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By the time this concert DVD was recorded in Denmark in June 1995, the original Chris Barber's Jazz Band of 1954-55 had played more than one hundred 40-year Jubilee Concerts. Several of these, of course, are available in various forms on a number of compact discs, and the programme here is not so very different from what you will find in audio format elsewhere. What makes this DVD concert of more than two hours in length so amazing, then, is the terrific enthusiasm and enjoyment evident in these great performances by Chris, Pat, Monty, Jim, Ron, and Lonnie: they and the music sound as fresh as ever, both in the ensemble pieces and the feature spots for Monty and Lonnie, both performed with outstanding talent and engaging humour.
The original band plays the first half of the concert, while the Chris Barber Jazz and Blues Band takes over after the intermission. The whole second-half performance is similarly entertaining, but if I had to choose a highlight it would be John Slaughter's solo in Going Up The River.
This is a first-class concert film, a treat to watch from start to finish, and I'm sure I'll be looking at it many times.
DVD details: Storyville Films, DVD 90013; click here to see a scan of the back cover of the DVD box.
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