FERYO: Jazz Showcase and Quiz Night

The Friends of the East Riding Youth Orchestras (FERYO) held their annual Jazz Showcase and Quiz Night at Cottingham Civic Hall.

There was a full house and a great atmosphere, as the appreciative audience was treated to a feast of music, food and gentle intellectual challenge (not to mention the silliness of stand-up bingo).

This was a chance for the Youth Jazz Orchestra to display their range and extensive repertoire, from the driving energy of the Peter Gunn theme (Matthew Campbell giving his all on electric guitar) and the upbeat St. Louis Blues march (Ed Phillipson masterful on drums), through mellow tunes such as “The Girl From Ipanema” (with Harriet Tinker’s lovely saxophone solo) to the groove of “Mambo Italiano” (Laura Prescott again wowing the audience with her vocals). Many members featured in solos, some for the first time, as with Emily Morley’s “My Heart Will Go On”.

It may be invidious to single out individuals from so much talent, but special mention must be made of the evening’s innovations. The Orchestra’s first ever male singer, Ben Wadsworth, delighted the audience with his rendition of “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and joined Alice Clayton in the second half, duetting on a pleasingly laid-back version of “Somethin’ Stupid”. Also after the break, we enjoyed Dave Morrison’s beautiful trumpet playing in “Round Midnight” and James Wood excelled on alto saxophone in “New Age, New World”, a fun new take on a much-loved tune. Many congratulations to conductor Nick Riggs for bringing us such a treat, and for the continuing high standard of this fine ensemble.

The interval was packed with interest, not least in the excellent food provided by Catherine Phillipson and her team. The main course was a delicious spread and the gorgeous pudding table drew people back throughout the evening.

The Orchestra’s teasing compilation number “Up the Junction. (Miller Madness)” became a quiz question as listeners were invited to work out just how many tunes were included. This year’s quiz was quite challenging, and competition became good-naturedly vocal at times. Well done, the winning team of “Catch22”. A few more happy customers came away with prizes, following the stand-up bingo and the raffle draw.

The Friends are grateful to all those who helped and who attended this fund-raising event. Thanks, in particular, to Jayne Morley who co-ordinated the organisation so superbly. The event was a great night out and a welcome boost to the coffers.

Report by the Taylor family

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