By GEORGE PROUD

Published at 09:05, Monday, 21 May 2012

AS part of Riding Mill’s St James’s Church building fund activities, a Super Special Sunday was organised in the village.

Lunch and afternoon tea in the parish hall “book-ended” a concert in the church by the Prudhoe Community High School Swing Band.

Those who came to the concert – and very many did – enjoyed a real treat. The band gave a brilliant concert of swing music, ranging from traditional swing and jazz music to jazz funk.

The band has earned a high reputation in Tynedale, winning a number of prizes and awards, and it very rapidly became clear just why this is. The band is well balanced and has musicians playing all the instruments associated with jazz and swing. Solo parts were handled with great skill – the soloists were rightly applauded as they played.

All too soon, Alex Lewis, music master and conductor, announced the last piece, for some of the students had important public examinations to take the next day. This was a brilliant rendition of The Jazz Police. The applause went on and on – interrupted only by the Rev. Alison White, vicar of St James, who persuaded the band to play an encore. And that is exactly what the band did. The piece was Jamming with Charlie and it almost raised the roof.

Listening to the band made me reflect that the previous evening, a dog had won the Britain’s Got Talent TV show. Simon Cowell and his team should travel no further than Tynedale for the next series of the programme – there is real talent in Tynedale.

George Proud

Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk