Kicking Tenor Swings Hard
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday February 7, 1987
HEARING the American cornettist Warren Vache left little doubt as to why the late, so-called King of Swing, Benny Goodman, sent for him to join his band during the 1970s. Or, for that matter, why Vache was chosen to play the role of the legendary Bix Beiderbecke in the New York Repertory Company presentation of the music of the immortal Bix, the original Young Man With A Horn.
Vache showed a healthy regard for the tradition and the mainstream of the idiom and is capable of playing both hot and delicate - and low down and dirty- with equal facility. He is also an eclectic musician whose playing is reminiscent of Bobby Hackett, Clark Terry and Louis Armstrong.
Accompanying the cornettist was the Ken Crawford Trio, comprising the Scottish-born leader on piano, Darcy Wright, bass, and Laurie Bennett, drums with special guest Tom Baker on tenor saxophone.
The flagwaver was an up-tempo version of the Gershwin ballad The Man I Love, followed by Duke Ellington's What Am I Here For? A surprise came in the first set with Vache singing I Want A Little Girl. He would not take out any prizes as a jazz singer, but did give us a good-humoured, laidback rendition.
It was a night of good mainstream jazz, and all the tunes, mostly love songs, were from the standard repertoire.
Baker, in fine fettle, was perfect foil for Vache. His robust full-bodied sound and kicking tenor swung hard and solidly.
Mention should also be made of the rhythm section which displayed vitality and provided a swinging backdrop for the horns.
I was disappointed that Vache had felt obliged to travel light, leaving behind his flugel horn on which he is an accomplished performer. On the other hand, he is at his very best on cornet, which he favours over the trumpet as an instrument that is kinder to gentle playing and can deliver a fatter sound. Some lovely moments came with his treatment of Johnny Mandel's A Time For Love which showed a warm lyricism and expressive eloquence.
© 1987 Sydney Morning Herald