The Jive Aces played a lively set during in an afternoon slot that might have been hard to get the crowd going. They had no such trouble though, playing with high energy and plenty of visual gimmicks. AT first I didn’t think I’d review them because I thought they’d be too slick and swingy for my tastes. But I must admit that I grew into them as the set wore on.
Mack the Knife was standard fare for them and gave them all a chance to show their unquestionable quality. The lead singer was pretty good throughout but really comes in to his own when he does Louis Prima. It’s uncanny how much he can sound like King Louis. I’m Just A Gigalo was brilliant and was followed by a classy cover of Up A Lazy River. During Oh Marie, three of the band got in amongst the crowd and by this stage they had the dancers going full on. They returned to Bobby Darin for a quality reading of Beyond The Sea.
I thought their version of Shake Rattle And Roll was rubbish - too jazzy and showy for me sorry. The band were joined for a couple of songs by Louis Prima and Keely Smith’s daughter Toni Elisabeth Prima, the highlight being Buena Sera. The closer was a wonderful jived up version of Vera Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again. To round off a great afternoon we bumped into Keely Smith who chatted away and was one of the friendliest people you could wish to meet. I stood and watched with her as an old Dakota flew overhead – sometimes life throws you these moments to cherish.
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