Opera North’s programme took a rare dip into the jazz of the 1920s and 1930s with the appearance of The Easy Rollers. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of their founding in Manchester (and with a cake to prove it), they promised “1920s swing”, but actually produced something rather more ambitious, with a setting of a Langston Hughes poem perhaps the most striking example of departing from their safety zone. Similarly the arrangements were unfailingly clever.
The band’s spell on the cabaret circuit showed in the splendid banner behind the band and the precise arrangements and disciplined playing, though some of the announcements lacked the slickness these hinted at. The programme began with a sort of Tiger Rad without the tiger, trumpeter Tom Sharp and clarinettist Jamie Stockbridge launching straight into a mazy unison passage reminiscent of John Kirby’s 1930s sextet before handing over to pianist Alex Hill and the rhythm section for the famous second theme.
After that it was over to singer Dani Sicari who, far from being a Helen Kane or Annette Hanshaw clone, sounded equally at home with the quiet despair of Billie Holiday’s Good Morning Heartache or the rowdy “hi-de-hi”-ing of Cab Calloway-style numbers. Unaffected in her delivery and not given to over-decoration, she was at her best in a lovely version of 10 Cents a Dance, a really ingenious arrangement that incorporated stylish passages in waltz time – or perhaps the delightful I’ll See You in My Dreams which ended the concert before an encore which pitched us into the era of rhythm and blues.
Though Sicari was very much the front woman for the band, her contributions had a hint of the old “with vocal refrain” tag and left plenty of room for instrumental soloists. Stockbridge seemed somewhat under-powered on clarinet, but made more impact on tenor saxophone. Sharp produced plenty of upper register power when required and coped magnificently with the exacting filigree of some of the more challenging arrangements, but tended to over-elaborate detail in his solos.
By far the outstanding soloist was guitarist James Girling. Part of a nice tight rhythm section with Hill, bassist Sam Jackson and drummer Matt Brown, he also contributed poised accompaniments and perfectly conceived swinging solos, culminating in the Les Paul-ish melody statement on I’ll See You in My Dreams.
The hall’s lay-out permitted a sizeable dancing area in front of the band, filled with enthusiastic couples for much of an unassumingly enjoyable evening.
Reviewed on 25 April 2026
The Reviews Hub Star Rating
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7
