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Slim Gaillard: 100 Club, London

Sheryl Garratt, New Musical Express, 17 September 1983

FOR ABOUT the tenth time that evening, Slim Gaillard spotted a camera pointing in his direction and stopped a song mid-way to pose. "Yes, I'm a ham", he grins to the audience, "but I enjoy it. It's fun." At almost seventy years old, Slim is still the Viceroy of Vout, purveyor of his own special brand of nonsense, and the only person around who can get tables full of bearded, big-bellied Serious Jazz Fans singing loud choruses of "chug chug WHOO WHOO" in response to nursery rhyme songs.

Total word count of piece: 570

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