Doolally Tap is Something Special!

“Doolally Tap is Something Special!”

High praise for Doolally Tap from a fellow musician at this year’s
Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle Festival. My thanks to the
Shuffle’s Events Committee and the bands for
permitting me to film for Jazz&Jazz YouTubes.

New on the London and South East jazz scene in the last three/four years, not many Shuffle fans
had even heard of Doolally Tap but they have now! They are indeed something special and were voted the festival’s most entertaining band. Here’s why!

How Come “Doolally”?
From the town of Deolali, the location of an army base and sanatorium where soldiers leaving India in the late 19th century were sent before leaving for home. Those that became mentally deranged after contracting a fever, or Tap in Urdu, were said to have gone Doolally Tap.
(Courtesy of Doolally’s Website: https://www.doolallytap.co.uk)

The Band
David Lalljee – Band Leader/Trombone/Vocals
Titch Walker – Trumpet/Vocals
John O’Neill – Clarinet/Soprano sax/Vocals
Nick Singer – Banjo/Vocals
Tom Briers – Sousaphone

Titch Walker

Tom Briers and David Lalljee

Nick Singer of Frog Island Fame

John O’Neill

Yes indeed! Something special! And so, jazz fans, in keeping with Jazz&Jazz aims to promote and feature younger bands to boost jazz, keeping it live and alive, help spread the word about this great young band. Why shouldn’t they make it in the charts? They are every bit as entertaining and better than so much of today’s popular music. Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle have already rebooked them for their Christmas Club Gig.

“For the Sunday afternoon session (16th July) we all enjoyed a band from South London making their debut at the Shuffle -“Doolally Tap”. Without drums, but with very strong sousaphone and banjo players who created such a rhythm which would have made the drums superfluous.
So good indeed that they were the first band in our six year history to receive a standing
ovation. We have booked them again for our Christmas Club session in December.
(Enquiries to John Morgan, Ramsgate Seaside Shuffle, on Facebook or to [email protected]).

Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor Jazz&Jazz

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