Jazz breaking news: All Star Turn Out for Humphrey Lyttelton Royal Academy of Music Jazz Award At Hammersmith Apollo

The new ‘Humphrey Lyttelton Royal Academy of Music Jazz Award’ was duly announced and its initial recipient, RAM trumpeter Tom Walsh played 'Song for My Father' with his quintet of fellow-students and pretty good he sounded.

Thereafter this roller-coaster affair just growed and growed, each musical interlude followed by party pieces from the massed I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue team and no, Samantha couldn’t make it as she was busy with one of her gentlemen friends.

With Tony Fisher filling the trumpet spot, Ed Harvey, Eddie Taylor, John Picard, John Barnes and Dave Green came on to evoke past glories, followed by Wally Fawkes, Humph’s oldest associate, playing a solo clarinet blues of spine-tingling beauty that rightly earned an ovation. Kenny Ball and his band and Acker Bilk’s Paramounters paid due homage in turn, trumpeter Enrico Tomasso searingly effective on ‘Memphis Blues’. A relay of vocalists ensued, HL band in tow, Louise Parker rich-sounding on ‘Fine and Mellow', trumpeter Sue Richardson singing (and playing) Humph’s poignant ‘Sad Sweet Song’, the exultant Tina May swinging ‘I Got Rhythm’ and the ever-cool Stacey Kent emoting ‘Under a Blanket of Blue’, husband Jim Tomlinson’s velvety tenor in tow.

Annie Whitehead sat in, trading punchy trombone licks with HL’s Ray Wordsworth before Elkie Brooks sang a heartfelt ‘T’il the End of Time’ and then a very lively ‘Every Day’ with the band. Jools Holland zoomed in, recreating ‘Bad Penny Blues’ with Fisher, Green and Stones drummer Charlie Watts alongside; Ben Waters and Axel Zwingenberger added for a 3-piano boogie special. The excitement at fever pitch, the entire company thronged the stage for a final ‘Frankie and Johnny' that threatened to send the stately Apollo theatre into orbit.
– Peter Vacher