Caedmon Hall, Gateshead

THE New Century Ragtime Orchestra, led by Steve Andrews, has had a regular date at the Caedmon Hall for 19 years and on this occasion they introduced two very gifted pianists.

The band started each half with a set of their own and with a couple of substitute musicians they sounded in extremely good form. Their short programme included Scott Joplin’s The Easy Winners with violin, clarinet and sousaphone blending well, Oh Gee and I Can’t Give You Anything But Love featuring Caroline Irwin’s crystal clear vocals and Nagasaki.

Andrews then introduced Stephanie Trick from St Louis, Missouri, who played Duke Ellington’s Black Beauty with the orchestra before being joined by her husband and fellow pianist Paolo Alderighi for a series of duets (four hands on one piano) and solos.

For all of these a video image of their playing was projected on to a screen allowing everyone to see their remarkable finger work.

Using almost every possible combination of their four hands, they played a wide ranging programme of ragtime, boogie woogie and stride piano which included Temptation Rag, After You’ve Gone, Just a Closer Walk with Thee and a sublime solo version by Trick of James P Johnson’s Carolina Balmoral.

A second set by the orchestra included the rarely heard Rumba Negro by Bennie Moten and the never to be forgotten Washing Dishes with my Sweetie at the Kitchen Sink.

The two pianists then returned to play Sentimental Journey, a very playful Running Wild, Exactly Like You in Erroll Garner style and Alderighi’s solo feature on Tiger Rag.

A final performance of Limehouse Blues with the full band ended an outstanding concert.

Peter Bevan