THE first couple of numbers at Sunday night's Louis Armstrong tribute seemed to confirm any reservations one might have about such events. Despite a line-up which featured at least two superb musicians well-deserving of solo concerts, it was trumpeter and bossman Keith Smith who dominated the proceedings - intitially, anyway. And he kept on trying to assert his leadership throughout the night. All of which, perhaps, explained why he had been introduced as ``Herr Schmidt'' to the accompaniment of Heil Hitler salutes behind his back.
The two musicians most guilty of stealing Smith's thunder were British trombonist Roy Williams, and American Joe Muranyi, the last clarinettist to perform with Louis Armstrong's All Stars. Both are subtle and fluid purveyors of elegant swing, and both played to dazzling effect whenever they were let off the ensemble leash and granted a solo.
Ironically, the two standout numbers of the night had nothing to do with Armstrong. One of these was Williams's sumptuous performance of Dixie Cinderella, a little-heard Fats Waller gem, on which he was accompanied by the extremely capable Martin Litton, a young pianist specialising in stride.
The other was Joe Muranyi's magical Tango Palace, his own variation on the traditional Hungarian tango. Muranyi began in the low register of the clarinet, hinting softly at the blues before bursting out into the higher register with hair-raising impact. And his playing was not without humour: as the quiet tango melody was re-stated at the end, Muranyi - possibly inspired by his regular recording collaborator, the witty Marty Grosz (currently in Birmingham) - filled the pauses with whispered oohs and aahs. Now, a concert featuring the two of them - that would be something.
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