provides the music, Ellen provides great beer”.

Neville standing with a beer

Neville relaxes

Ross took over at the piano and gave him a chance to mingle with the crowd.
Soprano sax and trumpet traded fabulous fours on Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor,  Stan singing.  After You’ve Gone was another lively one.

Ross, Stan, Jeff, Dave - no Neville

Ross Petot and Band

Dave & Neville returned with a sweet Keeping Out of Mischief Now, segue into a racing tempo on Handful of Keys, Neville’s fingers leaping across the keyboard.  Marvelous.

Dave was featured on drums with Nagasaki, because Neville never could find a drummer who could keep up with his flying fingers.  He continued playing at a dizzying pace, but Dave Bragdon kept up with him!
Dave Neville 1Neville reprised the first boogie ever written, Pine Top Smith’s Sheik of Araby, with the left hand leaping back and forth on the keyboard.

There was a request for him to play solo piano – which is his general mien; he does for hours at most other venues. With Dave’s accompaniment, he played Willie the Lion Smith’s finger breaking Swanee River Boogie.  He said “It’s a joy to do this gig – Sutton & Surrey.”

Too soon, the band closed with a sizzling Found a New Baby.  As he was leaving, heading for New Jersey, Neville said “Please Keep supporting live jazz.”

We sure will.  Thank you for being here with us, Neville, see you again next year!!

You may catch Neville when he’s at home in the Sutton Jazz Club, Thomas Wall Centre, Benhill Avenue, Sutton, Surrey, England.  The Club was formed by Pat and Neville Dickie in 1989 and is noted its music, as well as Neville’s famous prawn vol-au-vents. They also serve a wide choice of hot food, such as fish, chicken, meat pie, saveloy, or vegeburger, all served with chips, and backed by Neville’s Trio comprising  of Neville Dickie (piano), Terry Lewis (bass), and Norman Davey (drums). Top class musicians from the United States, Europe, Australia and, of course, Great Britain, join them each month.