With the 20th anniversary just passed of the recording of the Revenge of the big band live album I thought it would be fitting that I should relate one of my favourite Big Band stories which wasn't actually the Revenge of the Big Band but it was a Peter Sullivan big band. During the 90s I worked with several big bands and I was more than lucky to do so.
On this occasion we were booked to do the opening of the Como Centre in South Yarra and it was a grand affair attended by Melbourne's A+ list. I was sharing the stage with Wendy Stapleton and Lisa Edwards backed by the 16 pce. Peter Sullivan Big Band.
The staging of an event like this being mostly smoke and mirrors the idea was that Pete would play in front of a big curtain doing a set of solo piano standards and then the curtain would be drawn to reveal the band which would come out in full regalia as if by magic on what appeared to be like a hydraulic platform. In actual fact the so-called hydraulic platform was a rickety structure built of timber with about a dozen guys behind it pushing it forward on coasters to make it look like it was hydraulic! I was placed on a section of the stage in front and centre and as the platform came forward it became evident that the corner at the back of the Piano was going to fit into the exact spot that I was standing. I’d already started singing New York New York and as the piano got closer and closer, I started to panic, the adrenaline kicked in and I did this almighty leap over the end of the piano and ended up on my feet on the floor sorry on the stage without missing a beat. After that the night went absolutely swimmingly. The band was a huge success.
As always it was a very long night as the event planners strove to get their money's worth out of the band so that by the end of the night we were almost playing to the crickets and the cleaners. We had a few glasses of wine by this time and were in pretty high spirits but were a bit bummed out by the fact that we were playing to nobody and we might as well have just packed up and gone home. So we’re finishing as we began with the classic New York New York and the idea was that, as the song drew to a close, the stage that the band was on would withdraw and the curtains would close leaving just Sully, myself, Wendy and Lisa to take your bows. Unfortunately the best laid plans of mice and men are always want to go terribly wrong in these situations. As the band drew back behind the curtain I realised that my mic lead was still attached to the stage and the stage was dragging the mic lead back with it. Equally unfortunately my mic lead went under the piano. So as I was singing New York New York I found myself being dragged backwards and downwards until I was on my knees under the piano still singing New York New York amidst fits of laughter from Peter Sullivan and the girls, and most importantly, myself! Luckily there were enough punters left to witness this rather ignominious retreat.
Here's a photo from another time with Peter Sullivan.