Ian Griffin and Andy Oakley in Keyboard Cabaret

What can we say about this extra event? Judging from the audience reaction - both at the time and since the event, it was almost certainly the best concert Crawley Keyboard Club has hosted.

Andy Oakley is the Entertainments Manager at Barton Hall, Torquay, and when 3 members of our Committee were there last November they so enjoyed his whole personality and then stage performance, we invited him to come to Crawley with Ian Griffin as his 'orchestra'.

Ian Griffin has played for us at Crawley on two previous occasions, each time with Richard Bower as the duo Keyklix. We never had any doubts about his musicianship but hearing him both solo and accompanying Andy - an interesting but unpredictable task - made many of us realise just how good he really is. Ian, playing his Technics KN2000, Solton MS5 and Hammond XB1, and a pedal board (in other words, organ configuration) started the evening with Just Help Yourself, made famous by fellow Welshman, Tom Jones ... or "Jawnes". This was followed by a beautifully plaintive melody If, and I Don't Know Why I Love you. This had the heads nodding and the toes tapping and featured a lovely raucous sax, the Hammond and big band brass. Straight into You Always Hurt the One you Love with a lovely lazy piano - "comfortable shuffling-around-the-floor" music.

The whole evening was filled with music and laughter - more laughter - and yet more laughter. Andy has a superb voice and enchanted us with songs such as Love Changes Everything, New York New York, Born Free and Green Green Grass of Home. Between these bursts of song, however, Andy had the audience in fits of laughter with his gags and patter - lots of lively repartee with members of the audience who obviously loved every minute of it.

Andy has a wicked sense of humour and had the audience in fits with his rendition of Ghost Riders in the Sky -we feel sure no one was offended by some of the lyrics he changed! There were several costume changes for this extremely talented man - all adding to the irrepressible - but clever - humour throughout the evening.

Ian had another solo spot which he filled admirably with a classical selection of Chopin's Nocturne and Adagio Cantabile in Ab - both beautifully played - and a very lively Brazil.

Andy's 'Phantom' act featured an amateur operatic society 'star' who couldn't lose his Birmingham accent - this brought howls of laughter from the audience. His Pavarotti performance, although hilarious, also included a performance of Nessun Dorma which had some of our audience on their feet with enthusiasm. He really has a great tenor voice. Elvis Presley finished the evening with the American Dream, and You'll Never Walk Alone. The evening couldn't finish there and after yet another standing ovation Andy sang the Matt Monro favourite Softly, As I Leave You.

We've never had such an enthusiastic response to any of our meetings and we have had to make several copies of the video recording to send to various people in the organ world. It seems as if we - at Crawley - have started something which may well be repeated at other venues.

There is no doubt that Andy Oakley has a talent which should be shared with a much wider audience. To balance this, Ian Griffin's musical accompaniment was nothing short of brilliant and complemented Andy's performance in every way.