That (Bigger) Blue Patch (Photo: Colin Younger)After two successive blazing hot Sundays in the park, things weren't looking too good for the third week of Broomfield Blues. Heavy rain on Saturday and a very dull start to Sunday. But the weather gods must have been sufficiently mollified by the sacrifices people made last week (the money collected in Ralph Hutching's bright red top hat) and eventually laid on a warm afternoon with long enough sunny spells to bring out the audience and create queues for the delicious hand-made ice cream.
Palmers Greenies lapping up the music (Photo: Colin Younger)This week's two bands treated us to a somewhat gentler interpretation of the Blues in its widest sense - but don't take that to mean an absence of spark, intensity or virtuosity.
We began with a typically eclectic set from That Blue Patch - normally a duo made up of husband and wife Dave Buckwell and Ruth Mignano, but on this occasion augmented by Tig Trafford to form That (Bigger) Blue Patch.
While That Blue Patch roamed far and wide for their musical styles and sources, the afternoon's main act anchored themselves firmly in a period (the thirties and forties) and a location (Paris). The Hot Club de Broomfield (correct pronunciation "'Ot Clerb") pay homage to the classic Quintet of the Hot Club de Paris, whose most famous members were gypsy guitarist extraordinaire Django Reinhardt and voilinist Stéphane Grapelli. This afternoon the classic three-guitar + string bass lineup was augmented by that most French of instruments, an accordion. A relaxing lilt throughout, but at the same time distinctly danceable music.
Le Hot Club de Broomfield avec un line-up classique: guitarres, contrebasse et accordéon