SimplyJazzTalk

Friday, 6 February saw Mrs simpljazztalk and me at the The Mayflower Studios in Southampton for an evening of music, life story telling and anecdotes. Shear Brass is a band dedicated to playing new arrangements of the music of Sir George Shearing, the great uncle of drummer Carl Gorham, and one of Britain’s great jazz musicians and composers. The event is the latest in a number of shows we have attended where jazz music is interspersed with historical background, remembrances and imagery: the type of show I really enjoy seeing.

The show opened with a somewhat lesser known Shearing composition Bop, Look and Listen. This was a good, bright and brass led tune on which to introduce the band. Not all the numbers played across the evening’s two sets were written by Shearing, such as Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington’s Caravan. The horn section did a very good job of invoking the musical sound of the middle east while Gorham and Dankworth kept the piece running smoothly – I did enjoy Alec Dankworth’s solo on this number.

The audience was treated to a number of vocal songs, the first of which was I’ll See You in My Dreams, sung by Romy Sipek. This was the first time I had heard Romy and did like how she put the song across, particularly in the opening section where she just had the rhythm section for support. There were two vocalist employed in this concert and Sarah Moule introduced herself with Just A Mood (a Shearing composition with added lyrics penned by Carl Gorham). Gorham described the number as “melancholic” but, for me, that sounds too romantic a description. This tune has an air of depression about it, which Sarah Moule evoked with authenticity and feeling.

The lively, bright Night Flight opened the second set followed by the Latin infused Black Satin and a wonderful trumpet solo from Jason McDermid. Back to back vocal numbers, Do I Love You? (Romy Sipek) and Let There be Love (Sarah Moule), followed and it was good to be able to contrast the two singers – neither of whom put a note wrong. Sarah Moule remained on stage for The Way You Looked Tonight, that may have been my tune of the evening but then Children’s Waltz entered the fray.

Children’s Waltz had me captivated from the outset, it is a slow waltz and it was delivered with such elegant ease. I was taking notes throughout the evening and all I wrote for this number was one word: stunning! The vocalists rounded out the evening with Easy, sung by Sarah Moule – another Shearing composition with added lyrics penned by Carl Gorham – before Romy Sipek took the honours on Lullaby of Birdland, which she sang with an energy befitting her family connection to George Shearing (Romy is Carl Gorham’s daughter).

As one might expect, there was an encore and it came in the shape of Rondo, another Latin number and played with terrific energy led by a stellar front line supported by an equally good rhythm section. This brought to an end a very enjoyable and informative evening’s entertainment. The only downside was the audience numbers, which were lower than I have seen at similar style events at this venue; but, as they say, that was their loss.

The Shear Brass debut album Celebrating Sir George Shearing was released on Ubuntu Music on 1 September, 2023. Their second album, Extraordinary Journey on Ireton Records was released on 26 September, 2025.

Set List, Set 1: Bop, Look and Listen; Caravan; I’ll See You in My Dreams; The Fourth Deuce; Just a Mood; September in the Rain; How’s Trix?; I’ll Be Around.

Set 2: Night Flight; Black Satin; Do I Love You?; Let There be Love; The Way You Look Tonight; Children’s Waltz; Lullaby of Birdland; Rondo (encore).

Musicians: Pete Long (saxophones/clarinet), Jason McDermid (trumpet and arranger) Alistair White (trombone), Graham Harvey (piano), Anthony Kerr (vibraphone), Alec Dankworth (double bass) Carl Gorham (drums) Romy Sipek and Sarah Moule (vocals).