Jazz At The Bell Inn

My first experience of the Jazz bands at The Bell Inn was by pure chance. My friend and I stumbled in there knowing it was a quaint, friendly place, where we could have a tipple and a good chat, whilst waiting for some other people to get into town. The next thing I know, I’m face to face with a scene, almost from a film, of another time.

Seven men adorned the stage at the far end of the bar; each one lost in an instrument that seemed to be an extension of themselves. The ambience was intoxicating, so much so, I barely noticed when our friends showed up. The vintage décor of the pub draws you into the scene and gives the performance the conviction, and the home, (of 27yrs), it deserves. The lights above the stage frame the performers in warm shades of red, with touches of gold that pick up the shine from the instruments. Whilst the scene is a feast for the eyes, the music floods your body with the sound of bold rhythms, with notes of brass and bass and classic melodies that you seem to have learnt in the womb. I got so caught up when I was close to the stage, that when I turned around again, I was surprised to see a lit pub buzzing along normally behind me.

When you hear older folk harking back to the ‘good old days’ you can end up feeling slightly bemused, well surely it’s just the same as now, give or take some advances in technology and the like. However, these guys make you feel like there was a better time, which you missed, but that you now have the opportunity to be a part of. A time of decadence, quality, meaning and comradeship. Two bands share the stage, The Omega Band play on a Monday night, and The Johnny Johnston Quartet on a Tuesday night and Sunday day. Johnny Johnstone plays the saxophone and Brian Bocel plays the trumpet and does amazing vocals, (in the style of Louis Armstrong, to name but one person), in both bands.

They all perform with no ego, in spite of each instrument and musician having a solo. As The Omega band’s founder and trombone player Frank Hindley explains: "You’re playing as a band, not playing as individuals here. You’re listening to what everyone else is doing and joining in with them. When you get your solo, you can just get through it, or you can shine, with no performance being the same as the next, you never know how it’s going to be, but of course, you’re hoping to shine."

This lack of ego is so refreshing to witness; instead of each performer trying to outdo the next for the audience’s adoration, we see every band member encouraging each other, praising and clapping after each solo, inspiring the audience to do the same.

They’re utter abandonment into the renditions of timeless songs such A Wonderful World, Georgia on My Mind, Sunny Side of the Street, Groovy at the Movies and How Wonderful You Are, reflects onto you. I always seem to end up with a glass of wine and cigarette in hand, my eyes closed and my body unable to resist moving in time to the music. However, I’m not so passive all the way through the performance, for one microphone delivers a multitude of voices, and with the band and the audience providing such backing vocals as Groovy at the Movies, the atmosphere is comparable to nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

People have been coming there to see them for years and they are silently reserved the inner circle of seats near the stage, one guy I chatted to told me he’d been coming there every Monday, give or take, for the last 6yrs because it manages to recreate the original feeling he has of the golden time of his life. All the older generation are so inviting and eager to share their experiences, even little tips. Every other Tuesday a guy comes called Dave Spince, AKA 'The Secret Weapon’, so we were informed by a regular if you shout out "Secret Weapon" in between songs then he would come to the front of the stage with his double bass and sing a song. We didn’t dare at first until he showed us how it was done, and after that it was incredible fun to do, he really does deserve his title and I recommend having a go to everybody.

Jazz has gone up and down in popularity over the years, but has survived the test of time due to its intrinsic dedication to its own level of quality. Coming from someone who has had little or no experience of jazz previously, I am now a believer, and go and see the bands play every week. My biggest hope is that when I’m 60 odd years old, I will be sitting in a pub, within the inner circle, with a cigarette and a glass of wine to hand, with my eyes closed, bopping along to the music and shouting out "Groovy at the Movies!"

Jazz is on at The Bell Inn every Monday and Tuesday (night) and Sunday (day).

Share this article