When only the best will do!! Rick Best is the Best with the Sweet Thunder Jazz Orchestra.
On Sunday 21st May at the Caloundra Power Boat Club, Sweet Thunder swung “Symphony in Riffs” as an opener to let us know what was coming! Rick is the best arranger in the biz bar none. An Ellington “Copenhagen” from 1922 followed with guest vocalist Cheryl O'Brien singing a swinging wild “Crazy Rhythm”. Rodney, the band's extraordinary drummer, gave us “I can't give you anything but love Baby” followed by a powerful arrangement of Juan Tizol's “Perdido” then an oldie from Cheryl “I Love a Steinway.” The set concluded with “Puttin’ on the Ritz” from Rodney and a mighty arrangement by Rick of “Deed I Do” gasping us into a break.
Set 2 was no different featuring Ellington's music from the Cotton Club and “Ring Dem Bells” opened followed by a mournful original arrangement of “Black and Tan Fantasy”. Cheryl again entertained us with “You’re Driving me Crazy and “Am I Blue” . No way were we blue! Just relaxing and lapping up this music until we laughed and joined in with the Cab Calloway “Minnie the Moocher”. The Ellington music flowed allowing these great musicians to solo and Cheryl and Rodney to sing these well-known songs. The final finish had the floor full of dancers strutting away to Cheryl “Dancing Cheek to Cheek” and the wonderful RICK BEST & SWEET THUNDER JAZZ ORCHESTRA.
A memorable afternoon of the famous or infamous Harlem Cotton Club.
