Back for one of our favourite Gigs we had a great evening at Haydon Bridge Festival.

Unfortunately the band has now outgrown the stage but the Saxes were all in a nice longline for a photo. So thats all good. We were even graced with Kellys presence, all the way from Australia no less.

The boys on the back line battled with a flapping tent roof but played on regardless.

For once Kev (Guitar) was on home turf, and not driving, so was able to avail himself of some delicious red wine.

Here we see the ‘Lower ‘ Trumpet section enjoying a joke in the interval.Thanks to Ally and Geoff the sound crew who always ensure a great sound at our local festivals.

A ‘Moochers’ eye view of proceedings

The sun was shining on us at big time at this years Tynedale Beer festival.

The beer was flowing and we all had a rather jolly time whilst fighting back dehydration (Some more quickly and successfully than others)

We were saddened to hear of the loss of Andy Deacon who had been a keen supporter of  the band since we formed. Mark on Kit sweltering in the heat though looking remarkable composedMike laying down the groove as always. Andrew trying to make a serious comment to our MD but realising the futility during a photo bombing opportunity for Mr Hignett, ‘relaxed’ after rehydration. A tromboners eye view as the crowds build. The ever ambidextrous Caroline proving her ability on Keys when not playing her trumpet, Kev enjoying himself also. and in fine voice. We hope to be back next year!

We had a great afternoon on Monday playing to entertain the crowds at the Northumberland County Show, Bywell.

Here we see our MD Mr Dave Hignett photo-bombing our altos with a special appearance by Sophie, who is not from Australia. Andrea unleashing a solo on the unsuspecting crowds Mike sampling  a drop of Wylam Gold courtesy of our sponsors Wylam Brewery. (The rhythm section communicate with each other with a variety of hand and arm signals loosely based on the dance moves of the Village People).It was great to welcome Dan back to the fold who flew in all the way from Barcelona specially for the occasion! Here we see the Tromboners all looking nicely relaxed before the frenzy that was ‘Sing Sang Sung’Ben in fine form Mr and Mrs Moocher, no relation.No MUD this year so that was all good.

This event has got to be the highlight of our year attracting some incredible Big Bands from all over the country in a weekend of friendly rivalry and great playing.Here we see our vocalist Miss Barbara Hignett, no relation, firing up the crowd with a down and dirty ‘Minnie the Moocher’ a part she was born to sing apparently.

As always our friends at ‘Bebop Spoken Here’ covered the event giving us a great write up

The Hexham-based Tyne Valley Big Band travels in numbers. Last year’s raiding party comprised something in the region of thirty musicians. MD Dave Hignett doesn’t do things in halves (nor does he drink halves!), boundless enthusiasm is key, and this year’s away day jaunt delivered the band’s usual power-packed performance. Trombonist Simon Hirst impressed on Sammy Nestico’s Switch in Time, the ebullient Barbara Hignett was born to sing Minnie the Moocher and a set-concluding Cajun Cookin’ served up several helpings of hot playing from, amongst others Kevin Wright, piano and a chilli peppered blast from Andrea de Vere, tenor, and the man sailing the high Cs, Alastair Lord, trumpet.

Our lovely Saxes relaxing before the ‘Eyes Down’ bit

We were excited to get some really supportive and encouraging feedback for the Judges who thought we had put on our best performance to date at the festival.

On Sunday our MD, founder, friend and mentor Dave Hignett returned with the Tyne Valley Jazz Ensemble and the Tyne Valley Youth Big Band. He was given a justly deserved special Adjudicators award for his services to the Youth Big Band scene in the North East.

Those who know Dave are aware of his tireless enthusiasm in promoting all kinds of music to young and old alike but in particular we are grateful for his drive to keep opportunities open for young people to get involved in Jazz. Thanks to his enthusiasm Hexham has become the epicentre for Big Band music in Northumberland.

Well done Dave! The man’s a legend.

Our name in lights at last, might not be Broadway but Carlisle Civic Centre is still pretty impressive!Thanks to our Bassist Mike Cunningham who pulled a few strings and organised for us to play at the now dried out ‘Old Fire Station’ What a  fantastic venue.We had a great audience with the added bonus of a Swing Dancing Club livening up the dance floor.

Thanks also to the organisers for making us so welcome, the great news is that we have been booked to return on the 8th October for a rematch so see you there.

What a great night of Big Band Music we had at King Edward V1 School Morpeth, sharing the stage with our own Youth band the ‘Tyne Valley Youth Big Band’ and ‘King Edward V1 Community Big Band’

Barbara Hignett, our lovely vocalist seen here performing ‘Minnie the Moocher’ made famous by Cab Calloway in the Blues Brothers’  Spot MD Dave Hignett, (no relation), on lead trumpet and sink plunger.

Here we see our very own crooner Kevin Moore taking a break from his guitar with Barbara Hignett in a seasonally apt version of ‘Baby its Cold Outside’

We played our biggest Gig to date featuring on the impressive main stage as part of the celebrations to mark the Tall Ships North Sea Regatta making port in Blyth.

Fears that there may not be enough room on stage for our big big band proved unfounded with an amazing stage and sound rig.

Sadly time was tight but we played a great set to an appreciative audience once our MD had concluded a brief coach tour of Blyth and managed to join us.

Hear we see Mr Moocher himself with Barbara (no relation) Hignett performing ‘Minnie the Moocher’

MacArthur Park is a band favourite showing off our talented soloists, and in particular Alastair Lord on Flugel

and Heidi Griffin on Tenor Sax

Thanks as always to ‘BeBop Spoken Here’ for a great write up of our slot

Sunday, August 28, 2016
Tall Ships Day Two
It’s the first time I’ve heard the Tyne Valley Big Band. Bigger than the SSBB and unbelievably well turned out for such a hot day. A better performance than by some professional bands with some fantastic solos.
Lost for words to say how good they were
Sorry pic from the mobile phone does not show much of the band but just lots of happy punters.

JT.

Thanks to Noah Knapton for the off stage photos and Juliet Williams for her ‘In Flight’ photo below.

A special day for TVBB

We had a fantastic Phoenix Night gig featuring all three of Hexhams big bands. We said goodbye to all the leavers from TVYBB who have just finished school and are off to pastures new. Best wishes to them all.

TVBB also said goodbye to our veterinarian trombonist Charlotte who is moving to a new position down south. Good luck Charlotte!

We got another great review from our friends at Bebop spoken here thanks Russell.

Advertised cautiously/prophetically as a ‘summer-ish’ end of term party, Dave Hignett’s amazing assembly of big bands gathered at rehearsal HQ to give a public performance in preparation for several forthcoming prestigious concert dates. The ‘ish’ weather forecast proved to be accurate as Hexham was, at best, ‘cloudy but dry’.

Three competing events in spitting distance of one another fought it out for an audience – Hexham Abbey hosted an EU in/out ‘You decide’ debate, Queen’s Hall screened Cinema Paradiso as part of the Wild Skies Film Festival, and the Phoenix Bar and Club offered a triple bill of big bands. Many Tyne Valley residents voted BIG BAND JAZZ!!!

The Phoenix Club on Chisholm Place was a hive of activity: the indefatigable Hignett ran around doing three things at once: putting out music stands, setting up the PA and finding the time to talk to all and sundry. An audience arrived: supportive parents, siblings, proud grand parents. The junior band, the Tyne Valley Jazz Ensemble, looking the part in black t-shirts (kindly sponsored by a local business) with red lettering telling you they’re proud to be the Tyne Valley Jazz Ensemble, took to the stand first. A band big in number (seven trumpets, two trombones, four saxophones and a piano, bass and drums rhythm section), a band big on talent, an upbeat, varied set list met with much applause. A Marcus Miller number – Maputo – surprised, then Uncle Milo’s Shadow, Horace Silver’s The Preacher, all good stuff giving all in the band the chance to show what they could do. A young man in the trumpet section – height approx 3’6” in old money, age approx 10 – will make it as a trumpet player…if that’s what he wants to do. Similarly, a scarily good drummer is just a few short years from being an A-lister on the scene. Every solo, by every performer, met with applause. The set flew…Pass the Peas, then a calypso, closing with Lady Madonna.

The Tyne Valley Youth Big Band is to lose three or four members from the ranks. Exams finished, they’re heading off to university. It is the way with ensembles such as this. The band’s rip-roaring set list ticked all the boxes: the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, the Young Blood Brass Band’s arrangement of Rufus and Chaka Khan’s chart hit Ain’t Nobody, the sing-along Sweet Dreams, a cracking Mission Impossible and a Dave Hignett favourite – Chuck Mangione’s Children of Sanchez. A band of award-winning musicians, a trumpet player of Grade 8 (Merit) ability, a band with bundles of enthusiasm, Tyne Valley Youth Big Band is developing the stars of tomorrow.

The big boys and girls – the Tyne Valley Big Band – wound up the evening with a set of their own. In the Mood (don’t groan, this was the Doc Severinsen arrangement), Quincy Jones’ Soul Bossa Nova (Hignett quipped he put it in the set because the band needed to work on it!), the Heathian Hot Toddy (a favourite of, and feature for, baritone man John Knapton), the ensemble wasted no time, rattling through the numbers. The band’s saxes were on form – Andrea DeVere (tenor) and Kelly Rose (alto) trading, Alexis Cairns on alto. The Average White Band’s Pick up the Pieces is an ideal tune one for a band like this – the option is there to go round and round and round. Barbara Hignett belted out a fun Minnie the Moocher with audience participation encouraged/obligatory. Hayburner
vied for the tune of the night accolade. Excellent ensemble work, a big band at its best.
A Tower of Power number (Attitude Dance) and top of the kitsch list, MacArthur Park (Maynard Ferguson’s arrangement), sent the band into overdrive. A late arriving Alistair Lord made up for lost time making a fabulous contribution on trumpet and flugelhorn. A very late arriving David Gray squeezed into the trombone section and played as only he can – that’s with full on commitment. Talking of commitment, for the record it should be noted that Niall Armstrong and Peter Drake gave their services sitting in the sections of the junior ensemble.

The Tyne Valley Big Band can be heard at this weekend’s Tynedale Beer Festival. A big marquee stands on the pitch at Tynedale Rugby Club. It’ll cost you £12.00. to get in, the beer is reasonably priced, and if you are reasonably sober at four o’clock on Saturday you will hear – and remember listening to – a fantastic community big band.
Russell.

We made our annual pilgrimage to Sunderland for the Big Band Festival this weekend.Whilst we may not have won any prizes this year, we had a great day, and performed what we felt to be an exciting and entertaining set which went down well with the crowd at least!

Heres what our friends at ‘Bebop Spoken Here’ had to say on the matter!

The Tyne Valley Big Band. MD Dave Hignett, an irrepressible force of nature is a man on a mission. Seemingly every Tyne Valley resident is being signed up to participate in the biggest band on Planet Jazz! Familiar faces jostled for a place in the various sections; Alexis Cairns (alto) and Andrea de Vere (tenor) two of a ten-strong reeds’ line-up, Ben Heathcote and Alistair Lord, two of seven trumpets and a regulation rhythm section comprising Finton Keeley (piano), Kevin Moore (guitar and pork pie hat), Michael Cunningham (bass) and drummer Mark Bolderson. A six-strong trombone section, one was beginning to lose count. In the Mood (like a limpet, it’s all but impossible to shake off) began the programme. Well, all was forgiven with Dave Hignett leading from the front. The man blew some seriously good trumpet. He got out of harm’s way in the nick of time as a Tyne Valley drumming samba seven swelled the numbers. Basie’s Jumpin’ at the Woodside never fails and star vocalist Barbara Hignett belted out Gospel from the film Monsters University aided by an additional vocal quartet recruited from Hexham’s Queen Elizabeth High School. Every one of the THIRTY SEVEN (make that ‘AT LEAST THIRTY SEVEN’) members of the ensemble gave out the command: Rise Up! Win, lose or draw, what a performance!

And the judges comments.

Our secret weapon this year was to close the set with the fantastic street band piece ‘Gospel’ from Monsters University featuring our special guests ‘A Batida Da Rua’ a Brazilian Samba drum group based at Queen Elizabeth High School, Hexham.Practicing for the gig at our rehearsal venue the lovely Phoenix Club Hexham

Our oh so tight rhythm section.Our multinational Sax section, Kelly, ‘All the way from Australia’ via Consett.Simon (needing no encouragement) with our lovely tromboners

We are now coming up to a bit of a lull in proceedings before we get into our tour of Tyne Valley Beer festivals so back on familiar territory there.

We are also planning a trip Carlisle assuming the Old Fire Station venue has dried out after the floods earlier this year.

Our Junior and youth bands the Tyne Valley Jazz Ensemble and Tyne Valley Youth Big Band went down a storm on the Sunday in the Schools and Youth Sections with a special mention for Dom getting an award for his excellent drumming.