Artist: Mike Westbrook

Date of Release: 07/03/2011

Catalogue no: HST052DVD

Label: Gonzo

Price: £12.99

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Track Listing

Appearances by

Alan Wakeman, Chris Biscoe, Dave Barry, Kate Westbrook

Mama Chicago - The Mike Westbrook Brass Band
Phil Minton - vocals / trumpet
Kate Westbrook - vocals / tenor horn
Chris Biscoe - alto saxophone
Alan Wakeman - tenor saxophone
Malcolm Griffiths - trombone
Mike Westbrook - piano / tuba
Steve Cook - bass
Dave Barry - drums

Live in St. Etienne (1993) - The Westbrook Trio
Kate Westbrook voice
Chris Biscoe alto & soprano saxophones/alto clarinet
Mike Westbrook piano

Mike & Kate Westbrook
Talk About Composition

Information
As the drums kick in putting the train on track Mike and Kate Westbrook land you in 1920s Chicago.

Conceived originally as an Al Capone - themed musical, Mama Chicago was re-imagined as something fresh and bold: an evening of jazz cabaret tailor-made forth e1970s Westbrook Brass Band, an affectionate nod towards authentic - period Ellingtonia, but with Westbrook’s distinctive compositional voice resounding through every note.

This 1980s film encapsulates its magic: Kate Westbrook’s sharp-suited spivs and herproto-Kylie girly whimpers, Phil Minton’s belcanto flights of fancy and a band eagerly grasping at the challenges Westbrook throws at them.

Also included is an intimate 1993 Westbrook Trio performance (Mike and Kate, with Chris Biscoe on saxophone), featuring Mama Chicago material in a new setting, and songs by Billy Strayhorn, Kurt Weill and the Westbrooks’ radical overhaul of “Love For Sale”. Cole Porter like you never heard; jazz Westbrook style.

PHILIP CLARK
Journalist for The Wire and The Gramophone

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