I've had the pleasure of seeing The Calibre Cats a few times over the last few years and in many ways they are one of the first bands which established my love for Swing, Big Band and Jazz music. This year when I saw they were on the bill for Cooly Rocks On I was excited to see them perform yet again.
Bridget Burnell fronts up the eight piece neo swing sensation. Also known as Dollface her voice is beautiful, with a subdued fragility to it, something that will catch you if you really listen but its gone as quick as it appears. Her ability to handle scatting is fantastic, having heard a lot of jazz and swing this is something where most fall short, not here however. Horns are provided by Warwick on the Trumpet, Rowan on the Trombone, Sean on Baritone Sax and Scez on Tenor Sax and Clarienet. These guys can really play, all are fine musicians, no one tries to overshadow anyone else, they all rise and fall in time and come on strong for their respective solos. Tiny on Guitar and Yuji on Bass provide essential sonic presence to the band, and lastly Drummer Wes brings up the all important beat, and he absolutely kills it, he fits like a glove, a class drummer, I don't think many can play as tight and with the clarity as he does.
So live? Bands can sound good on CD or from a friend, but this is where the rubber meets the road, and only recently have I got one of their CD's, every other time has been live, and me being a live music snob means I can spot the studio embellished types a mile off. The band take the stage and begin with "Go Daddy-O", a great instrumental song to really showcase the great sound of the band before Dollface steps in. My picks are "Go Daddy-O", "Mr. Pinstripe Suit" and classic "Hit the Road Jack".
If you are running any kind of event, function or maybe even a wedding I would and do recommend The Calibre Cats. An all together, refined, highly professional band, if you can get your hands on their CD "Live at The Tivoli Theatre" I recomend you do, people always ask me when I'm working at these gigs "Do they sound as good on their CD?" the answer is yes they do, really nice production, worthy of any good Hi-Fi system.
The Calibre Cats on Facebook &
The Calibre Cats Website
Sam Webster
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