I WAS weaned on Sid Lawrence and Big Band, so at every possible opportunity I take my father to see either the Glenn Miller Orchestra or, in this case, the SLO, owned and conducted by Chris Dean pretty much in the style of the late great band leaders.

This time, however, I didn't feel that Chris was his usual bouncy fun self - in fact in the first half of the show he looked positively bored, though thankfully he perked up as the second half progressed.

The 16-piece band were excellent as ever, playing their way through Stan Kenton, Glenn Miller and Duke Ellington while managing to cover many other lesser-known names along the way.

Many of the band members did a spot, away from the orchestra, showcasing their own special talents. Sue Greenway, the only female band member, played a fantastic sax duet with Colin Skinner, a little-known piece called I Close My Eyes.

Joining the band were two singers. The first, Angie Mills, aka Mrs Chris Dean, set the stage alight with her sultry voice, singing the dark smoky jazz songs of the 1940s, including I Only Have Eyes For You.

The second was the charismatic Matthew Ford, who has the most hypnotic eyes I've ever seen. Catching the stage lights they were haunting, and that's without even commenting on his singing. Mathew's soft sexy voice singing I Left My Heart In San Fransisco sent me right back there to a holiday memory.

Updated: 10:30 Friday, April 22, 2005