One of the best half-hour traditional jazz videos that you will find anywhere on YouTube is a concert given by Tuba Skinny during their Australian tour in 2013.
As the video was professionally made and edited by Australian Television, the visual and sound qualities are exceptionally good.
The tunes played are 'Got A Man In The 'Bama Mines', 'Billygoat Stomp', 'Deep Henderson', 'Biscuit Roller', 'Dirty TB Blues', and 'Dallas Rag'.
At the time, the band was an eight-piece and included on strings those great musicians Ryan Baer (six-string banjo) and Westen Borghesi (tenor banjo). The reed player was Jonathan Doyle, who always contributed something very cultured to the Tuba Skinny sound.
My own favourite performances are 'Biscuit Roller', with its terrific vocal from Erika, and 'Deep Henderson' - a tour de force. I am always thrilled to hear how Barnabus and Shaye cope with those thrilling and difficult arpeggios in the third theme of 'Deep Henderson'. Listen out for them at 11 mins 50 seconds to 12 mins 02 seconds and again from 12 minutes 37 seconds to 12 minutes 49 seconds.
Also, the passion of Erika's singing and the supporting instrumental work in 'Dirty TB Blues' are outstanding.
This video was on YouTube for a couple of years and then sadly was taken down. But what a thrill it was when - a couple of years later - it mysteriously re-appeared!
