Classical and Jazz: Preview - Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames at Ronnie Scott’s, 47 Frith Street, Soho, W1, from April 8-16
Published: 24 March, 2011
by SEBASTIAN TAYLOR
GEORGIE Fame and the Blue Flames are back again at Ronnie Scott’s in Frith Street, Soho, nearly five decades after the band was launched in 1962 at the nearby Flamingo Club round the corner in Wardour Street.
Then, back in back in the 1960s, he recalls that the clientele was cosmopolitan, half were West Indian, “the other half were black American GIs mixed up with a few gangsters and pimps and prostitutes”.
The band developed its own style of rock’n’roll jazz and built a huge reputation through recordings, notably two golden discs Yeh Yeh and The Ballard of Bonnie & Clyde that sold more than one million copies each.
Members of the present band include Guy Barker on trumpet, Alan Skidmore on tenor sax, Anthony Kerr on vibes, Alec Dankworth on bass and James Powell on drums.
• Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames play Ronnie Scott’s, 47 Frith Street, Soho, W1, from April 8-16, 020 7439 0747, www.ronniescotts.co.uk