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King Eddies Revival Big Band
The May Ball 2006

After the resounding success of last year's May Ball it's no great surprise that KESST and FOKES once again organised a fantastic evening for the band to play at.  The Levi Fox Hall was again decorated to the style of an elegant ballroom and about 250 guests filled the room with life.  Mr. Meehan and his jazz trio (with Nick Townsend and Nino Jinks) provided a lovely ambiance before King Eddies Revival Big Band took to the stage at approximately 9.40 pm.
A great first set (details below) featuring jazz, funk, jive and swing got the audience out of their seats and onto the spacious dancefloor and there were even a few professional dancers who really got everyone else moving.  Robert "Bushy" Busiakiewicz was the first of the night's three vocalists and provided his usual excellent standard of Sinatra-inspired vocals which the crowd loved.  The whole set had been full of accomplished solos and the set finished with a trio of Glenn Miller classics which continued to highlight this fact.
The second set (details below) got going at about 11.15 pm and once again the brilliant audience (now with even more alcohol inside them!) were more than willing to get out of their seats.  Ernest Amoako excellently performed two songs, including the Nina Simone number, Feelin' Good, with great style and then Philip Bowes sang a selection of 'party' pieces with much-needed energy and vigour which the crowd loved.
After two encores the band were finished and the guests gave one last burst of applause.
Many thanks go to: the FOKES and KESST commitees for all their hard work in preparing the Ball and the decoration, the players from the rugby team who worked for free as excellent waiters, the caterers for all their lovely food, Jon Bierman, Toby Dixon and Claude for all their help with sound and lighting and for recording the CD of the gig, the band - particularly Mr. Meehan - for providing the live entertainment and most importantly, the audience for all their support which made the night even better.

First set:

1) Caravan by Duke Ellington, Irving Mills and Juan Tizol with solos from "The Maestro" Meehan and Ed "The Magnificent" Evans.
2) Zoot Suit Riot by Steve Perry, solos from The Magnificent Evans and Tom English.
3) The Lady is a Tramp by Rogers and Hart, with vocals from Bushy.
4) Let There Be Love by Ian Grant and Lionel Rand, solo from George "Mildred" Nava and vocals from Bushy.
5) Beyond the Sea by Charles Trenet with vocals from Bushy.
6) Walk on the Wild Side by Elmer Bernstein, solos from Ed "E flat" Minor, The Maestro, Tom "Double" Sharp and Mildred.
7) Flying Fox by Mike Nolan, solos from Bushy, English and The Magnificent Evans.
8) Song for Claudio by Martin Winch, solos from Richie Harrison, Mildred and David "Twiggy" Twigg.
9) It Had to be You by Isham Jones and Gus Kahn with vocals from Bushy.
10) Moon River by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer (arr. RMM) with vocals from Bushy.
11) Mack The Knife by Bert Brecht, solos from Mildred and voclas from Bushy.
12) Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller and Mitchell Parish with clarinet solo from Ed "E flat" Minor.
13) A String of Pearls by Jerry Gray, solos from Twiggy, Bushy and Double Sharpy.
14) In the Mood by Joe Garland, solos from Bushy, Twiggy and Double Sharpy.
 
Second set:
15) Gonna Fly Now (Theme from 'Rocky') by Bill Conti.
16) Manteca by Dizzy Gillespie, Walter Gil Fuller and Luciano Pozo Gonzales, solos from Mildred and Bushy.
17) Go Daddy-O by Scotty Morris, solos from Twiggy and Double Sharpy.
18) Feelin' Good by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse (arr. RMM) with vocals from Ernest Amoako.
19) Hard to Handle by Otis Redding with vocals and guitar solo from Ernest Amoako.
20) You've Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman, solo from Twiggy.
21) Little Brown Jug by Glenn Miller, solos from Bushy, Double Sharpy and Chris "The Bear" Stanley.
22) A Small Funky Head by Richard Meehan and Nick Townsend, solos from Twiggy and Double Sharpy.
23) Got To Get You Into My Life by Lennon and McCartney, with solo from Maestro and Vocals from Philly Bowes.
24) Move On Up by Curtis Mayfield, solo from Bushy and voclas from Phil Bowes.
25) Sweet Home Chicago by Woody Payne, solos from Tom English, Ernest Amoako, Richie Harrison, Tom "Pugsley" Adams and Double Sharpy and vocals from Phil.
26) Bridge Over Troubled Water by Paul Simon with vocals from Phil.
27) Soul Man by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, solo from Bushy and vocals from Phil and Ernest Amoako.
 
Encores:
28) New York, New York by Fred Ebb and John Kander with vocals from Bushy.
29) I Saw Her Standing There by Lennon and McCartney, solos from English, Sharpy and a unique Bushy/Twiggy solo and vocals from Phil.

Click here for May Ball 2006 pictures

"King Eddie's Revival Big Band Live at The May Ball", the CD of the event, is now available! For more information contact Mr. Meehan or the band website.