One of the many highlights from the mighty BCBB's return to live performance after 2 years up on bricks. We started rehearsing this one in early 2020, ready to play it at that year's Bristol Jazz and Blues Festival. It's not a simple arrangement, but on the first run through, it sounded so good and exciting that we all just turned to each other and laughed. We got it more right than wrong, and since reconvening last September, we've been working on perfecting it. As Maestro JB says, it's a chart for Doc Severinsen's Tonight Show band, the house band for Johnny Carson's long-running NBC chat show, written by Severinsen's lead tenor player and deputy bandleader Tommy Newsom.

BCBB - Canteen - 9/3/2022 - Just Friends

A perennial favourite that we've borrowed from the Basie library, a Billy Byers chart. Featuring a tenor solo from Alastair Blackwood and some skywriting from our esteemed leader Jonny Bruce.

BCBB - Canteen - 9/3/2022 - In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning

From the library of the Buddy Rich, here's Don Menza's chart of his own composition, Groovin' Hard. And we feel we make it live up to the title.

BCBB - Canteen - 9/3/2022 - Groovin Hard

The Bristol Community Big Band is an energetic local ensemble that plays a wide repertoire of swing, jazz, blues and Latin big band classics in festivals and gigs around the Bristol and Somerset area.

Made up of non-professional musicians from all over 20 postcodes, we are a fun-loving and inclusive group who nevertheless work hard to be the best standard we can, and bring our joy of swing music to communities around Bristol.

BCBB - Canteen - 9/3/2022 - Just Friends

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