Dave Whitney trumpet, Craig Ball tenor sax/clarinet, Ken Steiner string bass, Ross Petot piano, Dave Bragdon drums.

White Heat Quintet is a solid Swing Band with memorable Benny Goodman tunes, some Bix, Gershwin, a tribute to Louis Armstrong, and tonight, even some Rudy Vallee.

Craig Ball on tenor sax

Craig started the evening on gut-wrenching tenor sax on Linger a While, presenting a sample of what was forthcoming this evening.

Whitney did his tribute to Louis Armstrong with multi-layered trumpet playing on Gypsy, with a vocal backed by Ross’s fine piano,  Craig said, “No wonder he’s called Dean of Swing Trumpet”!

Get Happy was a blistering tune.  Bragdon let loose on drums and they wrapped it up with WILD trumpet and clarinet challenging each other, setting sparks flying.

Ross was featured on piano with Gone With The Wind, resurrecting James P. Johnson;  Dave’s soft, rolling brushes on snare drum backed Ken’s string bass solo.

Ken Steiner slapping that bass!

Found a New Baby, Whitney led on trumpet, Craig comping on clarinet. We can’t get enough of Ken Steiner’s  fantastic slap bass, strings bouncing off the finger board!

San, began with the verse, Whitney’s trumpet sounding like Bix Beiderbecke when he was with Paul Whitman;  fun Turkey Trot.  Craig’s Benny Goodman clarinet on Begin The Beguine brought back fond memories.

I Would do Most Anything For, Whitney on vocal, drum and string bass were right behind him, Craig playing fast run on clarinet.   It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing – Barnburner!  They followed with something sweet and slow, Deep Night, written by Rudy Vallee for Vagabond Lover.  This was a first for us.

Ross is actually smiling!

Then it was Gershwin time – Ross playing ragtime, Nice Work If You Can Get It, segueing into a fine Swing number.  If you’re looking for SWING, this is the place!

For the last half hour, Craig called for a Swing Jam, inviting musicians to join them. First man up was Marty Lieberman on clarinet with Bye Bye Blackbird.  (Marty is responsible for starting Sam’s Jam about 30 years ago.) Peter Gerler joined them on guitar for I Never Knew.

Laurie Young

Vocalist Lorrie Young likes Billie Holiday, stepped up with Can’t Help Loving That Man of Mine.  She’ll be back here in a few weeks.  Her ‘alter ego’ Stacie Brandon joined her for How High The Moon. (We hope the names are correct.)

Jeff Hughes just listening in the audience finally stepped up with his mellow, melodic flugel horn; I Let a Song Get Out of My Heart, with warm interplay with Whitney’s trumpet.  When these two get together, it’s pure magic!

The White Heat Swing Quintet finished with Wholly Cats, that the Benny Goodman Sextet did in 1940 in NYC with Charlie Christian, Cootie Williams, George Auld, Artie Bernstein and Harry Jaeger.

Trumpet and flugel horn duet trading fours in vibrato, fiery clarinet, Ross offering just the right chords on piano, Peter Gerler’s supple fingers on guitar, Bragdon’s driving drums, Steiner slapping that bass – closed a formidable evening of Sensational Swing!

A  Group of ‘swingers’ passing by from the dining room stopped dead in their tracks, surprised to find such great Swing here at the Sherborn Inn. They loved it! Let’s hope they return and bring friends.