Thursday 22 November 2012

The four string banjo in Sydney, NSW...Jazz banjo.....The Sydney banjo band rehearsing at Club Ashfield in Sydney...details of the last two rehearsals...31st October and 21st November 2012....and future dates.

Well your Sydney banjo band organiser, DQ, has been a bit slack of late updating the Club site....
We've had two rehearsals over the last month or so with some 12-14 banjos playing.
Before I go into these, let me list the forthcoming future rehearsal dates...
 Wed.12th December
2013 all Wednesdays again....
9th January
30th January....
27th February
27th March
24th April
22nd May

 
 Again, all at Club Ashfield...see below for directions to the venue and we play in the function area on the first floor, beside the bistro, which is open for meals from 5.30pm to around 8.30pm...drinks of course from the bar at Club prices.
The rehearsal starts at 6.45pm through to 9pm with many arriving earlier for a meal or to socialise...
October 31st saw Paul Baker, Cliff Parsons  playing the melody lead for the group with all forming the rhythm backing chordally....
John Bates on tuba and Jim Morrell on snare drum gave the usual sterling service in keeping time for the rehearsal and of course John played melody solos on the tuba and sang for us as well...
Lets have a look at some photos from that nights....
Jim Morrell and John Bates, the rehearsal's "rhythm kings"....
A band panorama showing most of those in attendance on the night....

Three young brothers, regular attendees...Shardyn, Makarim and Tayzin who play semi professional gigs elsewhere as "The Brothers Three" did a feature of a song they had written....
On ya lads...!!
Hugo Pfandler on his White Swallow tenor banjo with Ed Condran foreground....
John Packham brought along a recently restored banjo ukelele.....
John Packham, Cliff Parsons and Paul Baker.....
Mum of "The Brothers Three", Alita Fahey on 6 string banjo.....
Barry Graham on his Gibson "Les Paul" guitar...owned by Barry from new....

Then we had a rehearsal on Wed. 21st November....
Ted Gerome was in Sydney from Ligonier, near Pittsburgh, PA...John Wilson loaned him a tenor banjo for his several months in Sydney....
We had Bill Maclean, Cliff Parson, Ted Gerome and John Wilson play melody lead for the night with some 14 banjos in total....
Ted Gerome plays some lead with Michael on his Irish tenor banjo.
Michael plays Irish banjo elsewhere and dropped in for a hour or so....
John Wilson plays a chorus on trumpet..Cliff Parsons to the left and Ted and Michael to the right...
Colin Davies with a baritone Uke...Colin is more at home in the Bridge City Jazz Band playing double bass...
Centre is Bill Maclean and to the left, David English playing a lead chorus on "Bye Bye Blues"...

Where is Club Ashfield...?
5 Charlotte Street, Ashfield, Sydney...on the immediate north side of Ashfield Railway station....