Fathers’ Day At Concrete Blonde

Hello Bakeliters,

A quick piece of band news

Greg Poppleton & his Bakelite Broadcasters played today for diners and dancers at Fathers’ Day lunch in the beautiful Concrete Blonde Restaurant, Level 1, 33 Bayswater Road, Potts Point

Here’s a pic I’ve copied from Warren Fahey’s Facebook page. Warren wrote, “GREG POPPLETON’S BAKELITE BROADCASTERS return with another serving of songs from the Roaring Twenties and Nervous Thirties. Greg sings & dances like he just stepped out of a Hollywood film and is accompanied by drums, tenor banjo, bass and a huge sousaphone. One of our favourite performers to date. Do not miss this unique artist”

Greg Poppleton & his Bakelite Broadcasters at Concrete Blonde, Fathers’ Day 2012.
Rod Herbert, sousaphone & bass trombone; Grahame Conlon, tenor banjo; Greg Poppleton, vocals; Bob Gillespie, drums

This is our second visit to Concrete Blonde. Every Sunday is Sunday Jazz Lunch from 1 – 4pm. George Washingmachine, Janet Seidel, Jeff Duff and more play for your listening and dancing pleasure on Sundays

And Concrete Blonde showcases French Manouche Gypsy Jazz, Flamenco Rhythms and Latin Beats from 7pm every Wednesday night

But the food! Today I had fried cauliflower with blue cheese and hazelnut vinaigrette. I chose it because cauliflower makes me gag. Not today! Yum, yum. Not a spot left on the plate. Other band members had the chicken, beef cheeks and lamb. They were all melt-in-your-mouth. In fact, the lamb was so melt-in-your-mouth tender it could be pulled away with a gentle prod of the fork. Perfect!

And Concrete Blonde is not expensive either considering the 5 star quality of the food, the friendly service, and the inviting ambience of the room and terrace. Three courses for Sunday Lunch is only $48pp. Spoil yourself. You couldn’t do better than book Concrete Blonde for your company or social club’s Christmas Party. Their booking number is (61 2) 9380 8307. Website: http://www.concreteblonderestaurant.com.au/

Sunday Roast at Sunday Jazz Lunch, Concrete Blonde

Falling In Love Again

I hope you enjoyed the ‘classic’ Phantom Dancer that went to air last week. So, the Phantom Dancer show scheduled for last week will now be heard this week – with one change – a listener request

A listener emailed me at phantomdancer@2ser.com and asked for ‘If I Didn’t Care’ sung by the Inkspots and songs from ‘Singing In The Rain’ – The Musical. See Set 4 in the play list below to see what I’ve chosen. I hope you enjoy the selections

And for this week’s Video Of The Week, I’m putting up a video of myself for a change – singing ‘Falling In Love Again’. I hope you like it

Incidentally, I’ll be announcing and singing in The Glen Street Theatre’s Cotton Club Show this Saturday, 1 September at 8pm. (I’ll also be announcing the ‘Singers Of The 1930s Show)

Then, Greg Poppleton & his Bakelite Broadcasters will be playing the songs of the 1920s (with banjo and sousaphone) this Sunday 2 September 1 – 4pm at Concrete Blonde, 33 Bayswater Road, Kings Cross. From their FB page: “Sun. 2nd GREG POPPLETON’S BAKELITE BROADCASTERS return with another serving of songs from the Roaring Twenties and Nervous Thirties. Greg sings and dances like he just stepped out of a Hollywood film and is accompanied by drums, tenor banjo, bass and a huge sousaphone. One of our favourite performers to date. Do not miss this unique artist.”

Play List – The Phantom Dancer 107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream, Digital Radio Community Radio Network Show #13 2SER Tuesday 28 August 2012 12 noon – 1:30pm (+10 hours GMT) 2SER Saturday 1 September 2012 6 – 7:30pm (+10 hours GMT) Set 1 Tuesday At Ten Thrasher Sisters (voc) Phil Davis Orchestra ‘Fountain Of Fun’ WLW Cincinnati 28 Nov 1943 Idle Gossip Sarah Vaughan (voc) Trio Concert Topeka Kansas Feb 1955 Softly As In A Morning Sunrise Boyd Raeburn Orchestra ‘One Night Stand’ Roseland Ballroom NY AFRS Re-broadcast 11 Feb 1944 Theme + But None Like You (missed playing this last week) Freddy Martin Orchestra ‘Spotlight Bands’ AFRS Re-broadcast 1940s Set 2 Se Io Fosso Un Millionario (If I Were A Millionaire) Unidentified Comm Rec Italy 1930s Ooh What You’re Doing To Me Sarah Vaughan (voc) Jimmy Mordecai (p) Birdland WNBC NBC NY 1 Apr 1953 Tea For Two Gene Krupa Orchestra (voc) Carolyn Grey ‘One Night Stand’ Meadowbrook Gardens Culver City Ca AFRS Re-broadcast 31 Mar 1946 Dinah + (Music In The Moonlight – theme) Jimmy Grier Orchestra (voc) The 3 Cheers (voc-Donad Novis – theme) ‘Cocoanut Grove’ TRANSCO Radio Transcription 1933 Set 3 Invitation To A Dance Rudy Vallee (voc) ‘Fleischman Yeast Hour’ WEAF NBC Red NY 13 Dec 1934 On The Good Ship Lollipop Stewart Sisters (voc) ‘Fleischman Yeast Hour’ WEAF NBC Red NY 13 Dec 1934 Whistling In Counterpoint John Tucker ‘Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour’ via WJSV CBS Washington DC 21 Sep 1939 Set 4-Requests Good Morning Jan Savitt & His Top Hatters Radio Transcription New York 1939 Medley: Just One Of Those Things + I’m Yours + Temptation Hal Kemp Orchestra Aircheck c 1939 If I Didn’t Care The Inkspots ‘Jubilee’ AFRS Hollyood 1944 You Are My Lucky Star (Du Sollst Mein Gluecksstern Sein) Die Goldene Sieben (voc) Hans Emme-Schuhardt Comm Rec Berlin Feb 1936 Set 5 It Never Entered My Mind Shep Fields & His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra (voc) Hal Derwin Radio Transcription New York 1940 Let’s Dance (theme) + Love Is Just Around The Corner Benny Goodman Orchestra (voc) Buddy Clark ‘Let’s Dance’ WEAF NBC Red NY 8 Dec 1934 Brown Betty Eliot Lawrence Orchestra Palladium Ballroom KNX CBS LA 2 Dec 1947 Right As Rain Charlie Spivak Orchestra ‘Spotlight Bands’ Jamestown NY Blue Network 19 Jan 1945 Set 6 Lester Leaps In Lester Young Sextet ‘Symphony Sid Show’ WMCA NY 27 Nov 1948

1920s Great Gatsby Jazz Band At Concrete Blonde

Sunday July 1: Greg Poppleton & his Bakelite Broadcasters played for Sunday Lunch at Concrete Blonde, Level 2, 33 Bayswater Road, Potts Point. Now, if you haven’t head of Concrete Blonde before, I want to tell you all about it a little later in this blog entry. Just to say now, if you’re in Sydney or visiting, it’s a must visit

But first, the Greg Poppleton & his Bakelite Broadcasters’ show. Here’s a snippet…

Warren Fahey AM, social historian, author, record producer, broadcaster and singer said about yesterday’s  Concrete Blonde show by Greg Poppleton & his Bakelite Broadcasters:

“Yesterday’s Jazz/Funk/Whatever Lunch at Concrete Blonde was another terrific day. Here’s Greg Poppleton and the Bakelite Broadcasters in action Greg sang all the top songs of the 1920s and 30s – many that I have grown up with. There were many happy faces in the audience and Greg’s interpretations, including dancing, swaying, staring and facial gymnastics made the music all the more interesting and amusing. They will be back!”

Concrete Blonde wrote on their Facebook page: “What a fantastic performance yesterday here! Love the bloke in the pinstripes and ……. phew, check out the size of that guy’s tuba”

Greg Poppleton & his Bakelite Broadcasters at Concrete Blonde

Now a few words about this great restaurant itself…

Concrete Blonde is one of those rare restaurants where the space makes you feel good (expansive, even!) the minute you walk in. It has both an indoor and outdoor area and the connection between these two spaces is remarkably seamless. As a space, its designers have successfully combined a sense of occasion and gathering with intimacy and privacy. Remarkable! (As I’ve just done). Part of the occasion is being able to see your dinner cooked. The kitchen is along one side of the space. There’s also a friendly and extensive bar. And a cellar behind glass in the dining area itself. Car parking is in the building, which makes it easy in busy Kings Cross. But I don’t drive. So there’s the 324 and 325 bus at the front door and the 311 bus and Kings Cross train station just around the corner! Plus there’s live music by name bands in jazz, funk, gypsy, folk and more. Free! Sunday lunch and Wednesday nights. As Symphony Sid used to say in between Charlie Parker/Miles Davis sets on his all-night, all-frantic WMCA bop show from the Royal Roost nightclub, New York – ‘what more could you want?’

I’ll tell you what more - the food and the friendly staff take your experience to a whole new level

And the menu is special

For Sunday lunch, the band chose the Beef with Yorkshire Pudding and the Duck. There was also a vegetarian choice that was very, very tempting. I’ve never had Yorkshire Pudding before, but I will be having it again. And our Mancunian drummer, Bob Gillespie, formerly musical director for Lovelace Watkins and drummer with Maynard Ferguson’s English Orchestra, and whose family makes Yorkshire Puddings at home, was mightily impressed. The beef just melted in my mouth. And despite the servings being generous, with two big serving boats of tasty roast potatoes and broccoli and carrots arriving at our table, nothing was left on anyone’s plate. In short, the chef made a Sunday Roast exciting – and delicious. That’s real skill and passion for food

As for the restaurant space being an event in itself, making you feel good, and making you want to be there, I found this quote which goes some way in explaining why I felt so good the way I did the moment I walked through the doors: “Concrete Blonde is very excited and proud to announce that we have been short-listed (from over 600 entries) for the finals of the International Restaurant & Bar Design Awards. This is the only concept of its kind in the world and is dedicated exclusively to hospitality design. The Awards invites and receives entries from the world’s top architects, designers and hospitality operators. The judges recognise and reward entrants from all over the world for design excellence. The winners will be announced at an innovative ceremony at the Royal Institute of British Architects, London, 66 Portland Place on the 6th September 2012″

So Concrete Blonde is indeed a very special place. It’s warm and friendly. You’ll feel comfortable no matter what your restaurant background – whether you’re local or visiting, whether you’re a gourmand or someone like me on a very low income who only goes to a restaurant on very special occasions.  And if you are someone like me, well you can guess from the tone of this review, that I reckon Concrete Blonde is one exciting place that’ll take your special occasion to a whole new level and you’ll be happy to splash out with the hard-earns

Here’s their YouTube promo…

Greg Poppleton @ Concrete Blonde 1 July

Greg Poppleton & his Bakelite Broadcasters play the songs of the 1920s for Sunday Jazz Lunch at Concrete Blonde, 33 Bayswater Road, Potts Point, 1 July, 1 – 4pm. Music rarely heard and never forgotten. Books advised: +61 2 9380 8307

Please visit Greg Poppleton & his Bakelite Broadcasters’ Official Website: www.bakelitejazz.com