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NEAR FUTURE IN DORSET / HAMPSHIRE / WILTSHIRE BORDER AREA; DON'T MISS
Thursday 23 May 2013; The Big Chris Barber Band at the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne, starting at 8PM. Tickets £22.50 each from 01202 885566 or Tivoli Theatre web site.
Thursdays 23rd and 30th May 2013; Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the Fishermans Haunt Salisbury Road, Winkton, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 7AS. Jazz starts at 8:30PM. Food and drink with full table service available (bookings 01202 477283). Free admission.
Saturday 25th May; Dave Hewett's Condonians at the New Yellow Dog Jazz Club, Fleming Park Bowling Club, Kornwestheim, Eastleigh, SO50 9NL (behind the Holiday Inn). Dance floor and bar at club prices. Doors open 6:30PM, jazz from 8-11 PM, Advance booking essential, contact Joe Croll, 023 8086 9720 or Email: joecroll@sky.com
Sunday 26th May 2013; John Maddocks' Jazzmen at the St Leonards Hotel, 185 Ringwood Road, St Leonards, Dorset, BH24 2NP. £7 admission, 7:30PM start. Food available earlier in the restaurant; booking advisable, Tel: 01425 471220, Email: 9230@greeneking.co.uk
Mondays 3rd, 17th and 24th June 2013; Alan Pickering's Spirit of New Orleans at the Bournemouth Traditional Jazz Club, starting at 8PM. The club meets at the Bluebirds Social Club in Longham, BH22 9DP (opposite Haskins garden centre) and features a large dance floor, plenty of free car parking and affordable drinks. £5 admission.
Wednesday 5th June 2013; The Panama Hat New Orleans Jazz Band at Ye Olde George Inn, 2A Castle Street, Christchurch, Dorset BH23 1DT, tel. 01202 479383, starting at 8:30PM. Food is available in the bar without booking. Free admission.
Monday 10th June 2013; Sunset Café Stompers at the Bournemouth Traditional Jazz Club, starting at 8PM. The club meets at the Bluebirds Social Club in Longham, BH22 9DP (opposite Haskins garden centre) and features a large dance floor, plenty of free car parking and affordable drinks. £8 admission.
Friday 14th June; The Dart Valley Stompers at the Salisbury Jazz Club, £10 entrance fee, advance booking essential, contact Joe Croll, 023 8086 9720 or Email: joecroll@sky.com. The Club meets on the second Friday of every month at the Livestock Market, Netherhampton Road, Salisbury SP2 8RH on the outskirts of Salisbury. Dancing is encouraged but you can just sit and listen if you prefer. There is a bar, raffle, large car park and hot food is available until 8.30pm. Doors open at 7 PM and the jazz starts at 8 PM.
Thursday 20th June 2013;
Verwood Jazz Club presents Matt Palmer's Millenium Eagle Jazz Band, 8PM at "The Hideaway" 17 Moorlands Road, Verwood, Dorset. BH31 7PD, £8 at the door. Doors open 7PM Bar & food available - contact - 07798 721405. To eat in the restaurant prior to the jazz, telephone 01202 822684 or e-mail: info@thehideawayverwood.co.uk.
THE PAST
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Nigel Kennedy at the Bournemouth Pavilion
This evening we went to the Bournemouth Paviion to see Nigel Kennedy performing compositions by Bach, Fats Waller, Dave Brubeck, etc. He was accompanied by three fine musicians from Germany, Poland and Palestine. A snatch of them can can be seen at Fats Waller Meets Nigel Kennedy. Everything they played was superb so the selection below just shows some examples.
1) Czardas, composed by Vittorio Monti (1868-1922), an Italian composer, violinist, and conductor. Monti was born in Naples where he studied violin and composition at the Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella. His only famous work is his Csárdás, written around 1904 and played by almost every gypsy orchestra. The link is to Nigel playing with a small orchestra.
2) Partita No.2 in D minor, composed by J.S. Bach. The Partitas were written as a set of six harpsichord suites, published from 1726 to 1730 as Clavier-Übung I, and the first of his works to be published under his direction. Unlike the earlier sets of suites, Bach originally intended to publish seven Partitas, advertising in the Spring of 1730 upon the publication of the fifth Partita that the promised collected volume would contain two more such pieces. This intention is further signalled by the spread of keys, which follows a clear structure, B-Flat - c, a - D, G - e, leaving F as the logical conclusion. The Italian Concerto, which is in the key of F and was published in the Clavier-Übung II, likely originated therefore as one of the Partitas before expanding beyond the dictates of the Suite form. The link is to a prom preview by Nigel.
3) Crazy 'Bout My Baby, composed by Fats Waller with lyrics by Alex Hill. The link is to one of Fats' slower versions.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
John Maddocks' Jazzmen at the St Leonards Hotel
This evening we went to the St Leonards Hotel, Dorset, just for jazz after the dining experience last time; noisy, badly-behaved, children next to us.
The John Maddocks Jazzmen (pictured) comprised John Maddocks (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, vocals), Peter Wilkinson (trumpet, vocals), Tony Farr (trombone), Chris Satterley (keyboard, vocals), Graham Wiseman (string bass, sousaphone), George Skidmore, (banjo, guitar, vocals) and Brian Barker (drums).
Three favourite numbers were:
1) Shimmy-sha-wabble, composed by Spencer Williams in 1917. Williams was born in New Orleans and educated at St. Charles University there. He was performing as pianist and singer in Chicago by 1907, and moved to New York City about 1916. After arriving in New York, he co-wrote several songs with Anton Lada of the Louisiana Five. Among those songs was "Basin Street Blues" which would become one of his most popular songs and is still recorded by musicians to this day. Around the time of World War One he co-composed the song "Squeeze Me" with Fats Waller. Williams toured Europe with bands from 1925 to 1928; during this time he wrote for Josephine Baker at the Folies Bergères in Paris. Williams then returned to New York for a few years. In 1932, he moved to Europe for good, living in Sunbury-on-Thames before moving to Stockholm in 1951 where he spent most of the rest of his life. Williams returned to New York shortly before his death in Flushing, New York on July 14, 1965. His numerous hit songs include "Basin Street Blues", "She'll Be Comin Around That Mountain", "I Ain't Got Nobody", "Royal Garden Blues", "Mahogany Hall Stomp", "I've Found a New Baby", "Everybody Loves My Baby", "Shimmy-Sha-Wobble", "Boodle Am Shake", "Tishomingo Blues", "Fireworks", "I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None of My Jelly Roll", "Arkansas Blues", "Paradise Blues", "When Lights Are Low","Dallas Blues", and "My Man o’ War". Williams was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
To show that this number is also a dance, the link is to the debut performance of Erin Morris and her Ragdolls; Erin Morris (Choreographer & Lion-tamer), Brittany Morton (Costume Mistress & Toe-tapper), Katie Overmyer (Curl-shaker) and Sara Lapan (Smile-maker).
2) Working Man Blues, one of the many great numbers written by Joe 'King' Oliver, as featured on this link. We prefer the 1950's Dutch Swing College Version with the slow introduction but it is not available on YouTube.
As a player, Oliver took great interest in altering his horn's sound. He pioneered the use of mutes, including the rubber plumber's plunger, derby hat, bottles and cups. His favorite mute was a small metal mute made by C.G. Conn Instrument Company, with which he played his famous solo on his composition the "Dippermouth Blues" (an early nickname for fellow cornetist Louis Armstrong). His recording "WaWaWa" with the Dixie Syncopators can be credited with giving the name wah-wah to such techniques. He credited jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden as an early influence and in turn was a major influence on numerous younger cornet/trumpet players in New Orleans and Chicago, including Tommy Ladnier, Paul Mares, Muggsy Spanier,Johnny Wiggs and, the most famous of all, Louis Armstrong. One of his protégés, Louis Panico (cornetist with the Isham Jones Orchestra), authored a book entitled "The Novelty Cornetist," which is illustrated with photos showing some of the mute techniques he learned from Oliver. As mentor to Armstrong in New Oleans, Oliver taught young Louis and gave him his job in Kid Ory's band when he went to Chicago. A few years later Oliver summoned him to Chicago to play with his band. Louis remembered Oliver as "Papa Joe" and considered him his idol and inspiration. In his autobiography, "Satchmo - My Life in New Orleans," Armstrong wrote: "It was my ambition to play as he did. I still think that if it had not been for Joe Oliver, Jazz would not be what it is today. He was a creator in his own right."
3) Tight Like That, composed by Thomas 'Georgia Tom' Dorsey and Hudson 'Tampa Red' Whittaker, as featured on this link. Georgia Tom was a leading blues pianist who later became the father of black gospel music.
Tampa Red is best known as an accomplished and influential blues guitarist who had a unique single-string slide style. His songwriting and his silky, polished 'bottleneck' technique influenced other leading Chicago blues guitarists. He was born Hudson Woodbridge in Smithville, Georgia, United States. His parents died when he was a child, and he moved to Tampa, Florida, where he was raised by his aunt and grandmother and adopted their surname, Whittaker. He emulated his older brother, Eddie, who played guitar, and he was especially inspired by an old street musician called Piccolo Pete, who first taught him to play blues licks on a guitar. In the 1920s, having already perfected his slide technique, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, and began his career as a musician, adopting the name 'Tampa Red' from his childhood home and light colored skin. His big break was being hired to accompany Ma Rainey and he began recording in 1928 with "It's Tight Like That", in a bawdy and humorous style that became known as "hokum". Early recordings were mostly collaborations with Georgia Tom, recording almost 90 sides, sometimes as "The Hokum Boys" or, with Frankie Jaxon, as "Tampa Red's Hokum Jug Band".
In 1928, Tampa Red became the first black musician to play a National steel-bodied resonator guitar, the loudest and showiest guitar available before amplification, acquiring one in the first year they were available. This allowed him to develop his trademark bottleneck style, playing single string runs, not block chords, which was a precursor to later blues and rock guitar soloing. The National guitar he used was a gold-plated tricone, which was found in Illinois in the 1990s by music-shop owner and guitarist Randy Clemens and later sold to the "Experience Music Project" in Seattle. Tampa Red was known as "The Man With The Gold Guitar", and, into the 1930s, he was billed as "The Guitar Wizard".
His partnership with Georgia Tom ended in 1932, but he remained much in demand as a session musician, working with John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, Memphis Minnie, Big Maceo, and many others. In 1934 he signed for Victor Records, remaining on their artist roster until 1953. He formed the Chicago Five, a group of session musicians who created what became known as the Bluebird sound, a precursor of the small group style of later jump blues and rock and roll bands. He was a close friend and associate of Big Bill Broonzy and Big Maceo Merriweather. He enjoyed commercial success and reasonable prosperity, and his home became a centre for the blues community, informally providing rehearsal space, bookings, and lodgings for the flow of musicians who arrived in Chicago from the Mississippi Delta as the commercial potential of blues music grew and agricultural employment in the south diminished.
By the 1940s he was playing electric guitar. In 1942 "Let Me Play With Your Poodle" was a number 4 hit on Billboard's new "Harlem Hit Parade", forerunner of the R&B chart, and his 1949 recording "When Things Go Wrong with You (It Hurts Me Too)", another R&B hit, was covered by Elmore James. He was 'rediscovered' in the late 1950s as part of the blues revival, his final recordings being made in 1960. He became an alcoholic after his wife's death in 1953 and died destitute in Chicago, aged 77.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Golden Eagle Jazz Band at Salisbury Jazz Club
This evening, for the first time since Joe Croll took over its management, we went to the Salisbury Jazz Club at the Livestock Market. Joe has made one very welcome improvement; no queueing outside the door ! Even though we arrived before the new, earlier, opening time of 7 PM, Joe invited us in to sit down.
The jazz was provided by our old friends, the Golden Eagle band, comprising Mike Scroxton (trumpet, vocals), Alan Cresswell (clarinet), Roy Stokes (trombone, vocals), Mike Broad (string bass), Kevin Scott, (banjo, leader, vocals, jokes) and Pete Jackman (drums). Before we sat down, Kevin, Mike S and Roy all kissed Selina; she has so many admirers. Favourite numbers were:
1) Mike's vocal Someday Sweetheart, written by Los Angeles-based musicians John and Reb Spikes in 1919. It was the biggest hit the brothers wrote, and was performed by many recording artists of the period. The first one to record it was blues singer Alberta Hunter. Jelly Roll Morton recorded the song twice, in 1923 and 1926 as on this link. What a great recording band; The Red Hot Peppers.
Other artists who have recorded the song include Chet Atkins, Count Basie, Bing Crosby, Kenny Davern, Jimmy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Frankie Laine and Teddy Wilson.
2) Let Me Call You Sweetheart, music by Leo Friedman and lyrics by Beth Slater Whitson. The song was published in 1910 and first recorded by The Peerless Quartet. This recording is available on YouTube but the quality is poor so I opted for Fats Domino instead. The girl who modeled for the original sheet music, as pictured on YouTube, is alleged [according to whom?] to have been Virginia Rappe, the subject of the 1921 Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle scandal. Among the thousands of mainstream appearances of this pop standard are a British advert for mobile phone operator and internet service provider Orange SA, involving a wind-up toy of two figures hugging. The version used in this advert was sung by Oliver Hardy from the 1938 film Swiss Miss, made with his comic partner Stan Laurel. This song was also sung in an episode of Our Gang (the Little Rascals) by Alfalfa Switzer. It was also sung in an episode of Downton Abbey broadcast on ITV1 on 23rd September 2012 and recorded by Bette Midler for the film "The Rose" and the accompanying "The Rose Soundtrack".
3) When somebody thinks you're wonderful, written by Harry M. Woods. The link is to the famous version by Fats Waller from 1936. I wrote about Woods on 31 March 2013, because of 'River, Stay Away From My Door', mentioning another of his songs 'Try A Little Tenderness'. Alone, and with his collaborators, he wrote many other famous songs, including "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover", "The Clouds Will Soon Roll By", "Side by Side", "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" and "I'll Never Say 'Never Again' Again". What a prolific composer !
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Panama Hat Jazz Band back at Ye Olde George Inn (YOGI), Christchurch
This evening, we returned to Ye Olde George Inn in Christchurch, Dorset, to see The Panama Hat New Orleans Jazz Band. The band comprised Tony Purse (trumpet, vocals), Tom Pearce (trombone), Ron Agar (clarinet, vocal), Alan Harris (string bass), George Skidmore (banjo, resonator guitar, vocals), and 'Stan the Man' Bowers on drums. Peter Titcomb was guest vocalist.
Notable numbers were:
1) George's vocal, Darktown Strutters Ball, written by Shelton Brooks and published in 1917. The song has been recorded many times and is considered a popular and jazz standard. The landmark 1917 recording by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band which was recorded on May 30, 1917 and released by Columbia Records as catalog number A-2297 was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2006. There are many variations of the title, including "At the Darktown Strutters' Ball", "The Darktown Strutters' Ball", and just "Strutters' Ball". The link is to the ODJB but might be a later recording.
2) Peter's vocal When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano, written by Leon René and first recorded by The Ink Spots featuring Bill Kenny in May 1940, as on this link. The Ink Spots' recording of the song reached number 4 on the US charts, and a recording by Glenn Miller reached number 2 the same year. Other recordings were made at about the same time by Xavier Cugat and Gene Krupa. The song was later recorded by Fred Waring, Guy Lombardo, Billy May, Pat Boone - whose version reached number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1957, as the B-side of "April Love" - The Five Satins, and Elvis Presley, among many others. René wrote the song as a tribute to the annual springtime return of the Cliff Swallows to Mission San Juan Capistrano in Southern California. A glassed-off room in the mission was later designated in René's honor, and displays the upright piano on which he composed the tune, the reception desk from his office, several copies of the song's sheet music and other pieces of furniture, all donated by René's family.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
John Maddocks' Jazzmen at the St Leonards Hotel
This evening we went to the St Leonards Hotel, Dorset, for dinner and jazz. We had to ask to be moved to another dining table due to the noisy, badly-behaved children next to us. Today's parents are selfish and irresponsible, just like their brats.
The John Maddocks Jazzmen comprised John Maddocks (clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, vocals, pictured), Peter Wilkinson (trumpet, vocals), Tony Farr (trombone), Chris Satterley (keyboard, vocals), Peter McCurrie (string bass, tuba), George Skidmore, (banjo, guitars, vocals) and Brian Barker (drums).
Three favourite numbers were:
1) John on soprano sax for Si Tu Vois Ma Mere, composed by the great Sidney Bechet, revived by Monty Sunshine as 'Lonesome' and featured in the Woody Allen film 'Midnight in Paris'. Bechet's primary instruments were the clarinet and the soprano sax. His playing style was intense and passionate and had a wide vibrato. He was very proficient with his instruments and a master at improvisation (both individual and collective). Bechet liked to have his sound dominate in a performance and trumpeters found it very difficult to play alongside him. However, Louis Armstrong did not find this a problem; listen to Clarence Williams Blue Five ! Some of Bechet's most famous soprano recordings were on 'King Jazz' with Mezz Mezzrow on clarinet and these are still imitated today, e.g. by Goff Dubber with Brian White and by George Huxley with John Maddocks. Although I love the soprano sax, my all-time favourite Bechet recording is the clarinet improvisation 'Blue Horizon'. Perhaps JM could play that some time.
2) Magnolia's Wedding Day written by Jimmy McHugh with Lyrics by Dorothy Fields for 'Blackbirds of 1928'. This all black revue was a sensation in its time, featuring Adelaide Hall, Tim Moore, Manton Moreland and Bill Robinson. It was the idea of impresario Lew Leslie, who planned to build the show around Florence Mills in New York after her success in the hit show 'Blackbirds' in London 1926, but she died in 1927 before rehearsals started. The big hit song was 'I Can't Give You Anything But Love', McHugh and Fields first hit (possibly bought cheaply from Reverend Edward Martin Waller, father of Fats). However, I cannot find 'Magnolia's Wedding Day' credited in the song list or recordings so I wonder if it was included in the show. It became famous in European jazz circles entirely due to Chris Barber. The link is to the 1955 Barber band.
3) Dedicated to the time that Tony Farr attempted to drive through water that was too deep, River Stay 'Way from My Door, words and music by Harry M. Woods. He had no fingers on his left hand since birth but his mother, a concert singer, encouraged him to play the piano. Despite a successful career composing mostly upbeat and popular songs, Woods' temperament was in sharp contrast to his songs, reportedly being a dangerous and volatile alcoholic. According to legend, Woods once exchanged heated words with a man in a nightclub after consuming a large quantity of alcohol. The argument escalated into a physical fight with Woods pinning the man to the floor while hitting him with his right hand and bashing him in the face with the stump of his left hand. When police arrived at the club and arrested Woods, a woman entered the club and asked, "Who is that horrible man?" Still seated at the bar, a friend of the songwriter's proudly announced, "That's Harry Woods. He wrote 'Try a Little Tenderness'.
The link is to a fairly recent live performance by Fiona Apple, previously unknown to us. We cannot find anything else by her that we like.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Martin Bennett's Old Green River Band at the Verwood Jazz Club
This evening we returned to The Hideaway in Verwood for Duck in an excellent sauce in the restaurant with a great bottle of 2007 Rioja, followed by 3 hours at the Verwood Jazz Club, to see Martin Bennett's Old Green River Band. This jazz/blues band comprised Chez Chesterman (cornet, vocals), John Finch (trombone, vocals), Tony Denton (Clarinet, tenor sax, baritone sax), Martin Bennett (keyboard, vocals), Roscoe Birchmore (string bass), Barry Foley and Stuart Smith (drums). It was great to see our old friend Chez after three years; he seemed pleased to see us too.
Favourite numbers were:
1) John's vocal, I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me, a 1926 popular song composed by Jimmy McHugh, with lyrics by Clarence Gaskill. James Francis McHugh (1894 – 1969) was one of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, credited with over 500 songs. His songs were recorded by such artists as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland (who died only one month after McHugh), Billie Holiday, Adelaide Hall, Nina Simone, Chet Baker, Dinah Washington, June Christy, Peggy Lee, Deanna Durbin, and Ella Fitzgerald.
More than 20 recordings were made of 'I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me' in the sixteen years following its publication. Early recordings included Louis Armstrong (1930), Nat Gonella (1932), Earl Hines (1932), Teddy Wilson (1938), and Ella Fitzgerald (1941).
The link is to a recording by the wonderful Billie Holiday accompanied by the great Lester Young on tenor sax. Nobody ever did it better.
2) Martin's vocal, My Mother's Eyes, written by Abel Baer and L. Wolfe Gilbert. Abel Baer was born in Baltimore, MD on March 16, 1893. He graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons and began a career in Dentistry, serving in World War I as a 2nd Lt for the USAAF. It wasn’t until 1920 that he gave up medicine and joined a music publisher as a staff writer. One of the most popular collaborators during the heyday of Tin Pan Alley, Baer collaborated with L. Wolfe Gilbert, Stanley Adams, Cliff Friend, Sam Lewis and Mabel Wayne, among others. His catalog includes such hits as “June Night”, “There Are Such Things”, “My Mother’s Eyes”, “Gee Buy You’re Swell”, “I Miss My Swiss”, “Don’t Wait ’Til the Night Before Christmas”, “Lucky Lindy”, “It’s the Girl”, “Am I To Blame?”, “Mama Loves Papa”, “Blue Hoosier Blues”, “Garden in Granada”, “When the One You Love, Loves You”, “Don’t Wake Me Up, Let Me Dream”, “The Night When Love Was Born”, “Chapel of the Roses”, “Harriet” and “I’m Sitting Pretty.” Moving to Hollywood in 1929, Baer contributed songs to the films Paramount on Parade, True to the Navy and Frozen Justice. He also collaborated on the Broadway scores for Lady Do and Old Bill M.P.
Louis Wolfe Gilbert was born in Odessa, Russia in 1886 and was one of the most prolific lyricists of Tin Pan Alley. Gilbert's notable career began in the late 1900's as a vaudeville entertainer where he toured with John L. Sullivan and later with The Ragtime Octet produced by Albert Decourville. In 1912, Gilbert had his first songwriting success with "Waiting For The Robert E. Lee", a song he co-wrote with Lewis Muir. The song was published that year by F.A. Mills and remains one of the greatest standards of the era. In 1915, Gilbert settled in Hollywood, California writing for films and also participated in the Eddie Cantor radio show. He made many appearances on radio and TV and he was one of the first songwriters to set up an independent publishing firm for the purpose of promoting his own catalog. In 1941, Gilbert was elected as a director of ASCAP, a post he served until 1944. His chief collaborators include Lewis Muir, Mabel Wayne, Abel Baer, Ben Oakland, Jay Gorney, Nat Shilkret, Richard Fall and Anatole Friedland. Highlights from his catalog include "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee", "By Heck", "Down Yonder", "O Katharina", "I Miss My Swiss (My Swiss Miss Misses Me)", "Ramona", "Jeannine, I Dream of Lillac Time", "My Mother's Eyes", "The Right Kind of Man", "Dancing To Save My Soul", "The Peanut Vendor", "I'm on A Diet Of Love", "Green Eyes", Mama Inez", "Marta", "Poor Kid", "Miss Elizabeth Brown" and "Maria My Own".
The link is to the late (and much missed) Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen.
3) Martin's final vocal, Make Me a Pallet on the Floor, a blues/jazz/folk song now considered as a standard. The song's origins are somewhat nebulous and can be traced back to the 19th century. Various versions of the lyrics were first published in 1911 in an academic journal of ethnomusicology. Some sources attribute the modern score to W. C. Handy who later modified into a song known as "Atlanta Blues". An early recording of the song was made in 1928 by Mississippi John Hurt (as "Ain't No Tellin'"). The link is to his later recording with the more usual title.
John Smith Hurt, better known as Mississippi John Hurt (1893-1966) was an American country blues singer and guitarist. Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself how to play the guitar around age nine. Singing in a loud whisper, to a melodious finger-picked accompaniment, he began to play local dances and parties while working as a sharecropper. He first recorded for Okeh Records in 1928, but these were commercial failures. Hurt then drifted out of the recording scene, and he continued his work as a farmer. A copy of one of his recordings, "Avalon Blues," was later discovered. The title of which gave the location of his hometown and inspired a growth of interest in Hurt's whereabouts. Tom Hoskins, a blues enthusiast, would be the first to locate Hurt in 1963. He convinced Hurt to relocate to Washington, D.C., where he was recorded by the Library of Congress in 1964. This rediscovery helped further the American folk music revival, which had led to the rediscovery of many other bluesmen of Hurt's era. Hurt entered the same university and coffeehouse concert circuit as his contemporaries, as well as other Delta blues musicians brought out of retirement. As well as playing concerts, he recorded several studio albums for Vanguard Records.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
John Maddocks' Jazzmen at the St Leonards Hotel
This evening we went to the St Leonards Hotel, Dorset, to see the John Maddocks Jazzmen. The band comprised John Maddocks (clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, vocals, pictured), Peter Wilkinson (trumpet, vocals), Richard Lonnen (trombone, harmonica), Chris Satterley (keyboard, vocals), Peter McCurrie (string bass, tuba), George Skidmore, (banjo, guitar, ukelele, vocal) and Brian Barker (drums).
Favourite numbers were:
1) John on soprano sax, dedicated to his secretary, who has just lost her husband at the age of only 45, Help Me Make It Through The Night, a country music ballad composed by Kris Kristofferson and released on his 1970 album Kristofferson. Though it was also recorded in 1971 by Elvis Presley, four others recorded it in 1971 — Joan Baez (as on this link) for her album, Blessed Are... (July 1971), Bryan Ferry for his album, Another Time, Another Place (October 1971), Jerry Lee Lewis who did a bluesy version for his album "Touching Home" and country singer Sammi Smith, whose recording of the song is the most commercially successful and most well-known version. Smith's recording ranks among the most successful country singles of all time in terms of sales, popularity and radio airplay. Her recording topped the country singles chart, and was also a crossover hit, reaching number eight on the U.S. pop singles chart. Other American singers would record the song throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. The most successful version after Smith's was recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips in 1972 (this version was later sampled extensively to create Huff and Puff's 1996 dance track Help me make it)
2) John's vocal with Richard on blues harmonica, Good Morning Blues, which I believed was written by Leadbelly. The link is to Van Morrison and Lonnie Donegan with Chris Barber on string bass.
3) Pretty Boy, a calypso song jazzed up by Acker Bilk. It is played on this link by the Climax Jazz Band at the Arizona Classic Jazz Festival.
Thursday, February 21st, 2013
Colin Bryant's Hot Rhythm Six at the Verwood Jazz Club
This evening we returned to The Hideaway in Verwood for an excellent meal in the restaurant with a great bottle of 2007 Rioja, followed by 3 hours at the Verwood Jazz Club, to see Colin Bryant's Hot Rhythm Six. This fine band comprised Colin Bryant (clarinet, tenor sax, vocals), Dave Leithead (trumpet, vocal), Bob Wilson (trombone, harmonica, vocal), Rex Dorman (string bass), Barry Foley, (banjo, guitar, vocals) and Roy White (drums).
Favourite numbers were:
1) Sweet Georgia Brown, written in 1925 by Ben Bernie and Maceo Pinkard (music) and Kenneth Casey (lyrics). The tune was first recorded in 1925 by bandleader Ben Bernie, resulting in a five-week No. 1 for Ben Bernie and his Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra. As Bernie's then nationally famous orchestra did much to popularize the number, Pinkard cut Bernie in for a share of the tune's royalties by giving him a co-writer credit to the song. It is the first song to have a sax solo. It is widely known as the theme song of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team. The link is to a later version by Stephane Grapelli and Django Reinhardt.
2) Featuring fine harmonica playing by Bob and guitar by Barry, Tin Roof Blues, played on this great link from 1949 by Sidney Bechet's Blue Note Jazzmen, comprisng Sidney Bechet (soprano sax), Wild Bill Davison (cornet), Art Hodes (piano), Walter Page (bass) and Fred Moore (drums). The origin of the composition has caused some controversy. It has been claimed that the tune was based on New Orleans pianist Richard M. Jones's composition "Jazzin' Babies Blues", specifically Joe "King" Oliver's rendition of it. Oliver recorded Jones's tune in June 1923, two months after the New Orleans Rhythm Kings' "Tin Roof Blues" was released, with composition claimed by some of its members. Listeners claimed that the NORK had already been playing the tune several months before recording it. The simple melody which is shared as a strain in "Tin Roof" and "Jazzin' Babies Blues" was known to earlier New Orleans musicians under various titles; the white musicians being more familiar with it under the title "Pee Hole Blues" and the black musicians as "Don't Get Funky 'Cause Your Water's On" or even "Rusty Nail Blues".
3) A duet between Rex and Roy, Big Noise From Winnetka, a spontaneous composition, created at the Blackhawk in Chicago in 1938 by Bob Haggart (bass) and Ray Bauduc (drums), both members of the Bob Crosby band. The link is to a later performance by the composers. This was the first jazz record I ever owned, chosen by me, at the age of eight, from my uncle Stan's huge jazz collection. I still have it.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Gangsters and Flappers night at the Fishermans Haunt
Yesterday, to celebrate the St. Valentines Day Massacre, The Chicago Jazz Aces had a 'Gangsters and Flappers' night at the Fishermans Haunt in Winkton. I went in gangster gear and Selina (pictured) was my moll, her pinstripe dress matching my pinstripe suit and hat. The fishnet stockings/suspenders and slit skirt were irresistible to me. One puritanical woman from the local Conservative Club clique called me a 'filthy old man' for excessive fondling. I take that as a compliment; much better than being told that I am past it. The food and service were both excellent as always; we had the full St Valentine's Day special and drank a bottle of Rioja.
The band comprised Tony Robinson (trumpet, vocals), Roy Sear (clarinet, tenor sax), Wyn Bowen (strombone), Ron Poole (keyboard), Ron Davidge (drums), Alan Harris (double bass) and Barbara Lorraine (vocals). Guest was Roy Meads (ukelele banjo).
Notable numbers were:
1) Barbara's vocal I Wanna be Loved By You, a song written by Herbert Stothart and Harry Ruby, with lyrics by Bert Kalmar, for the 1928 musical "Good Boy". It was chosen as one of the Songs of the Century in a survey made by the RIAA in which 200 people responded (out of 1300 asked). One of Marilyn Monroe's most famous musical performances is her singing it in Billy Wilder's classic farce Some Like It Hot (as in this link) featuring the St Valentines Day Massacre near the beginning.
The song was first performed in late 1928 by Helen Kane, who became known as the 'Boop-Boop-a-Doop Girl' because of her baby-talk, scat-singing tag line to that song. This version was recorded right when Kane's popularity started to reach its peak, and became her signature song. Two years later, a cartoon character named Betty Boop was modeled after Kane. Betty Boop performs this number in the 1980s animated film The Romance of Betty Boop.
The song has also been recorded by Jack Lemmon, Frank Sinatra, Miss Miller and The Chipettes, Rhonda Towns, Rose Murphy, Tina Louise, Verka Serduchka, Patricia Kaas, Sinéad O'Connor, Annette Hanshaw, Shiina Ringo, Paul Manchin and Lorraine Allan (formerly Lorraine Gray).
Actress Rue McClanahan performed humorous rendition of the song while portraying Blanche Devereaux in the popular sitcom The Golden Girls. Actor & Actress Robert Reed & Florence Henderson were singing "I Wanna Be Loved By You" in a 1973 Episode 'Never Too Young' of The Brady Bunch.
2) Our favourite Bix Beiderbecke recording; I'm Coming Virginia, composed by Donald Heywood with lyrics credited to Will Marion Cook. Bix was, like many other musicians of his generation, a fan of the singer/actress Ethel Waters, who recorded the song in 1926 with Will Marion Cook’s Singing Orchestra. However, in her autobiography Waters appears to credit Heywood for both words and music. Its popularity in the jazz fraternity following Waters’ record, and a small group of famous jazz musicians entered the studio in 1927 to record the classic version featured on this link. Led by C-melody saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer, the group was culled from the ranks of the Jean Goldkette Orchestra. The record is essentially a feature for Bix whose beautiful, moody performance (backed with elan by guitarist Eddie Lang) is a perfect glimpse at one of jazz’s most influential and tragic figures. This is the perfect interpretation and just cannot be beaten. Should present-day bands even try ? Ten-and-a-half years later, Bobby Hackett would reprise Bix’s performance as part of Benny Goodman’s groundbreaking Carnegie Hall concert.
3) Barbara's final vocal Someone To Watch over Me, composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin from the musical Oh, Kay! (1926), where it was introduced by Gertrude Lawrence. It has been performed by numerous artists since its debut and is a jazz standard as well as a key work in the Great American Songbook. The 1987 film 'Someone To Watch Over Me', directed by Ridley Scott, takes its title from this song. The soundtrack features three versions of it, two of which were new renditions by Sting and Roberta Flack. The third version used was the 1961 recording by Gene Ammons. A soundtrack album was never issued and so the Roberta Flack performance (produced by Michael Kamen) remains unreleased. Sting included his version as a b-side for the 'Englishman in New York' single, and on the compilation 'At The Movies', released in 1999. This song was made famous to another generation in the 1996 American film 'Mr. Holland's Opus'. Jean Louisa Kelly played the part of Rowena, who sang the song, but a different version sung by Julia Fordham was included on the soundtrack. Asher Book also sings it in the new remake of 'Fame' (2009). It was performed by Julie Andrews in the 1968 Robert Wise film 'Star!' about the life of the actress Gertrude Lawrence.
The link is to Ella Fitzgerald, who was only 22 when George Gershwin died. However, his brother Ira lived long enough to not only hear Ella record this song, but also to assist with the production of the album from which it came. Recorded in 1959 with arrangements and orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle, Ella won a Grammy for her 'Ella Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook', one of the great musical compilations in recorded history. After this album had been completed, Ira Gershwin remarked, "I had never known how good our songs were until I heard Ella sing them".
Monday, February 4, 2013
Sussex Jazz Kings at the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club
This evening we saw the Sussex Jazz Kings (pictured) playing at the Bluebirds Club. The band comprised Dave Stradwick (cornet), Len Baldwin (trombone, vocal), Bernard Stutt (clarinet), Peter Clancy (string bass, Sousaphone, vocal), Phil Durell, (banjo) and John Hall (drums). Alan Pickering, usually very critical, declared them a truly great band.
Favourite numbers were:
1) The Martinique, written by Wilbur de Paris, trombonist brother of trumpeter Sidney de Paris. The link is to the early Chris Barber Band in 1954.
2) Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble, a dance-song written by Spencer Williams and published in 1917. The link is to Sydney Bechet's Blue Note Jazzmen, probably the 1950 recording with Wild Bill Davison (cornet), Jimmy Archey (trombone), Sidney Bechet (soprano saxophone), Joe Sullivan (piano), Pops Foster (bass) and Slick Jones (drums).
3) Peter Clancy's vocal Do You Know What it Means New Orleans, written by Louis Alter with lyrics by Eddie DeLange. It was first heard in the film 'New Orleans' in 1947, where it was performed by Louis Armstrong and sung by Billie Holiday. The link is to Louis Armstrong playing and singing.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
John Maddocks' Jazzmen at the St Leonards Hotel
This evening we went to the St Leonards Hotel, Dorset (pictured), to see the John Maddocks Jazzmen. The band comprised John Maddocks (clarinet, soprano sax, tenor sax, vocals), Peter Wilkinson (trumpet, vocals), Bob Boorman (trombone), Chris Satterley (keyboard), Peter McCurrie (string bass, tuba), George Skidmore, (banjo, guitar) and Brian Barker (drums). It was great to see Bob Boorman again after his time with the Chicago Jazz Aces was cut short by serious illness. His solos drew a round of applause every time.
Favourite numbers were:
1) John on soprano sax for Jeeps Blues, composed by Duke Ellington for Johnny Hodges, both playing on this link from 1956.
2) Mandy Lee Blues, written by Joe 'King' Oliver. The link is to his Creole Jazz Band, comprising Baby Dodds on drums, Honore Dutrey on trombone, Bill Johnson on bass, Louis Armstrong on second cornet, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Lil Hardin-Armstrong on piano, and King Oliver on cornet. What a band !
Thursday, January 17th, 2013
Sunset Cafe Stompers at the Verwood Jazz Club
This evening, following Geoff's ace salesmanship on a recent flyer, we returned to the Verwood Jazz Club, to see the Sunset Cafe Stompers. The band comprised Mike Denham (keyboard, leader), Steve Graham (trumpet), Mike Betts (clarinet, tenor sax), Pete Middleton (trombone), Pete Ward (string bass), Eddie Edwards, (banjo) and Peter Winterhart (drums).
Favourite numbers were:
1) The Fats Domino classic I'm Walking, written by Domino and Dave Bartholomew in 1957. The link is to a digitally remastered version of the record from that year. It was Domino's third release in a row to reach number one on the R&B Best Sellers chart, where it stayed for six weeks. The single also continued his crossover appeal when "I'm Walkin'" peaked at number four on the pop singles chart. Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino Jr. (born 1928) is a Creole pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he still lives. He was rescued by helicopter when his house was destroyed by floods following hurricane Katrina, many fans believing he had died there.
2) Mike Denham's feature accompanied by Peter on Drums, The Original Jelly Roll Blues widely acknowledged as the very first Jazz composition, written by Jelly Roll Morton in 1910 and first published in 1915. The link is to Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers, recorded in 1926 and reissued on a British Rhythm Society label 78 rpm record about 1950. We have it on an EP wwith three other of the greatest of their recordings.
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe (1890 – 1941) or perhaps LaMenthe, was known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton. Somebody at a jazz gig once asked "why Jelly Roll ?". I replied that 'Penis Morton' just does not have the same ring to it.
Morton is perhaps most notable as jazz's first arranger, proving that a genre rooted in improvisation could retain its essential spirit and characteristics when notated. He is also notable for naming and popularizing the "Spanish tinge" (habanera rhythm and tresillo), and for writing many, many, jazz standards, including "Wolverine Blues", "Black Bottom Stomp", and "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say", the latter a tribute to New Orleans personalities from the turn of the 19th century to 20th century.
Reputed for his arrogance and self-promotion as often as recognized in his day for his musical talents, Morton claimed to have invented jazz outright in 1902 — much to the derision of later musicians and critics. The jazz historian, musician, and composer Gunther Schuller says of Morton's "hyperbolic assertions" that there is "no proof to the contrary" and that Morton's "considerable accomplishments in themselves provide reasonable substantiation".[
3) Panama composed by William H. Tyers in 1911, originally entitled "Panama, a Characteristic Novelty" and published in 1912. As expected of a jazz standard, it has been played and recorded by a number of jazz legends including the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, Sharkey Bonano, Kid Ory, the Eureka Brass Band, Humphrey Lyttelton and many others. The famous trumpet variation commonly played by New Orleans, Louisiana bands and those influenced by the New Orleans style, was reportedly devised by Manuel Manetta who first taught it to his star trumpet pupils Emmett Hardy and Red Allen. The original tango or maxixe rhythm is usually disgarded in favor of 4/4 time, but can still be detected in some versions, such as the early recording by Johnny DeDroit's Band.
Some present-day musicians, e.g. Gerry Brown, Chris Lowe, Tony Robinson, etc. have incorrectly called it 'Panama Rag', which is a ragtime number composed by Charles Seymour in 1904. This lesser-known number was recorded by the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra and was reportedly played by Buddy Bolden when the tune was new, but is rather obscure and far from a standard. Mike Denham says he has tried playing it and it is too boring.
The link is to the Dutch Swing College Band in 2007.
Monday, January 7, 2013
John Maddocks Jazz Men at the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club
This evening we saw John Maddocks Jazz Men (pictured) playing at the Bluebirds Club. The band comprised John Maddocks (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, vocals), Peter Wilkinson (trumpet, vocals), Ken Pearce (trombone), Chris Satterley (keyboard), Peter McCurrie (string bass, tuba), George Skidmore, (banjo, guitar) and Brian Barker (drums).
Favourite numbers were:
1) John's clarinet feature Lady Be Good, written by George and Ira Gershwin in 1924 for the musical of the same name, story by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson. It was first presented on Broadway in 1924; the West End production following in 1926. The story of the musical is about a brother and sister, played by Fred and Adele Astaire, who are out of money. Both are eager to sacrifice themselves to help the other. This was the first Broadway collaboration of the Gershwin brothers. Its other hit song was 'Fascinating Rhythm'. The link is to Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli in 1937.
2) Mandy Lee Blues written by Marty Bloom and Walter Melrose. Bloom's real name was M.L. Blumenthal, and his involvement with music publishing stretches back prior to the '20s. In 1918, he formed the Melrose Brothers Music Company with the two oldest brothers from this publishing dynasty, Walter Melrose and Lester Melrose. Lines of demarcation were much more fuzzy in the music business back then, so the company's involvement with recording and publishing Jelly Roll Morton also included quite a bit of personal management, apparently Bloom's department. Historians at the Decca/MGM/MCA conglomerate recall that it was Bloom that brought Morton there for his historic recordings. Bloom's suggestion that the label sign Morton up in 1927 was partially motivated by his desire to unload the managerial responsibility on someone else, but also made great musical sense. And Bloom remained involved on the next page as a member of Morton's Red Hot Peppers, taking part in many of the recording sessions and adding his special touches.
In the early '30s Bloom briefly took over managing Fats Waller, a connection made through a fellow music publisher and A&R man. He quickly found regular gigs for Waller, but found dealing with this artist's personality nerve wracking. Bloom passed the managerial bouquet over to Phil Ponce, and it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to Waller. Bloom simply found songwriting a more satisfying endeavor than management. Walter Melrose was one of his best collaborators.
The link is to King Oliver's Creole Jazz band in 1923 comprising Baby Dodds on drums, Honore Dutrey on trombone, Bill Johnson on bass, Louis Armstrong on second cornet, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Lil Hardin-Armstrong on piano and the band's leader, King Oliver on cornet.
3) John's clarinet feature with just the rhythm section Creole Jazz written by French band leader Claude Luter (1923-2006), best-known for having Sidney Bechet as the famous master in his otherwise young band in Paris 1949-59. He began on trumpet, but switched to clarinet and soprano sax. He also worked with Barney Bigard and French writer and musician Boris Vian.
The link is to the early Acker Bilk Band with Ken Sims on cornet and John Mortimer on trombone; all still alive and playing jazz.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Panama Hat Jazz Band back at Ye Olde George Inn (YOGI), Christchurch
This evening, with a change of venue, we returned to Ye Olde George Inn in Christchurch, Dorset, to see The Panama Hat New Orleans Jazz Band. The band comprised Tony Purse (trumpet, vocals), Tom Pearce (trombone), Ron Agar (clarinet, vocal), Alan Harris (string bass), George Skidmore (banjo, ukelele, vocals), and 'Stan the Man' Bowers on drums.
Favourite numbers were:
1) Tony's vocal, Dallas Blues, written by Hart Wand and the first true blues song ever published, (1912). Although written for standard blues tempo (Tempo di Blues. Very slowly), it is often performed as Ragtime or Dixieland. In 1918, Lloyd Garrett added lyrics to reflect the singer's longing for Dallas:
There's a place I know, folks won't pass me by,
Dallas, Texas, that's the town, I cry, oh hear me cry.
And I'm going back, going back to stay there 'til I die, until I die.
No date is found for the actual composition of 'Dallas Blues' but Samuel Charters, who interviewed Wand for his book, The Country Blues (1959), states that Wand took the tune to a piano playing friend, Annabelle Robbins, who arranged the music for him. Charters further states that the title came from one of Wand's father's workmen who remarked that the tune gave him the blues to go back to Dallas. Since Wand's father died in 1909, the actual composition must have predated that.
In any case, within weeks of its publication it was heard the length of the Mississippi River and its influence on all the blues music that followed is well documented.
The link is to the Louis Armstrong Orchestra in 1929, comprising Bass - Pops Foster; Clarinet - Albert Nicholas; Drums - Paul Barbarin; Guitar - Will Johnson; Piano - Luis Russell; Saxophone [Alto] - Albert Nicholas; Saxophone [Alto] - Charles Holmes;
Saxophone [Tenor] - Teddy Hill; Trombone - Jay C. Higginbotham; Trumpet - Henry Allen; Trumpet - Louis Armstrong; Trumpet - Otis Johnson.
2) Ron's feature Am I Blue, written by Harry Akst and Grant Clarke in 1929. It was a big hit that year for Ethel Waters in the 1929 film 'On with the Show'. This is noted as the first ever all-talking, all-colour feature length film. The earlier Desert Song was only partly in colour. The link is to the most memorable scene from Francis Ford Coppola's 1984 film 'The Cotton Club', with Diane Lane singing and Richard Gere playing trumpet. For actors, they were as good as any professional musicians. I don't understand why Ms Lane, then 19 years old, was so criticised for her role; watch the clip to decide for yourself.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the Fishermans Haunt
This evening, first time at the new venue, we saw Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the Fishermans Haunt in Winkton, replacing the White Buck, where our business is not wanted. I could only count one missing couple from the Buck regulars, everbody else made the transition. The food and service were both excellent; we ate guinea fowl and drank a bottle of Malbec.
The band comprised Tony Robinson (trumpet, vocals), Roy Sear (clarinet, tenor sax), Wyn Bowen (strombone), Ron Poole (keyboard), Ron Davidge (drums), Alan Harris (double bass) and Barbara Lorraine (vocals). Guests were Roy Meads (ukelele banjo), Brian (vocal) and Peter Titcomb (vocal).
Notable numbers were:
1) Barbara's vocal Ain't Nobody's Business, an eight-bar vaudeville blues song that became an early blues standard. It was written in the 1920s by pianist Porter Grainger, who had been Bessie Smith's accompanist, and Everett Robbins. The song was first recorded in October 1922 by Anna Meyer with the Original Memphis Five. Other early versions include Sara Martin (with Fats Waller on piano) (December 1922), Alberta Hunter (February 1923), and Bessie Smith (April 1923 ) as on this link. Porter Grainger's lyrics to the song were copyrighted in 1922, thus they are now in the public domain.
2) The ensemble piece Christopher Columbus , composed by Chu Berry when he played tenor sax and clarinet with Fletcher Henderson's Band, as featured on this link. Leon Brown "Chu" Berry (1908, Wheeling, West Virginia – 1941, Conneaut, Ohio) is best-known as a swing tenor saxophonist. Considering the brevity of Chu's life, and that his recording career spans a mere decade, it is remarkable that his name continues to loom large in the annals of jazz. Had he lived, there is no doubt that he would be ensconced in the jazz pantheon alongside Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young claims Dan Morgenstern, director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University. Berry got his much-misspelled moniker (Choo, Chew) from musicians, because he chewed on his mouthpiece or had Fu Manchu facial hair or both says Gary Giddins, jazz historian.
3) Ron Poole's solo Dill Pickles, written in 1906 by Charles Leslie Johnson (1876 - 1950), an American composer of ragtime and popular music. He was born in Kansas City, Kansas, died in Kansas City, Missouri, and lived his entire life in those two cities. He published over 300 songs in his life, nearly 40 of them ragtime compositions. His best selling piece, a sentimental ballad called "Sweet and Low", sold over a million copies. Experts believe that had Johnson lived and worked in New York, he would be included alongside Scott Joplin, James Scott, and Joseph Lamb as one of the greatest ragtime composers. He wrote more than the other three combined and exemplified a greater range of talent, composing waltzes, tangos, cakewalks, marches, novelty pieces, and other types of music popular at that time.
He was born in the Armourdale district of Kansas City, Kansas to James R. and Helen F. Johnson. Clearly a prodigy, he was playing a neighbour’s piano by age six and began studying classical piano, harmony, and music theory a few years later. Although he had classical training, he always preferred the popular music of the day. His musical ability led him to proficiency on other instruments as well: guitar, violin, banjo, and mandolin. As a young man Johnson became involved in the music scene of Kansas City by participating in several local groups. In this environment he wrote his first compositions.
Johnson was married twice, first to Sylvia Hoskins in 1901, and they had a daughter Frances. No one knows how this marriage ended or what happened to Sylvia or Frances. He married his second wife, Eva Otis, in 1926. She remained with him until his death in 1950. Johnson’s career was stable and prolific. He began work in the late 1890s for the J.W. Jenkins and Sons Music Company in Kansas City, Missouri plugging songs and playing piano. Over the next five years Jenkins would publish twelve of Johnson’s songs. Eventually Johnson would compose for many other publishers. By 1907, Johnson had also formed his own publishing company, putting out his own music and those of other local composers. In addition, Johnson began vanity publishing for others, often writing music for the lyrics of others or simply arranging others’ compositions. His closest business partnership was with Fred Forster of the Forster Music Publishing Company. Although Johnson’s career would wax and wane with the economy of the turn of the century, World Wars I and II, and the Depression, Charles always had work and could always respond to the musical climate of America.
At some point in his career Johnson began writing under pseudonyms. He used Raymond Birch the most, penning several of his well-known rags under that name such as "Blue Goose Rag", "Melody Rag", and "Powder Rag". But he also used several others. Under any name, however, Johnson was a significant contributor to the Ragtime Era and to rag music in general. By far the biggest hit of 1906 was Charles’ most successful rag "Dill Pickles". The first rag to sell a million copies was Scott Joplin’s "Maple Leaf Rag"; the second was "Dill Pickles". It has been suggested that by 1906 ragtime was already beginning to wane. After the publication of Dill Pickles there was a revival of interest in ragtime that extended its life by nearly ten more years. This piece of music made use of the “three over four” syncopation that was subsequently copied and used in dozens of rags by other composers. Joplin himself had difficulty getting away from its conventions.
The link is to Chet Atkins version, retitled 'Dill Pickle Rag', which we have on another old vinyl LP from the 1950s.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Ben Waters at Forest Arts
This evening, for the first time, we saw Ben Waters playing at Forest Arts in New Milton with his 12-year-old son Tom on alto sax. A great performance, much appreciated by the audience.
1) A YouTube example of solo Ben is Down The Road Apiece, a boogie-woogie song written by Don Raye. In 1940, it was recorded by the Will Bradley Trio and became a top 10 hit in the closing months of the year. Called "a neat little amalgam of bluesy rhythm and vivid, catchy lyrics," the song was subsequently recorded by a variety of jazz, blues, and rock artists.
2) Tom's feature was One Step Beyond, a tune written by Jamaican ska singer Prince Buster as a B-side for his single "Al Capone". It was made famous by British band Madness (as on this link) who covered it for their debut 1979 album, One Step Beyond..., also named after the song. Although Buster's version was mostly instrumental except for the song title shouted for a few times, the Madness version features a spoken intro by Chas Smash and a barely audible but insistent background chant of "here we go!". The spoken line, "Don't watch that, watch this", in the intro is from another Prince Buster song, "The Scorcher". Also,that line became a trademark during the early promos of MTV, where the video was in heavy rotation.
3) One of the two Fats Domino hits played and sung by Ben was Ain't That A Shame, recorded by Fats Domino (as on this link) and Dave Bartholomew, in Hollywood, California, for Imperial Records and released in 1955. The recording ("Ain't It a Shame") was a hit for Domino, eventually selling a million copies. It reached number 1 on the "Black Singles" chart and 10 on the "Pop Singles" chart. The song is ranked 431 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The song gained national fame after being re-recorded by white recording artist Pat Boone. Domino's version soon became more popular, bringing Domino's music to the mass market a half dozen years after his first major recording, "The Fat Man".
Thursday, December 13, 2012
No More Jazz at the White Buck ?
Tonight there was a note from the new manager, Pippa O'Gorman, on every table saying ".............I need to review this before I make a decision about continuing Jazz Night." Does she expect us all to await her gracious decree ?
In our business we too are looking at new markets and customers but, unlike Pippa, we have no intention of upsetting our legacy customers and losing them.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Gerry Brown's Mission Hall Band at the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club
This evening we saw Gerry Brown's Mission Hall Band (pictured) playing at the Bluebirds Club. The band comprised Gerry Brown (trumpet and vocals), Ken Bishop (trombone), Mike Snelling (clarinet, tenor sax), Paul Francis (keyboard), Peter McCurrie (double bass) and Norman Bishop (drums). The usual big audience turned out for this band.
Favourite numbers were:
1) Kansas City Man Blues, written by Sidney Bechet and recorded with Clarence Williams Blue Five in 1923. The link is to a 1947 version by Bechet with Bob Wilbur.
2) Magnolia's Wedding Day written by Jimmy McHugh with Lyrics by Dorothy Fields for 'Blackbirds of 1928'. This all black revue was a sensation in its time, featuring Adelaide Hall, Tim Moore, Manton Moreland and Bill Robinson. The big hit song was 'I Can't Give You Anything But Love', McHugh and Fields first hit. The link is to the 1955 Chris Barber band.
3) Mike Snelling's clarinet feature You Don't Know How Much You Can Suffer written in 1939 by Dave Franklin and made famous in jazz circles by clarinetist Jan Morks of the Dutch Swing College Band, as on this link.
Monday, October 8, 2012
The Panama Jazz Kings at the Bournemouth Jazz Club
This evening, for the first time, we saw the Panama Jazz Kings from Devon, playing for the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club at the Bluebirds Club in Longham. The band comprised Gordon Hunt (clarinet, leader), Steve Grayham (trumpet), Tom Whittingham (trombone), Malcolm Harrel (banjo, vocal), Derek Jones (bass) and Pete Winterhart (drums). This is a band very much in the New Orleans ensemble style. Notable numbers that are not often played were:
1) Franklin Street Blues, played on this link by Bunk Johnson's band on a record that credited him with its composition. However, it was written jointly by Louis Dumaine and Eddie Jackson, according to Jackson's grandson. He asks us to look at the site with the music of Louis Dumaine and His Jazzola 8. They recorded it in 1927; 20 years or so before Johnson recorded his version. It was common back then for musicians to claim writers' credit for songs they didn't write but we know the truth now.
2) Stockyard Strut, played on this link by Freddie Keppard and His Jazz Cardinals in 1926. This is Keppard's stunning improvisation on the chords of 'Tiger Rag', itself of unknown parentage.
3) You Can't Be True, Dear, originally written as a German language song, 'Du Kannst Nicht Treu Sein', by composer Hans Otten and lyricist Gerhard Ebeler. English language lyrics and title were written by Hal Cotten. In 1948, Ken Griffin recorded the song, first released as an instrumental and later with vocalist Jerry Wayne dubbing the lyrics. My parents had an instrumental waltz version but I don't remember the name of the band. The link is to Connie Francis, also for nostalgic reasons.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Panama Hat Jazz Band at Ye Olde Starre Inn, Christchurch
This evening, once again, we went to Ye Olde Starre Inn, Purewell, Christchurch, Dorset, where we ate very tender lamb shanks, washed down by a smooth Rioja. We then watched and heard The Panama Hat New Orleans Jazz Band, comprising Tony Purse (trumpet, vocals), Tom Pearse (trombone), Ron Agar (clarinet, tenor sax), Peter McCurrie (string bass), George Skidmore (banjo, guitar, ukelele, vocals), 'Stan the Man' Bowers on drums and guest vocalists Christine Skidmore and Peter Titcomb.
Favourite numbers were:
1) George's guitar and vocal feature, The Old Rugged Cross, written in 1912 by evangelist and song-leader George Bennard (1873-1958). The link is to Monty Sunshine in 1957, the first of his records that I ever heard, recording it on tape from 'Family Favourites'.
2) Christine's first vocal I'd Like To Get You On A Slow Boat To China, a popular song by Frank Loesser, published in 1947. The link is to the first ever recording, by Kay Kyser and His Orchestra with vocalists Harry Babbitt and Gloria Wood.
3) Vocal from guest singer Peter, When You And I Were Young Maggie. The lyrics were written as a poem by the Canadian school teacher George Washington Johnson from Hamilton, Ontario. Margaret 'Maggie' Clark was his pupil. They fell in love and during a period of Maggie's recurring illness, George walked to the edge of the Niagara escarpment, overlooking what is now downtown Hamilton, and composed the poem, presumably imagining them growing old together. It was published in 1864 in a collection of his poems entitled Maple Leaves. They were married in 1864 but Maggie's health deteriorated and she died on May 12, 1865. James Butterfield set the poem to music and it became popular all over the world. George Washington Johnson died in 1917. The schoolhouse where the two lovers met still stands on the escarpment above Hamilton, and a plaque bearing the name of the song has been erected in front of the old building. The link is to Irene Dunne, from 'Unfinished Business' starring Irene and Robert Montgomery. She even manages the tricky notes that defeat most singers.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
John Maddocks' Jazzmen at the St Leonards Hotel
This evening we went to the St Leonards Hotel, Dorset (pictured), to see the John Maddocks Jazzmen. The band comprised John Maddocks (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, vocals), Peter Wilkinson (trumpet, vocals), Tony Farr (trombone), Chris Satterley (keyboard), Peter McCurrie (string bass, tuba), George Skidmore, (banjo, guitar) and Brian Barker (drums).
Favourite numbers were:
1) John's first clarinet feature Lonesome Blues, one of Lil Hardin's many compositions, played on this link by Louis Armstrong's Hot Five.
2) John's second clarinet feature Kansas City Stomps, one of Jelly Roll Morton's most famous compositions. According to Jelly it has nothing to do with Kansas City but was named after the Kansas City Saloon in Tijuana, Mexico. It is played on this link by the Red Hot Peppers in 1926 Chicago with the wonderful Omer Simeon on clarinet.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Chris Pearce's Frenchman Street Jazz Band at the Bournemouth Jazz Club
This evening, for the first time, we saw Chris Pearce's Frenchman Street Jazz Band, playing at the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club at the Bluebirds Club in Longham. The band comprised Chris Pearce (alto sax, clarinet, curly soprano sax), John Shillitoe (Trumpet, Flugel Horn, vocals), Richard Leach (trombone, vocal), Phil Probert (banjo, guitar), Tony Sharp (bass) and Graham Smith (drums). This is a fine band in the New Orleans style. Favourite numbers were:
1) Featuring fine trombone playing by Richard Leach, reminiscent of the duets between Chris Barber and Roger Hill, Tin Roof Blues, played on this great link from 1949 by Sidney Bechet's Blue Note Jazzmen, comprisng Sidney Bechet (soprano sax), Wild Bill Davison (cornet), Art Hodes (piano), Walter Page (bass) and Fred Moore (drums). The origin of the composition has caused some controversy. It has been claimed that the tune was based on New Orleans pianist Richard M. Jones's composition "Jazzin' Babies Blues", specifically Joe "King" Oliver's rendition of it. Oliver recorded Jones's tune in June 1923, two months after the New Orleans Rhythm Kings' "Tin Roof Blues" was released, with composition claimed by some of its members. Listeners claimed that the NORK had already been playing the tune several months before recording it. The simple melody which is shared as a strain in "Tin Roof" and "Jazzin' Babies Blues" was known to earlier New Orleans musicians under various titles; the white musicians being more familiar with it under the title "Pee Hole Blues" and the black musicians as "Don't Get Funky 'Cause Your Water's On" or even "Rusty Nail Blues".
2) Phil's lovely medley, comprising:
The Way You Look Tonight, sung beautifully on this link by The Dinning Sisters in 1943. It was composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields for the Astaire/Rogers film 'Swing Time'.
I'm in the Mood For Love sung on this link by Doris Day. It was composed by Jimmy McHugh with lyrics by Dorothy Fields (again).
Don't Blame Me sung on this link by Nat 'King' Cole. It was also composed by Jimmy McHugh with lyrics by Dorothy Fields.
3) Chris' feature with the rhythm section Blue Skies, written by Irving Berlin in 1926. The song was composed as a last-minute addition to the Rodgers and Hart musical 'Betsy'. Although the show only ran for 39 performances, "Blue Skies" was an instant success, with audiences on opening night demanding 24 encores of the piece from star Belle Baker. During the final repetition, Ms. Baker forgot her lyrics, prompting Berlin to sing them from his seat in the front row. The link is to Josephine Baker in 1927.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
John Maddocks' Jazzmen at the St Leonards Hotel
This evening we went to the St Leonards Hotel, Dorset (pictured), to see the John Maddocks Jazzmen. The band comprised John Maddocks (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, vocals), Peter Wilkinson (trumpet, vocals), Tony Farr (trombone), Dave Lewen (keyboard), Peter McCurrie (string bass, tuba), Dave Broomfield, (banjo, guitar) and Brian Barker (drums).
Favourite numbers were:
1) John's vocal and clarinet feature It's a Sin to Tell a Lie, a 1936 popular song by Billy Mayhew. Originally introduced by Fats Waller, as on this link, it was revived in 1955 by Somethin' Smith and the Redheads, reaching no. 7 on the Billboard charts in that year. It was later a Top 40 Country hit for Slim Whitman, reaching no. 21 on the Top Country Singles chart in 1971, from the album of the same name. John Denver tells a story about the song and does a cover in his 1978 album, Live at the Sydney Opera House (RCA Victor VPL1-7167). Other artists who have recorded versions include Billie Holiday, The Ink Spots, Tony Bennett, Bobbi Martin, Gerry Monroe, Brent Spiner, Lenny Breau, Buddy Greco, Steve Goodman, The Quebe Sisters Band, Ann Breen, Jerry Murad and the Harmonicats, Bobby Vinton, Patti Page, and Vera Lynn.
It was originally a waltz but, during the British Dixieland Revival in the 1950s and 1960s, this melody was often played in fast four/four tempo, notably recorded by the Kenny Ball Band. A version of it by the Ink Spots appears in Obsidian's 2010 role-playing game Fallout New Vegas.
2) For Peter Titcomb, who has been absent since January in hospitals, Blueberry Hill, a popular song published in 1940. The music was written by Vincent Rose with lyrics by Al Lewis and Larry Stock. It was recorded six times in 1940. Victor released the May recording by the Sammy Kaye Orchestra with vocals by Tommy Ryan. Gene Krupa's version was issued on the Okeh label in June. Other 1940 recordings were by: Glenn Miller, Kay Kyser, Russ Morgan, Gene Autry (also in 1941 film The Singing Hill), Connee Boswell, and Jimmy Dorsey. However, the link is to the classic Fats Domino version from the rock and roll era.[
3) For Derek, who recently had a leg amputated but is still cheerful, Toot-Toot-Tootsie Goodbye, written by Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman, Ted FioRito and Dan Russo. The link is to Al Jolson, who is largely responsible for its fame.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Absurd Person Singular at the Tivoli in Wimborne
This evening, we saw the Alan Ayckbourn play Absurd Person Singular at the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne Minster.
Set over three successive Christmas Eves, it studies three couples, one climbing the success ladder and the other two sliding down it. We are unsure of the moral here, other than a good wife is essential; alcoholic and/or depressive ones drag one down.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Amy Roberts Band at the Bournemouth Jazz Club
This evening, for the third time, we saw Amy Roberts, this time playing with her own Band at the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club at the Bluebirds Club in Longham. The band comprised Amy Roberts (alto sax, clarinet, flute), Jeff Barnhart (keyboard, vocals), Richard Leach (trombone, vocal), Sandy Suchodolski (bass) and Graham Smith (drums). Anne Barnhart joined the band for three flute duets. Still only in her early twenties, Amy was brilliant on all three instruments. Jeff, over from the USA for a UK tour, is a fine jazz pianist with a good sense of humour. Sandy, even younger than Amy, is a student at the Royal Academy of Music in London. This was probably the best night ever at the Bluebirds. We even bought a Jeff and Anne Barnhart CD. Favourite numbers were:
1) Anne and Amy's flute duet Water from an Ancient Well, composed in 1976 by Abdullah Ibrahim, who can be heard playing piano on this link. Born Adolph Johannes Brand in 1934 in Cape Town, South Africa, and formerly known as Dollar Brand, his music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cape Town, ranging from traditional African songs to the gospel of the AME Church and ragas, to more modern jazz and other Western styles. Ibrahim is considered the leading figure in the sub-genre Cape jazz. Within jazz, his music particularly reflects the influence of Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. With his wife, the jazz singer Sathima Bea Benjamin, he is father to the New York underground rapper Jean Grae, as well as to a son, Tsakwe.
2) Jeff's jazzed up version of The Entertainer, one of Scott Joplin's most famous rags, written in 1902. The link is played as written in the true tradition of ragtime. Jeff does not believe in political correctness and applied all his jazz tricks to his version.
3) Creole Love Call, a jazz standard most associated with the Duke Ellington band. Ellington first recorded it in 1927 and was issued a copyright for it as composer the following year. However the main melody appears earlier in the Joe 'King' Oliver composition 'Camp Meeting Blues' which Oliver recorded with his Creole Jazz Band in 1923. Apparently Ellington reedman Rudy Jackson had presented the melody to Ellington claiming it was his own composition. After Ellington's recording came out, Joe Oliver attempted to sue for payment of royalties and composer credit. The lawsuit failed due to problems with Oliver's original paperwork resulting in Oliver not holding a valid copyright. Ellington fired Jackson over the incident, bringing in Barney Bigard as his replacement. The link is to Amy playing with Paul Harrison.
Saturday, August 4, 2010
The Panama Hat Band + Wessex Harmony
This evening we went to the Memorial Hall in our Dorset home of West Moors for the third time for a charity concert. The first half featuredThe Panama Hat New Orleans Jazz Band (pictured). The band comprised Tony Purse (trumpet, vocals), Tom Pearse (trombone), Jim Driscoll (soprano sax, clarinet, vocal), Dave Broomfield (banjo) and 'Stan the Man' Bowers on drums.
Favourite number was Jim's feature with Dave 2:19 Blues, composed by Mamie Desdunes (1879-1911) and played on this link by Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet. Jelly Roll Morton introduced his Library of Congress version with the words “Here’s was among the first blues that I’ve ever heard, happened to be a woman, that lived next door to my godmother’s in the Garden District. Her name was Mamie Desdunes. On her right hand, she had her two middle fingers, between her forefingers, cut off, and she played with the three. So she played a blues like this all day long, when she first would get up in the morning.”
The second half featured Wessex Harmony, an all-female barbershop chorus singing in unaccompanied close harmony. They began as the 'Wessex Corn Dollies', the name coming from original member Josie, who we see at 'The White Buck' every Thursday.
Our favourite number was San Francisco Bay Blues, composed by one man band 'Lone Cat' Jesse Fuller as featured on this 1968 link.
Having previously seen an all-male chorus at the same venue, we cannot help thinking "why not a mix of sexes so we get both basses and sopranos ?"
Sunday, July 29, 2012
John Maddocks' Jazzmen at the St Leonards Hotel
This evening we went to the St Leonards Hotel, Dorset (pictured), to see the John Maddocks Jazzmen. The band comprised John Maddocks (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, vocals), Peter Wilkinson (trumpet, vocals), Tony Farr (trombone), Chris Satterley (keyboard, vocals), Peter McCurrie (string bass, tuba), Dave Broomfield, (banjo, guitar) and Brian Barker (drums).
Favourite numbers were:
1) John's vocal and tenor sax extravaganza Shake Rattle and Roll, a twelve bar blues-form rock and roll song, written in 1954 by Jesse Stone under his assumed songwriting name Charles E. Calhoun. It was originally recorded by Big Joe Turner, and most successfully by Bill Haley & His Comets in 1954, as on this link. The song, in its original incarnation, is highly sexual. Perhaps its most salacious lyric, which was absent from the later Bill Haley rendition, is "I've been holdin' it in, way down underneath / You make me roll my eyes, baby, make me grit my teeth". [It may actually be "Over the hill, way down underneath.] On the recording, Turner slurred the lyric "holdin' it in", since this line may have been considered too risqué for publication. The chorus uses "shake, rattle and roll" to refer to boisterous intercourse, in the same way that the words "rock and roll" was first used by numerous rhythm and blues singers, starting with Trixie Smith's "My Man Rocks Me (With One Steady Roll)" in 1922, and continuing on prominently through the 1940s and 1950s.
Bill Haley & His Comets' cover version of the song (three weeks after Turner's version first topped the R&B charts), featured the following members of the Comets: Johnny Grande (piano), Billy Williamson (steel guitar), Marshall Lytle (bass), and Joey Ambrose (saxophone). It is known that Danny Cedrone, a session musician who frequently worked for Haley, played lead guitar, but there is controversy over who played drums. Music reference books indicate that it was Panama Francis, a noted jazz drummer who worked with Haley's producer, Milt Gabler. However, in a letter written in the early 1980s, Gabler denied this and said the drummer was Billy Gussak. This was Cedrone's final recording session as he died only ten days later. Gabler has explained that he "cleaned up" the lyrics because, "I didn't want any censor with the radio station to bar the record from being played on the air. With NBC a lot of race records wouldn't get played because of the lyrics. So I had to watch that closely".
2) Dead Man Blues, composed by Jelly Roll Morton. The link is to his 1926 Chicago recording with his Red Hot Peppers. What a band (more below) !
3) JM's clarinet featureKansas City Stomp, again composed by 'Mr Jelly'; one of his traditional numbers played in the New Orleans style as on this link. According to Jelly it was nothing to do with Kansas City but named after the Kansas City Saloon in Tijuana Mexico. This band was well rehearsed and disciplined. Jelly was a disciplinarian and would take a whole day to record one tune in those days, however, the musicians were allowed the freedom to express their own personalities, - (as long as they played what Jelly told them to play!) Recorded in Chicago in 1926 this music was ahead of its time. The band included Baby Dodds (dms) and Omer Simeon (clt).
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Elvis Presley tribute at Ferndown
This evening we went to the The Barrington Centre in Ferndown to see Lee Jackson performing 'Elvis, the Early Years'. Lee looks and sounds like Elivs with ace lead guitarist Ron Hulse playing guitar like Scotty Moore and Dean Amos performing the Bill Black double bass part.
It is hard to pick favourite numbers so I will just link to some that are on YouTube.
1. Are You Lonesome Tonight, music by Lou Handman and lyrics by Roy Turk. It was written in 1926, first published in 1927 and most notably revived by Elvis Presley in 1960.
2. All Shook Up, composed by Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley. The single topped the U.S. Pop chart on April 13, 1957, staying there for eight weeks.
3. Ready Teddy, written by John Marascalco and Robert Blackwell and first made popular by Little Richard in 1956. It has since been covered by Buddy Holly, The Tornados, Elvis Presley, Tony Sheridan and others, making it something of a pop standard.
4. Several numbers on the same link; Blue Suede Shoes, Mystery Train, Heartbreak Hotel, Don't Be Cruel, etc.. 'Blue Suede Shoes' was written and first recorded by Presley's Sun Records stable mate Carl Perkins in 1955 and is considered one of the first rockabilly (rock and roll) records and incorporated elements of blues, country and pop music of the time.
'Mystery Train' was written and recorded by American blues musician Junior Parker in 1953. Considered a blues standard, Parker, billed as "Little Junior's Blue Flames", recorded the song for producer/Sun Records owner Sam Phillips and it was released on the Sun label. A credit later given to Phillips.
'Don't Be Cruel' was written by Otis Blackwell in 1956 and was the first song that Presley's song publishers, Hill and Range, brought to him to record. Blackwell was more than happy to give up 50% of the royalties and a co-writing credit to Presley to ensure that the "hottest new singer around covered it"
Monday, July 9, 2012
Steve Grayham's New Orleans Jazz Band at the Bournemouth Jazz Club
This evening we saw Steve Grayham's New Orleans Jazz Band playing at the Bluebirds Club in Longham. The band comprised Steve Grayham (trumpet, vocals), John Wurr (clarinet, alto sax), Tom Whittingham (trombone), Mike Cox (banjo, vocals), Derek Jones (double bass) and Baby Jools Aldridge (drums). We had seen Steve before but never leading his own band. Unusual numbers were:
1) Mike's vocal, in Creole patois, Creole Song, a traditional New Orleans dance hall favourite that dates back to the 19th century. The link is to a 1944 L.A. recording by Kid Ory's revival band, featuring Kid Ory (tbn), Mutt Carey (tpt), Omer Simeon (clt), Buster Wilson (pno), Bud Scott (gtr), Ed Garland (bass) and Alton Redd (dms).
2) That Teasing Rag, composed in 1912 by Paul Charles Pratt, an American composer, arranger and songwriter of popular music born in Indianapolis. After some music education and still in his teens, he was befriended by Cecil Duane Crabb and May Aufderheide for whom he arranged her Dusty (1908). This impressed May's father to such an extent that he set up the music publishing house of J. H. Aufderheide, Indianapolis, Indiana in which Pratt was eventually made manager of its Chicago operations. He wrote a number of rags, the earliest of which were also published by J. H. Aufderheide. On moving to New York, he collaborated with another Indianapolis friend, one J. Will Callahan to write a number of songs one of their earliest being That Gosh Darn Hiram Tune (1912). In New York he went on to work as an arranger for a number of theatre orchestras. In the 1930's he changed his profession to that of photographer which he continued until his death in Indianapolis. Of his rags Colonial Glide (1914) and Hot-House Rag (1914) have been recorded by Max Morath and Trebor Jay Tichenor respectively. The melody is incorporated in 'The Original Dixieland One Step'.
The link is to the Dene River Jazzmen, at The Harp Hotel, Albrighton, Shropshire, on Sunday, January 15th 2012. Led by Peter Roberts on banjo, the line-up was Chris Carmel on cornet, Rod Williams on clarinet/alto, Dave Braidley on trombone, Keith Prescott on bass and Dave Andrews on drums.
3) A very topical number in this time of floods, River Stay Away From My Door, composed in 1931 by Harry M. Woods with lyrics by Mort Dixon. Woods' most famous compositions were 'I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover', 'Try a Little Tenderness and 'I'll Never Say "Never-Again" Again'. Woods' temperament was in sharp contrast to the songs he wrote. He was reportedly a dangerous and volatile alcoholic. According to legend, Woods once exchanged heated words with a man in a nightclub after consuming a large quantity of alcohol. The argument escalated into a physical fight with Woods pinning the man to the floor while hitting him with his right hand and bashing him in the face with the stump of his fingerless left hand. When police arrived at the club and arrested Woods, a woman entered the club and asked, "Who is that horrible man?" Still seated at the bar, a friend of the songwriter's proudly announced, "That's Harry Woods. He wrote 'Try a Little Tenderness'."
The link is to a fine recording by Paul Robeson.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Panama Hat Jazz Band at Ye Olde Starre Inn, Christchurch
This evening, for the first time, we went to Ye Olde Starre Inn, Purewell, Christchurch, Dorset, where we ate a fine large cottage pie, washed down by a smooth Chilean Merlot. We then watched and heard The Panama Hat New Orleans Jazz Band, comprising Tony Purse (trumpet, vocals), Tom Pearse (trombone), Jim Driscoll (clarinet, vocals), Alan Harris (string bass), George Skidmore (banjo, vocals), and 'Stan the Man' Bowers on drums. This was a good first night at the Starre that augers well for the future. Our thanks to the hosts, Eddie and Chloe.
Favourite numbers were:
1) George's lovely acoustic blues guitar playing, backing Tony's vocal, Dallas Blues, written by Hart Wand and the first true blues song ever published, (1912). Although written for standard blues tempo (Tempo di Blues. Very slowly), it is often performed as Ragtime or Dixieland. In 1918, Lloyd Garrett added lyrics to reflect the singer's longing for Dallas:
There's a place I know, folks won't pass me by,
Dallas, Texas, that's the town, I cry, oh hear me cry.
And I'm going back, going back to stay there 'til I die, until I die.
No date is found for the actual composition of 'Dallas Blues' but Samuel Charters, who interviewed Wand for his book, The Country Blues (1959), states that Wand took the tune to a piano playing friend, Annabelle Robbins, who arranged the music for him. Charters further states that the title came from one of Wand's father's workmen who remarked that the tune gave him the blues to go back to Dallas. Since Wand's father died in 1909, the actual composition must have predated that.
In any case, within weeks of its publication it was heard the length of the Mississippi River and its influence on all the blues music that followed is well documented.
The link is to WILBUR SWEATMAN'S ORIGINAL JAZZ BAND in 1918, comprising Wilbur Sweatman (cl, dir) William Hicks (tpt), Major Jackson (tb), Dan Parish (pno) and Henry Bowser (dms). This is possibly the first black band ever to record a jazz number.
2) George's banjo feature The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise, lyrics by Gene Lockhart and music (Toronto 1918) by the concert pianist Ernest Seitz, who had conceived the refrain when he was 12. Embarrassed about writing popular music, Seitz used the pseudonym "Raymond Roberts" when the song was first published by Chappell in 1919. More than 100 versions have been recorded. Initially, when the song's hopeful sentiment appealed to post-war North America, it was recorded by both singers and instrumentalists, including Morton Downey, Fritz Kreisler, Ted Lewis, and John Steel. Later, as a popular vehicle for improvisation, it was recorded by many jazz musicians, among them Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Django Reinhardt, Mel Powell, Jess Stacy, and Jack Teagarden. A version made for Capitol in 1951 by guitarists Les Paul and Mary Ford was a million-seller. The Beatles recorded a home version on a Grundig tape recorder, sometime in the late 1950's. The Beatles version featured guitars by Harrison and Lennon and vocals from Paul McCartney. Canadian jazz musicians to record the song include Bert Niosi (1946), Peter Appleyard (1957), Ed Bickert (1979), and Oscar Peterson (1980). A version by doo-wop group the Larks is featured in the 1955 film Rhythm and Blues Revue. Les Paul's version, as on this link, was one of the first electric guitar recordings to feature distortion.
3) Jim's vocal I Can't Give You Anything but Love, composed by Jimmy McHugh with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was introduced by Adelaide Hall at Les Ambassadeurs Club in New York in January 1928 in Lew Leslie's Blackbird Revue, which opened on Broadway later that year as the highly successful Blackbirds of 1928 (518 performances), wherein it was performed by Adelaide Hall, Aida Ward, and Willard McLean. Some controversy surrounds the song's authorship. Andy Razaf's biographer Harry Singer offers circumstantial evidence that suggests Fats Waller might have sold the melody to McHugh in 1926 and that the lyrics were by Andy Razaf. Alternatively, Philip Furia has pointed out that Fields' verse is almost identical to the end of the second verse of Lorenz Hart's and Richard Rodgers' song 'Where's That Rainbow?' from Peggy-Ann, the 1926 musical comedy with book by Fields' brother Herbert and produced by their father Lew. The link is to an unusual but typical version by Billie Holiday.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
John Maddocks' Jazzmen at the St Leonards Hotel
This evening we went to the St Leonards Hotel, Dorset (pictured), to eat dinner and see the John Maddocks Jazzmen. Another great evening of jazz plus the full menu now served from the restaurant to the function room. The band comprised John Maddocks (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, vocals), Peter Wilkinson (trumpet, vocals), Tony Farr (trombone), Chris Satterley (keyboard, vocals), Peter McCurrie (string bass, tuba), Dave Broomfield, (banjo, guitar) and Guest Pete Lay (drums).
Favourite numbers were:
1) Perdido St Blues, written by Lil Hardin and made famous by the New Orleans Wanderers as on this link. Wonderful clarinet playing by Johnny Dodds and George Mitchell is fine substitute for Louis Armstrong.
2) JM's vocal feature Do What Ory Say, composed by Kid Ory. The link is to his 1945 recording.
3) JM's clarinet featureKansas City Stomp, composed by Jelly Roll Morton; one of his traditional numbers played in the New Orleans style as on this link. According to Jelly it was nothing to do with Kansas City but named after the Kansas City Saloon in Tijuana Mexico. This band was well rehearsed and disciplined. Jelly was a disciplinarian and would take a whole day to record one tune in those days, however, the musicians were allowed the freedom to express their own personalities, - (as long as they played what Jelly told them to play!) Recorded in Chicago in 1926 this music was ahead of its time. The band included Baby Dodds (dms) and Omer Simeon (clt).
Monday, June 11, 2012
Brian White's Magna Jazz Band at the Bournemouth Jazz Club
This evening we saw Brian White's Magna Jazz Band playing at the Bluebirds Club in Longham. The band comprised Ken Reece (cornet, trumpet), Brian White (clarinet, vocals), John Howlett (trombone), Graham Barton (keyboard), Vic Pitt (double bass) and Graham Smith (drums). This great band includes many of our old friends from our days in Surrey. Favourite numbers were:
1) Alice Blue Gown, composed by Harry Tierney with lyrics by Joseph McCarthy, from the musical 'Irene' based on a play by James Montgomery 'Irene O'Dare'. The link is to Muggsy Spanier & His Ragtimers from 1944. Few bands play it now.
2) Graham Barton's unannounced solo; Pine Top's Boogie Woogie, composed by Clarence 'Pine Top' Smith, his nickname arising from his liking for climbing trees as a child. In 1920 he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he worked as an entertainer before touring as a singer and comedian as well as a pianist. For a time he worked as accompanist for blues singer Ma Rainey and Butterbeans and Susie. In 1928 he moved, with his wife and young son, to Chicago, Illinois to record. For a time he, Albert Ammons, and Meade Lux Lewis lived in the same rooming house. That year he recorded this number, as on the link, one of the first boogie woogie style recordings to make a hit, and which cemented the name for the style. Pine Top talks over the recording, telling how to dance to the number. He said he originated the number at a house-rent party in St. Louis, Missouri. Smith was the first ever to direct "the girl with the red dress on" to "not move a peg" until told to "shake that thing" and "mess around". Smith was scheduled to make another recording session for Vocalion in 1929, but died from a gunshot wound in a dance-hall fight in Chicago the day before the session. Sources differ as to whether he was the intended recipient of the bullet. "I saw Pinetop spit blood" was the famous headline in Down Beat magazine. No photographs of Smith are known to exist.
3) The requested duet between Vic Pitt and Graham Smith Big Noise From Winnetka, a spontaneous composition, created at the Blackhawk in Chicago in 1938 by Bob Haggart (bass) and Ray Bauduc (drums), both members of the Bob Crosby band. The link is to a later performance by the composers. This was the first jazz record I ever owned, chosen by me from my uncle's huge collection. I still have it.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces; 40s Night at the White Buck
This evening, once again, we saw Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the White Buck Hotel at Burley in the New Forest, this time celebrating D-Day with a 1940s night.
The band comprised Tony Robinson (trumpet, vocals), Roy Sear (clarinet, tenor sax, baritone sax), Wyn Bowen (slide and valve trombones), Dave Lewen (keyboard), Ron Davidge (drums), Alan Harris (double bass) and Barbara Lorraine (vocals).
The picture shows two of the regulars dressed for the occasion, Josie in merchant navy uniform and Eric in RAF gear. We wore the nearest clothes we have to 1940s styles. Selina received several compliments on her unusually sober style. One was rather spoilt by including the words "sensibly dressed tonight". Selina has never been known to say "can I dress sensibly" before a jazz evening out. After a day at work in warm trousers, she is much more likely to say "sexy clothes tonight ?" Shortest dress next week perhaps.
Notable numbers from the 40s were:
1) A medley that included Little Brown Jug, American Patrol and Chatanooga Choo Choo. All the links are to Glenn Miller and his Orchestra.
2) In The Mood, a number 1 hit recorded by American bandleader Glenn Miller as on this link. Joe Garland and Andy Razaf arranged "In the Mood" in 1937-1939 using a previously existing main theme composed by Glenn Miller before the start of the 1930s. Miller's "In the Mood" did not top the charts until 1940 and one year later was featured in the movie Sun Valley Serenade.
3) Barbara's vocal White Cliffs of Dover, a popular World War II song made famous by Vera Lynn with her 1942 recording as on this link. Written in 1941 by Walter Kent and Nat Burton, the song was also among the most popular Second World War tunes. It was written before America had joined World War II, to uplift the spirits of the Allies at a time when Nazi Germany had conquered much of Europe's area and was bombing Britain. The song was written at a time when British and German aircraft had been fighting over the cliffs of Dover in the Battle of Britain: the song's lyrics looked toward a time when the war would be over and peace would rule over the iconic White Cliffs of Dover, Britain's de facto border with the European mainland.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Panama Hat Jazz Band at Ye Olde George Inn (YOGI), Christchurch
This evening, for the last time due to management change, we went to Ye Olde George Inn in Christchurch, Dorset, to see The Panama Hat New Orleans Jazz Band. The band comprised Tony Purse (trumpet, vocals), Alan Pickering (trombone), Jim Driscoll (clarinet, vocal), Alan Harris (string bass), Dave Broomfield (banjo), and 'Stan the Man' Bowers on drums. The evening featured female vocalist Jo Collison with her daughter Jackie Leefrom Australia (pictured together). This was a great night for the finish at YOGI, with the two guest musicians blending perfectly with the regulars.
Favourite numbers were:
1) Jo Collison's vocal Trouble In Mind, the famous eight-bar (or maybe 16 bar) blues written by Richard Marigny Jones (1892 – 1945). He was a jazz pianist, composer, band leader, and record producer. Numerous songs bear his name as author. Jones grew up in New Orleans suffering from a stiff leg and walking with a limp; fellow musicians gave him the nickname 'Richard My Knee Jones' as a pun on his middle name. In his youth he played alto horn in brass bands. His main instrument, however, became the piano. By 1908 he was playing in Storyville, the red-light district of New Orleans. A few years later, he often led a small band which sometimes included Joe Oliver. Jones also worked in the bands of John Robichaux, Armand J. Piron, and Papa Celestin. In 1918 Jones moved to Chicago, where he worked as Chicago manager for publisher Clarence Williams. Jones began recording in 1923, making gramophone records as a piano soloist, accompanist to vocalists and with his bands The Jazz Wizards and The Chicago Cosmopolitans. He recorded for Gennett, OKeh, Victor, and Paramount Records in the 1920s. He also worked for OKeh Records as Chicago supervisor of the company's 'Race' (African-American) Records for most of the decade. In the 1930s he played a similar role for Decca.
'Trouble in Mind' was recorded in 1924 by singer Thelma La Vizzo with Jones providing the piano accompaniment. The song became an early blues standard, with versions by Bertha 'Chippie' Hill with Louis Armstrong on cornet and Jones on piano (1926), Georgia White (1936), Victoria Spivey (as Jane Lucas, 1936) and Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys (1936). Later, it was a Billboard R&B chart hit for Dinah Washington (1952) and Nina Simone (1961). In many versions, several new verses are added. However, the standard opening is universal:
Trouble in mind, I’m blue (the word blue MUST be a 'blue' note)
But I won’t be blue always
'Cos the sun's gonna shine in my back door someday
The link is to Sister Rosetta Tharpe at Alexandra Road station at the junction of Alexandra Road South and Mauldeth Road West in Cholton Cum Hardy, a little town near Manchester, England, UK). For a gospel singer, she sure is a fine blues guitarist !
2) Jo and Jackie performing a great duet, Jackie singing an octave higher than Jo, Bei Mir Bist Du Schön, (Yiddish: בײַ מיר ביסטו שיין, "To Me You're Beautiful"), a popular Yiddish song composed by Jacob Jacobs (lyricist) and Sholom Secunda (composer) for a 1932 Yiddish musical, 'I Would If I Could' (in Yiddish, Men Ken Lebn Nor Men Lost Nisht, 'You could live, but they won't let you'), that closed after one season. The score for the song transcribed the Yiddish title as 'Bay mir bistu sheyn'. The original Yiddish version of the song (in C minor) is really a dialogue between two lovers who share lines of the song. The song became famous with English lyrics but retaining the Yiddish title, 'Bei Mir Bistu Shein'. It also appeared with a Germanized title 'Bei Mir Bist Du Schön'. In 1937, Sammy Cahn heard a performance of the song, sung in Yiddish by African American performers Johnnie and George at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. On seeing the response, Cahn got his employer to buy the rights so he (together with Saul Chaplin) could rewrite the song with English language lyrics and rhythms more typical of swing music. Secunda and Jacobs sold the publishing rights to the song for a mere US$30. Cahn then convinced the still unknown Andrews Sisters to perform the song (1937). It became their first major hit, earning them a gold record, the first ever to a female vocal group. The song is performed by Renata Flores in the film The Last Metro. It was also a worldwide hit beyond America. Over time, the song grosed some $3,000,000, with Secunda and Jacobs missing significant royalties. Fortunately, in 1961, the copyright on the song expired, the ownership was reverted to Secunda and Jacobs, and they signed contract with Harms, Inc., securing proper royalties.
There have been several songs with the tune in the Soviet Union. In particular, in 1943, a Russian-language song for the music was produced with satirical anti-Nazi lyrics titled 'Baron Fon Der Pshik' (Барон фон дер Пшик) by Anatoli Fidrovsky, music arrangement by Orest Kandat. Initially it was recorded by the jazz orchestra (director Nikolay Minkh) of the Baltic Fleet Theatre. Later it was included into the repertoire of Leonid Utyosov's jazz orchestra. In Nazi Germany it was also a hit until its Jewish origins were discovered when it was promptly banned.
The link is to Janis Siegel's rendition, as seen in 'Swing Kids'. This is the full, uninterrupted version. Not just a clip from the movie.
3) Jim's great feature for clarinet and vocal 2:19 Blues, originally entitled by Jelly Roll Morton 'Mamie's Blues' although he claimed to have learnt it rather than originated it. The title was changed by George Lewis. The link is to a wonderful version by Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Welshpool & Llanfair Railway
Today we used the Narrow Gauge Steam Railway to travel from Llanfair Caereinion to the town of Welshpool. The picture shows the steam locomotives that pulled our train; 'Countess' (green) going out and 'Joan' (red) for the return journey. The countryside was beautiful and we had lunch with good company at the 'Royal Oak' in Welshpool.
The railway enthusiasts on the way out thought this was one of the best lines they have tried. They particularly like the way they can stand on an open platform with the locomotive almost within touching distance, breathing in the smoke.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Lake Vyrnwy, Wales
Today we arrived at the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel in Wales. The pictures show the beautiful views from our room and from the terrace. The real experience cannot be captured in a photograph; this is the finest view in the UK.
Food in the AA one rosette restaurant is superb and the choice of wines is endless. A 2005 vintage from the Lebanon was particularly fine.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Lynton, North Devon
Today we stayed at the Lynton Cottage Hotel and enjoyed the view as pictured. Food and wine at the AA 2 rosette restaurant were as good as one would expect. We also undertook a nostalgia drive around all the places we used to visit in the 1970s with a child (now 42 and recently married). Most were substantially unchanged, Ilfracombe and Lee Bay being the exceptions.
Monday, June 6, 2012
Mike Barry's Frisco Six at the Bournemouth Jazz Club
This evening we saw Mike Barry's Frisco Six playing at the Bluebirds Club in Longham. The band comprised Mike Barry (trumpet, vocals), John Lee (clarinet, tenor sax), Michael Holt (trombone, vocals), Peter Gregory (banjo, guitar), Roger Kirby (double bass) and Graham Collicott (drums). Tonight this fine band played mostly New Orleans and Dixieland numbers but also some that are not played so often, such as:
1) Brown Skin Girl, a calypso composed by King Radio (Real name Norman Span). The number is played on this link by a band that includes Sonny Rollins, himself of caribbean origin.
2) Lulu's Back in Town, composed by Harry Warren with lyrics by Al Dubin. The link is to Fats Waller from 1935.
3) A regular favourite, sung by Mike Holt with fine guitar backing by Peter Gregory Am I Blue, written by Harry Akst and Grant Clarke in 1929. It was a big hit that year for Ethel Waters in the 1929 film 'On with the Show'. The link is to the most memorable scene from the 1984 film 'The Cotton Club'. with Diane Lane singing and Richard Gere playing trumpet. I don't understand why Ms Lane was so criticised for her role; watch the full clip to decide for yourself.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the White Buck
This evening, once again, we saw Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the White Buck Hotel at Burley in the New Forest (pictured).
The band comprised Tony Robinson (trumpet, vocals), Roy Sear (clarinet, tenor sax, soprano sax), Wyn Bowen (slide and valve trombones), Ron Poole (keyboard), Ron Davidge (drums), Alan Harris (double bass) and Barbara Lorraine (vocals). We recently spoke by telephone to the band's previous trombonist Bob Boorman, who was taken ill when playing at the White Buck over a year ago. He has recovered sufficiently to be playing with a big band.
Unusually there was a table full of young women and we were wondering which the two spare men, Eric and Victor, would choose as a dance partner. They both showed the same excellent taste, dancing with the best-dressed woman, Ruth. Perhaps we men are all the same in that respect.
Notable numbers were:
1) Barbara's vocal Ain't Nobody's Business, an eight-bar vaudeville blues song that became an early blues standard. It was written in the 1920s by pianist Porter Grainger, who had been Bessie Smith's accompanist, and Everett Robbins. The song was first recorded in October 1922 by Anna Meyer with the Original Memphis Five. Other early versions include Sara Martin (with Fats Waller on piano) (December 1922), Alberta Hunter (February 1923), and Bessie Smith (April 1923 ) as on this link. Porter Grainger's lyrics to the song were copyrighted in 1922, thus they are now in the public domain.
2) Ron Poole's solo feature, my request, Honky Tonk Train Blues, the best-known composition of Meade Lux Lewis (1905 – 1964), playing it on this link. His nickname 'Lux' arose because he worked in a car wash. At one time he shared lodgings with Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson. They performed an extended engagement at Café Society, toured as a trio, and inspired the formation of Blue Note Records in 1939. Their success led to a decade long boogie-woogie craze of which this is my favourite because it tells a story.
3) Barbara's vocal Lonesome Road, a 1927 song with music by Nathaniel Shilkret and lyrics by Gene Austin, also titled 'Lonesome Road', 'Look Down that Lonesome Road' and 'Lonesome Road Blues.' It was written in the style of an African-American folk song. The lyricist and composer were both extremely popular recording artists. Gene Austin estimated he sold 80 million records, and Nathaniel Shilkret's son estimated his father sold 50 million records. Joel Whitburn lists recordings by Austin, Bing Crosby, Ted Lewis, and Shilkret (see list of recordings below) as being "charted" at Numbers 10, 12, 3 and 10, respectively. There are no reliable sales figures that can be used to verify or dispute any of the estimates above.
The link is to Sister Rosetta Tharpe when she was band vocalist with Lucky Millinder and his Orchestra. How about those dancers !
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Panama Hat Jazz Band at Ye Olde George Inn (YOGI), Christchurch
This evening we went to Ye Olde George Inn in Christchurch, Dorset for an evening with The Panama Hat New Orleans Jazz Band. The band comprised Tony Hewitt (trumpet, vocals), Tom Pearse (trombone), Jim Driscoll (clarinet, vocal, out of picture), Alan Harris (string bass), George Skidmore (banjo, guitar, ukelele), and Stan 'the Man' Bowers on drums. Guest was Jo Collison (vocals, ukelele, pictured).
Notable numbers were:
1) Vocal and guitar by George A Hundred Years From Today, written by Victor Young with lyrics by Ned Washington and Joe Young and published in 1933. This song is about how we should enjoy life because what we do won't matter in a hundred years. It evokes images of a young man using that argument with his date, typified by both the opening lines of the main song:
"Don't save your kisses, just pass them around. You'll find my reason is logically sound. Who's gonna know that you passed them around a hundred years from today?"and the closing lines: "The moon is shining and that's a good sign. Cling to me closer and say you'll be mine. Remember darling, we won't see it shine a hundred years from today."
It also has an intro which is frequently omitted: "Life is such a great adventure. Learn to live it as you go. No one in the world can censure what we do here below." The link is to Jack Teagarden from 1941.
2) Jo's vocal with Tom Trombone Cholly. Bessie Smith's tribute to her trombone player Charlie Green. The link is to Bessie's 1927 recording with Charlie, Joe Smith (trumpet) and Fletcher Henderson (piano)
3) Tony's vocal (replacing the word 'smiling' with 'drinking') When You're Smiling, composed by Larry Shay, Mark Fisher, and Joe Goodwin and made famous by Louis Armstrong, who recorded it at least three times, in 1929, 1932, and 1956. The link is to the 1929 version.
Monday, April 2, 2011
Bill Phelan's Muskrat Ramblers at the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club
This evening, for the second time, we saw Bill Phelan's Muskrat Ramblers playing at the Bluebirds Club. The band comprised Bill Phelan (trumpet), Mike Melton (trumpet), Graham Wiseman (trombone), Alan Cresswell (clarinet), Johnny McCallum (banjo, guitar, vocals), Vic Pitt (double bass) and Paul Warrman (drums). Pete Tamplin (keyboard) joined the band for a few numbers.
Favourite numbers were:
1) Working Man Blues, written by Joe 'King' Oliver as featured on this link. We like the 1950's Dutch Swing College Version with the slow introduction.
2) Crazy 'bout the Way I Ride written by Kid Ory. The link is to an interesting 1945 recording with Wooden Joe Nicholas (tpt), Albert Burbank (clt), Jim Robinson (tbn), Lawrence Marrero (bjo), Austin Young (bass) and Josiah 'Cie' Frazier (dms).
3) Pete Tamplin with Johnny McCallum on guitar and vocal Please Don't Talk about me When I'm Gone, written by Sam H. Stept with lyrics by Sidney Clare. Original publication also credited singer Bee Palmer as co-composer. The song was published in 1930. The chorus uses virtually the same chord sequence as the 1925 composition 'Has Anybody Seen My Gal?'. The link is to the greatest of all jazz singers, Billie Holiday. This song is also sung by Norma Shearer's character Mary Haines in the 1939 film The Women as a joke when she leaves her girl friends alone at tea while she takes a call from her philandering husband Stephen Haines.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
John Maddocks' Jazzmen at the St Leonards Hotel
This evening we went to the St Leonards Hotel, Dorset, to eat dinner and see the John Maddocks Jazzmen. Another great evening of jazz plus one rock and roll. The band featured the standard line-up of John Maddocks (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, vocals, pictured), Peter Wilkinson (trumpet, vocals), Tony Farr (trombone), Chris Satterley (keyboard, vocals), Peter McCurrie (string bass, tuba), Dave Broomfield, (banjo, guitar) and Brian Barker (drums).
There was one problem; closure of the nearest ladies lavatory gave Selina major problems. Our thanks to Pru and Sandy for helping her find the next nearest on three visits.
Favourite numbers were:
1) John's vocal and tenor sax rock and roll feature Well All Right, written by Charles Singleton, Jerry Wexler, Rosemarie McCoy and Ahmet Ertegun. This 30 second clip is from the recording by Big Joe Turner with Sam Taylor (tenor sax), Mickey Baker (bass guitar), Wilbur De Paris (trombone), Frank 'Heywood' Henry (sax) and Connie Kay (drums). Big Joe Turner (1911 - 1985) was born Joseph Vernon Turner Jr. in Kansas City, Missouri. Although he was originally a blues 'shouter', according to the songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." Although he came to his greatest fame in the 1950s with his pioneering rock and roll recordings, particularly "Shake, Rattle and Roll", Turner's career as a performer stretched from the 1920s into the 1980s.
2) Out of the Gallion, which I believe was composed by Sidney Bechet. The link is to a 1945 recording by Mezz Mezzrow, (clarinet), Sidney Bechet (soprano sax), Fits Meston (piano), Pop Foster (bass) and Kaiser Marshal (drums).
3) Troggs Blues, composed by clarinettist and 'Trog' cartoonist Wally Fawkes. The link is to the composer playing live in 1954 with the Humphrey Lyttelton band. The other musicians were Bruce Turner (alto sax), Johnny Parker (piano), Johnny Pickard (trombone), Freddy Legon (banjo), Mickey Ashman (bass) and George Hopkinson (drums).
Monday, March 5, 2012
Laurie Chescoe's Reunion Band at the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club
This evening we went to see the Laurie Chescoe's Reunion Band at the Bluebirds Club in Longham.
The band comprised; Duncan Hemscott (clarinet, tenor sax), Lord Arsenal (trumpet, vocals), Dave Hewett (trombone, baritone horn), Hugh Crozier (keyboard), Jim Douglas (guitar, banjo), Pete Skivington (bass guitar) and Laurie Chescoe (drums).
This is a great band with some fine musicians, two of whom (Dave and Pete) we know well. Arsenal is a funny front man who we had never seen before.
Favourite numbers were:
1) Hugh's solo Jump Steady Blues, written by Clarence 'Pine Top' Smith as featured on this link. He was born in Troy, Alabama and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. He received his nickname as a child from his liking for climbing trees. In 1920 he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he worked as an entertainer before touring on the T. O. B. A. vaudeville circuit, performing as a singer and comedian as well as a pianist. For a time he worked as accompanist for blues singer Ma Rainey and Butterbeans and Susie. In 1928 he moved, with his wife and young son, to Chicago, Illinois to record. For a time he, Albert Ammons, and Meade Lux Lewis lived in the same rooming house. On 29 December 1928 he recorded his influential "Pine Top's Boogie Woogie," one of the first "boogie woogie" style recordings to make a hit, and which cemented the name for the style. Pine Top talks over the recording, telling how to dance to the number. He said he originated the number at a house-rent party in St. Louis, Missouri. Smith was the first ever to direct "the girl with the red dress on" to "not move a peg" until told to "shake that thing" and "mess around". Smith died from a gunshot wound in a dance-hall fight in Chicago. Sources differ as to whether he was the intended recipient of the bullet. "I saw Pinetop spit blood" was the famous headline in Down Beat magazine. No photographs of Smith are known to exist.
2) Great tenor sax by Duncan on Oh Marie, composed by Eduardo di Capua (1865 – 1917). The link is a fine version by Louis Prima. Together with the poet Giovanni Capurro, di Capua also wrote the song 'O Sole Mio'.
3) Jim and Pete's duet Cherokee, written in 1938 by Ray Noble as featured on this link. Raymond Stanley Noble (1903-78) was born at 1 Montpelier Terrace in the Montpelier area of Brighton. A blue plaque on the house commemorates him. Noble studied at the Royal Academy of Music and became leader of the HMV Records studio band in 1929. The band, known as the New Mayfair Dance Orchestra, featured members of many of the top hotel orchestras of the day. The most popular vocalist with Noble's studio band was Al Bowlly. The Bowlly/Noble recordings with the New Mayfair Dance Orchestra on HMV achieved popularity in the United States, and Noblee moved to New York City in 1933. Union bans prevented Noble from taking British musicians to America so he arranged for Glenn Miller to recruit American musicians. Glenn Miller played the trombone in the Ray Noble orchestra which performed Glenn Miller's composition "Dese Dem Dose" as part of the medley "Dese Dem Dose/An Hour Ago This Minute/Solitude" during a performance at the Rainbow Room in 1935. The American Ray Noble band had a successful run at the Rainbow Room in New York City with Bowlly as principal vocalist. Bowlly returned to England but Noble continued to lead bands in America, moving into an acting career portraying a stereotypical upper-class English idiot. His last major successes as a bandleader came with Buddy Clark in the late 1940s. He retired to Santa Barbara, California, where he lived in the 1970s. In March 1978 he flew to London for treatment of cancer, where he died.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Panama Hat Jazz Band at Ye Olde George Inn (YOGI), Christchurch
This evening we went to Ye Olde George Inn in Christchurch, Dorset for a great time with The Panama Hat New Orleans Jazz Band. The band comprised Tony Purse (trumpet, vocals), Tom Pearse (trombone), Jim Driscoll (clarinet, vocal), Alan Harris (string bass), George Skidmore (banjo, guitar), and Tony's son Dave Purse doing a fine job on drums. It was a great evening despite the absence of the usual guest vocalists.
Notable numbers were:
1) Tony's interpretation, with fine blues guitar by George, of Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Morning, composed by Tom and Pearl Delaney. The link is to a typical Dinah Washington (1924 – 1963) recording with her trademarks of extending a word over more than one bar and finishing a line by speaking the words. We first came to know of her because of her great 1961 hit 'September in the Rain'. It turned out to be her last.
2) Another vocal by Tony Lord, Lord, Lord (sure been good to me). The link is to the Ken Colyer Band with road noises,
3) Mama Inez, composed in 1931 by Eliseo Grenet (Havana, 1893 – 1950) with lyrics by L. Wolfe Gilbert. Grenet was a Cuban pianist and a leading composer/arranger of the day. He composed music for stage shows and films, and some famous Cuban dance music. Eliseo was one of three musical brothers, all composers, the others being Emilio ('Neno', 1901–1941) and Ernesto (1908–1981). Emilio went on composing even after having an arm and a leg bitten off by a shark in 1930. Ernesto was a drummer who became leader of the Tropicana's orchestra. The link is to Kevin Clark (trumpet), Chris Lamont (drums), Peter Hill (piano) and Denis Keldie (organ), at the Palais Royale, Toronto with legs galore on the dance floor.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Excelsior Vintage Jazz Band at the Bluebirds Club
This evening we went to see the Excelsior Vintage jazz band at the Bluebirds Club in Longham.
The band comprised; Ron Rumbol (clarinet, alto sax, leader), Cuff Billet (trumpet, vocals), John Wiseman (trombone), Doug Kennedy (banjo), Ray Goold (double bass) and Dave Evens (drums).
Cuff was deputising for Jim Holmes who is ill. It is a pity that the audience was smaller than usual and we were the only couple dancing.
Favourite numbers were:
1) Cuff's blues vocal If You See Me Coming, written by Teddy Bunn and Mezz Mezzrow as featured on this link. The band is the Mezzrow/Ladnier Quintet, comprising Mezz Mezzrow (clt), Tommy Ladnier (tpt), Teddy Bunn (gtr, vocal), Pops Foster (bass sax), and Manzie Johnson (dms).
2) You Took Advantage of Me, a 1928 popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the musical Present Arms (1928), where it was introduced by Joyce Barbour and Busby Berkeley as the characters Edna Stevens and Douglas Atwel. THe link is to the Paul Whiteman Orchestra from 1928, comprising Henry Busse, Charles Margulis, Eddie Pinder (tp); Bix Beiderbecke (c); Boyce Cullen, Wilbur Hall, Bill Rank, Jack Fulton (tb); Frank Trumbauer, Chester Hazlett, Irving Friedman, Charles Strickfaden, Rube Crozier, Roy Maier (reeds); Kurt Dieterle, Mischa Russell, Matty Malneck, Mario Perry, John Bouman, Charles Gaylord (vln); Roy Bargy, Lennie Hayton (p); Mike Pingitore (bj); Mike Trafficante (sb); Min Leibrook (tu/bsx); George Marsh (dm); Bing Crosby, Austin Young, Jack Fulton, Charles Gaylord (voc).
I always say that Selina took advantage of me in 1962 by saying she had black stockings in her bag.
3) Maria Elena, a 1932 popular song written by Lorenzo Barcelata (Spanish words and music). The song was dedicated to María Elena, the wife of Mexican President Emilio Portes Gil. An instrumental version of the song was used as the background theme of the 1935 film Bordertown, starring Paul Muni and Bette Davis, in 1935. The next year the words and music were used in the Mexican film María Elena. The song was a hit in 1941 for the Jimmy Dorsey orchestra with Bob Eberly doing the vocals. An instrumental version was recorded in 1958 and released in the United States in 1962 by Natalico and Antenor Lima, better known as Los Indios Tabajaras. This popular revival hit made No.5 on the UK singles chart. Selina brought this to us as part of her musical dowry and it is featured on this link.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Spirit of New Orleans Band at the Bluebirds Club
This evening we went to see The Spirit of New Orleans jazz band at the Bluebirds Club in Longham.
The band comprised; Alan Pickering (trombone), Tim Eyles (trumpet, vocals, jokes), Bernie Murtha (clarinet, alto sax, vocals), Doug Kennedy (banjo), Stuart Gledhill (5-string double bass) and Steve Keats (drums).
We welcomed Martin and Louise for their first time (of many we hope) at the Bluebirds. When Victor arrived at the start of the second set, he spotted the young, tall, glamorous, Louise from the other side of the room and was across to dance with her in milliseconds.
Favourite numbers were:
1) Canal Street Blues, written by Joe 'King' Oliver as featured on this link. Canal Street borders the French Quarter of New Orleans and is wider and more open than the inner streets. I stayed on Canal Street once while at a business meeting; everyone else stayed at the airport hotel that provided the meeting rooms. What strange people !
2) South, composed by Thamon Hayes and Bennie Moten. It was introduced by Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra in 1924 and recorded again in 1928, as on this link, when it became a national hit. It was Moten's most popular composition and stayed in Victor's catalog over the years, becoming a big jukebox hit in the late 1940s. It remained in print (as a vinyl 45) until RCA stopping making records!
In 1929, Moten recruited Count Basie, Walter Page and Oran 'Hot Lips' Page. Walter Page's walking bass lines gave the music an entirely new feel compared with the 2/4 tuba of his predecessor Vernon Page, coloured by Basie's understated, syncopated piano fills. Another boom to the band was adding Jimmy Rushing as their primary vocalist. Their final recording session in 1932 showed the early stages of what became known as the 'Basie sound'. By this time Ben Webster and Jimmy Rushing had joined Moten's band, but Moten himself does not play on these sessions. These sides include a number of tunes that later became swing classics. After Moten's death in 1935 after an unsuccessful tonsillectomy, Basie took many of the leading musicians from the band to form his own orchestra.
3) Chimes Blues, written by Joe 'King' Oliver in 1923 so the link is to his band, including Louis Armstrong. As tonight's band had no piano, the chimes were played by the front line in the style of the Chris Barber band.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Golden Eagle Jazz Band at the Hamworthy Club
This evening, for the first time, we went to the Hamworthy Club for a charity concert in aid of Friends of Forest Holme. The jazz was provided by our old friends, The Golden Eagle Jazz Band, comprising Mike Scroxton (trumpet, vocals), Alan Cresswell (clarinet), Sid Bailey (trombone, vocals), Mike Broad (string bass), Kevin Scott, (banjo, leader, vocals, jokes) and Pete Jackman (drums).
The venue is good with a large car park, a proper stage, a bar in the function room and plenty of room for dancing. We danced to eight numbers and I don't think we were ever alone on the floor for a complete number. Favourites were:
1) The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise, lyrics by Gene Lockhart and music (Toronto 1918) by the concert pianist Ernest Seitz, who had conceived the refrain when he was 12. Embarrassed about writing popular music, Seitz used the pseudonym "Raymond Roberts" when the song was first published by Chappell in 1919. More than 100 versions have been recorded. Initially, when the song's hopeful sentiment appealed to post-war North America, it was recorded by both singers and instrumentalists, including Morton Downey, Fritz Kreisler, Ted Lewis, and John Steel. Later, as a popular vehicle for improvisation, it was recorded by many jazz musicians, among them Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Django Reinhardt, Mel Powell, Jess Stacy, and Jack Teagarden. A version made for Capitol in 1951 by guitarists Les Paul and Mary Ford was a million-seller. The Beatles recorded a home version on a Grundig tape recorder, sometime in the late 1950's. The Beatles version featured guitars by Harrison and Lennon and vocals from Paul McCartney. Canadian jazz musicians to record the song include Bert Niosi (1946), Peter Appleyard (1957), Ed Bickert (1979), and Oscar Peterson (1980). A version by doo-wop group the Larks is featured in the 1955 film Rhythm and Blues Revue. Les Paul's version, as on this link, was one of the first electric guitar recordings to feature distortion.
2) One Sweet Letter from You, credited to Lew Brown, Sidney Clare and Harry Warren. The link is to the 1927 recording by Sophie Tucker with Miff Mole's Molers, a fine band comprising Red Nichols (trumpet), Miff Mole (trombone), Jimmy Dorsey (clarinet , alto sax), Ted Shapiro (piano), Eddie Lang (guitar), Joe Tarto (tuba) and Vic Berton (drums). Our only Miff Mole record has seven different sets of musicians, none of them as noted here.
3) Kevin's sweet closing vocal I'll See You In My Dreams, written by Isham Jones, with lyrics by Gus Kahn, published in 1924 and originally recorded by Isham Jones and The Ray Miller Orchestra. The link is to Joe Brown, who finished with this number every time we have seen him.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
'Design For Living' at Salisbury Playhouse
This evening, to celebrate our 46th anniversary, we went to the Salisbury Playhouse to see a performance of 'Design For Living' by Noel Coward. We began with dinner at the nearby Thai Orchid; tasty food and excellent service.
The play was classic Coward. He was ahead of his time in that there was no doubt when sex had taken place and there was even a hint of homosexuality. Gilda, played by Marianne Oldham, progressed effortlessly from Bohemian in dressing gown over petticoat to New York socialite in a beautiful backless evening dress.
All told, a great evening out.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
1940's night at the White Buck
This evening we went to the White Buck Hotel at Burley in the New Forest for a 1940s style dinner and entertainment. For our starters we both had spam fritters and I chose rabbit and bacon pie for the main course. For afters we both had treacle sponge. Ah, the sheer nostalgia of it.
Lorraine, the singer, dressed in the clothes of the period (see picture), as did many of the audience. Several of the men, including Eric, were in US military uniform. When I accused Eric of wanting to have his wicked way with our British women he agreed wholeheartedly.
The music was from the big band era, including many old wartime favourites. The dancing was very professional, putting our efforts to shame. However, we were given a bottle of wine as a prize for being the first 'outsiders' to get up and dance.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Dart Valley Stompers at the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club
This evening, for the fifth time, we saw the Dart Valley Stompers, playing at the Bluebirds Club. This great band comprised Jeremy Huggett (leader, clarinet, tenor sax, soprano sax, vocals), Graham Trevarton (trumpet, cornet, vocals), John Whitlock (banjo, guitar, jokes), Tony Mann (double bass) and Ron Berry (drums). The venue was packed, evidence of the popularity of this band. They are good !
As John Whitlock started one of his jokes, a woman at the front called out "That's Disgusting." From then on she heckled him at every opportunity until he called down to her husband "She's good, can we borrow her for other gigs ?"
Notable numbers were:
1) I'm Walkin', written by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew. Fats is featured on this link with a fine tenor sax player. The 1957 single was Fats Domino's third release in a row to reach number one in the R&B Best Sellers chart, where it stayed for six weeks. The single also continued Fats Domino's crossover appeal when it peaked at number four on the pop singles chart.
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. was born in 1928 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language. He lives there still and survived Hurricane Katrina when his house was flooded and he was rescued by helicopter.
2) Dream a Little Dream of Me music by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt and lyrics by Gus Kahn. The link is to the famous Cass Elliott (Mama Cass) recording with the Mamas and the Papas.
3) Bye Bye Blues, written by Fred Hamm, Dave Bennett, Bert Lown, and Chauncey Gray and published in 1930. The link is to Les Paul and Mary Ford, a version we have on CD.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
'The Mother'
Since I last reported on DVDs from LoveFilm we have viewed two or more per week. My favourite since Shogun was The Mother, starring Anne Reid and Daniel Craig. I must admit that my initial reasons for this choice were my liking for the young man, older woman, genre plus the prospect of James Bond pleasuring one of Victoria Wood's dinner ladies ! The film exceeded my expectations.
Anne Reid (Coronation St, Dinner Ladies) gives a fine performance in the leading role, making her character completely convincing. She was nominated for 6 best actress awards and won just one of them. I would have given her all 6.
She turned down a part in 'Calendar Girls' for this role. Tough decision; I think not.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Panama Hat Jazz Band at Ye Olde George Inn (YOGI), Christchurch
This evening we went to Ye Olde George Inn in Christchurch, Dorset (pictured) for a meal followed by a great time with The Panama Hat New Orleans Jazz Band. The band comprised Tony Purse (trumpet, vocals), Tom Pearse (trombone), Jim Driscoll (clarinet, vocal), Alan Harris (string bass), George Skidmore (banjo, guitar), and 'Stan the Man' Bowers on drums. Guests were; Jo Collison (vocals) and Peter Titcomb (vocals).
Notable numbers were:
1) Jo's wonderful interpretation, with audience participation (hissing), of Fattening Frogs for Snakes, which Tony Purse tells us is generally attributed to Sonny Boy Williamson (the second) and recorded by Carrie Edwards in 1932. The link is to LAURA FEDELE (piano, vocals), CARLO LOFFREDO (bass) and WALTER GANDA (drums) at San Marino in July 1995.
2) Rent Party Blues, probably composed by Duke Ellington or one of his band. The link is to Papa Bue's Viking Jazzband from 1968 in Copenhagen. This fine band Band comprised Finn Otto Hansen (Tp), Abne Bue Jensen (Tb), Jorgen Svare (Cl), Jørn Jønne Jensen (pn), Bjarne "Liller" Petersen (Bjo), Jens Sølund (Bass), and Knud Ryskov Madsen (Dms). We remember seeing them in the 60s at the Crown in Morden. Nostalgia again !
Monday, November 7, 2011
Colin Kingwell's Jazz Bandits at the Bluebirds Club
This evening we went to see Colin Kingwell's Jazz Bandits at the Bluebirds Club in Longham.
The band (pictured) comprised; John Lawrence (trumpet, vocals), Colin Kingwell (trombone), Ron Rumbold (clarinet, alto sax), Peter Brooks (string bass), Dave Foorsett (banjo) and 'Malc' Murphy (drums, vocals).
Favourite numbers this evening were:
1) Sugar Blues, a song made popular by Clyde McCoy featuring the sound of the growling wah-wah mute, as on this link. He recorded it no less than four times. It became his trademark song. It was written in 1920 by Clarence Williams and recorded for the first time by Leona Williams and her Dixie Band in 1922. Although McCoy's version was strictly instrumental, there are lyrics, written by Lucy Fletcher. It was recorded with vocals by both Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, Fats Waller and Ella Fitzgerald.
2) Isle of Capri, written by Wilhelm Grosz (aka Hugh Williams) with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. The song was published in 1934. It was recorded by Lew Stone and his Band with vocal by trumpeter Nat Gonella in 1934 as on this link. Other popular British 1934 recordings were by Ray Noble and his Orchestra with vocal by Al Bowlly and by Gracie Fields. As a child I listened to the recording by Primo Scala's Accordion Band. The song's melody strongly resembles that of another popular standard, Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler's "Get Happy". Some suggest that there are two minor errors in the lyrics of the song: '...the shade of an old walnut tree' - there are no walnut trees on the Isle of Capri. And '...though we leave on the tide in the morning' - Capri is in the Mediterranean which is not tidal. Both of these claims are wrong. There are indeed walnut trees on Capri, and the Mediterranean does experience slight changes in sea level due to tides.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Jazzsounds at the Belvedere, Bournemouth
This evening we went to Manfred's Bar at The Belvedere Hotel in Bournemouth, where we ate an excellent meal of roast turkey, drank a bottle of Syrah and listened to Jazzsounds.
The trio (pictured), comprised Pat Neil (keyboard), Brian Mursell (stick bass) and Terry Squires (guitar, vocal). Guest guitarist was Stuart. Male guest vocalists were Cliff, Steve, Brian and Tony (Banks). Female guest vocalist was Pat.
Favourites were:
1) The Way You Look Tonight, featured in the film Swing Time, originally performed by Fred Astaire as on this link. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936. The song was sung to Ginger Rogers as Penelope "Penny" Carroll by Astaire's character of John "Lucky" Garnett while Penny was busy washing her hair in an adjacent room, and feeling anything but beautiful at the time. The song was written by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Fields later remarked, "The first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn't stop, it was so beautiful." Nobody writes songs as good as this now.
2) Cliff's vocal Just One of Those Things, written by Cole Porter for the 1935 musical 'Jubilee'. The song was later featured in two Doris Day musical films, Lullaby of Broadway (1951) and Young at Heart (1954). We have a great recording of it as an instrumental by Sidney Bechet. However, as it was sung tonight, the link is to a vocal; the wonderful Diana Krall demonstrating both her voice and her keyboard skills. We might not be producing any songwriters but new musicians are still coming along.
3) Tony Banks' vocal The Shadow of Your Smile, composed by Johnny Mandel with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. The song was introduced in the 1965 film The Sandpiper, with a trumpet solo by Jack Sheldon and later became a minor hit for Tony Bennett (Johnny Mandel arranged and conducted his version as well). It won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year and the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The link is to the late Blossom Dearie, for whom this was a classic recording.
Wednesday, December 9, 2011
Panama Hat Jazz Band at Ye Olde George Inn (YOGI), Christchurch
This evening, after 'curry night' at the Elephant & Castle, we went to Ye Olde George Inn in Christchurch, Dorset (pictured) to see The Panama Hat New Orleans Jazz Band. The band comprised Tony Purse (trumpet, vocals), Tom Pearse (trombone), Jim Driscoll (clarinet, vocal), Alan Harris (string bass), George Skidmore (banjo, guitar, vocals), and 'Stan the Man' Bowers on drums. Guests were; Jo Collison (vocals), Christine Skidmore (vocal), Peter Titcomb (vocals) and Ron Ager (clarinet).
Notable numbers were:
1) Jo's wonderful bluesy vocal C C Rider, traditional in origin, plagiarised by W C Handy and first recorded by Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey in 1924. The song uses mostly traditional blues lyrics to tell the story of an unfaithful lover, commonly called an easy rider: "See See rider, see what you have done", making a play on the word see and the sound of easy. Any mention of W C Handy reminds me of 'Lobachevsky' by Tom Lehrer; "Plagiarise, let no-one else's work evade your eyes, so don't shade your eyes but plagiarise, plagiarise, plagiarise - but remember please; always to call it research". The link is to a previous performance by Jo of this number at the same venue with Selina and I sitting in the front row. I am still horrified at how old I look from behind.
2) George's vocal feature,
Margie, also known as 'My Little Margie, was composed in collaboration by vaudeville performer and pianist Con Conrad and ragtime pianist J. Russel Robinson, a member of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Lyrics were written by Benny Davis, a vaudeville performer and songwriter. The song was introduced by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1920 in a medley paired with "Singin' the Blues". The song was published in 1920 and was named after the five-year-old daughter of singer and songwriter Eddie Cantor. Cantor is credited with popularizing the song with his 1921 recording that stayed at the top of the pop charts for five weeks. The song has appeared in the movies Stella Dallas (1937), Margie (1946) and The Eddie Cantor Story (1953). The link is to a great recording by the Frankie Trumbauer band, featuring Bix Beiderbecke.[
3) George's lovely acoustic blues guitar playing, backing Tony's vocal, Dallas Blues, written by Hart Wand and the first true blues song ever published, (1912). Although written for standard blues tempo (Tempo di Blues. Very slowly), it is often performed as Ragtime or Dixieland. In 1918, Lloyd Garrett added lyrics to reflect the singer's longing for Dallas:
There's a place I know, folks won't pass me by,
Dallas, Texas, that's the town, I cry, oh hear me cry.
And I'm going back, going back to stay there 'til I die, until I die.
No date is found for the actual composition of 'Dallas Blues' but Samuel Charters, who interviewed Wand for his book, The Country Blues (1959), states that Wand took the tune to a piano playing friend, Annabelle Robbins, who arranged the music for him. Charters further states that the title came one of Wand's father's workmen who remarked that the tune gave him the blues to go back to Dallas. Since Wand's father died in 1909, the actual composition must have predated that.
In any case, within weeks of its publication it was heard the length of the Mississippi River and its influence on all the blues music that followed is well documented.
The link is to WILBUR SWEATMAN'S ORIGINAL JAZZ BAND in 1918, comprising Wilbur Sweatman (cl, dir) William Hicks (tpt), Major Jackson (tb), Dan Parish (pno) and Henry Bowser (dms). This is possibly the first black band ever to record a jazz number.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Jazzsounds at the Belvedere, Bournemouth
This evening we went to Manfred's Bar at The Belvedere Hotel in Bournemouth, where we ate a bar meal and then saw Jazzsounds.
The trio comprised Pat Neil (keyboard), Brian Mursell (stick bass) and Tony Newton (tenor sax, alto sax). There were also four guest vocalists, Pauline, Pat, Tom and Frank.
Favourites were:
1) Pauline's vocal Cry Me a River, written by Arthur Hamilton and first published in 1953. The song's first release and most famous recording was by actress/singer Julie London in 1955. A sultry performance of the song by London in the 1956 film 'The Girl Can't Help It' helped to make it a million-selling blockbuster. The link is to the relevant scene from the film, which I watched alone at the Imperial Cinema in Canning Town. Ah, the nostalgia of it.
2) Samba de Uma Nota Só, AKA 'One Note Samba' composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim with Portuguese lyrics by Newton Mendonça. The English lyrics were written by Jobim. The song title refers to the main melody line, which at first consists of a long series of notes of a single tone played in a bossa nova rhythm.
Guitarist Charlie Byrd was invited to travel and play in Brazil during a cultural goodwill tour sponsored by the Kennedy administration in 1961. He was completely enamoured by the music, and when he returned, he headed straight for the recording studio to make the now classic Jazz Samba. Collaborating with Stan Getz on tenor sax and backed by a band that included Gene Byrd (bass, guitar), Keter Betts (bass), and Buddy Deppenschmidt and Bill Reichenbach (drums), Byrd forged a new and brilliant sound. American record companies were to churn out hundreds of watered bossa-pop albums that have since given the style its lounge-addled image, but this album stands as a tribute to the vitality and adaptability of jazz. It is featured on this link.
For Byrd without Getz, buy 'Latin Impressions' on the Riverside label. It features a wide range of music from Central and South America.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Buddy Holly night at the White Buck
This evening we went to the White Buck Hotel at Burley in the New Forest for a USA style dinner with Buddy Holly tribute from Alan Becks. We enjoyed the evening enormously, dancing more than ever before and with my voice becoming hoarse from singing along to all those great numbers from the 1950s.
The first half was all Buddy Holly numbers, including:
1) Maybe Baby, written by Buddy Holly and Norman Petty, who ran the recording studio in Clovis New Mexico. It reached 17th in the US charts but 4th in the UK charts. The link is to an Alan Becks demo.
2) Peggy Sue, written by Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison, and Norman Petty. It was originally performed, recorded and released as a single by Buddy Holly in early July of 1957. The Crickets are not mentioned on the single but both Joe B. Mauldin (string bass) and Jerry Allison (drums) are known to be featured on the recording. The song was also released on Buddy Holly's self-titled 1958 album. The song is ranked 194 on the Rolling Stone magazine's 2004 list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song was originally called "Cindy Lou", and was named for Buddy's niece, the daughter of his sister Pat Holley Kaiter. The title was later changed to "Peggy Sue" in reference to Crickets drummer Jerry Allison's girlfriend (and future wife), Peggy Sue Gerron, with whom he had recently had a temporary breakup. Appropriately, Allison played a prominent role in the production of the song, playing paradiddles on the drums throughout the song, the drums' sound rhythmically fading in and out as a result of real-time engineering techniques by the producer, Norman Petty. Many music critics regard this as Holly's all-time best recording. The song went to no. 3 on the Billboard Top 100 chart in 1957. The song is currently ranked as the 100th greatest song of all time, as well as the third best song of 1957, by Acclaimed Music. Initially only Allison and Petty were listed as the song's authors but at Allison's insistence, Holly was credited as a co-writer after his death. The link is to a live performance by Holly, Maudlin and Allison.
3) Mailman bring me no more blues, the only Buddy Holly number played tonight that we don't have on disc. The original was recorded April 8th, 1957 at the Norman Petty Studios with Buddy, Jerry, Joe B. and Vi Petty on Piano. It was partly written by Bob Thiele (nom de plume as Stanley Clayton). This was the flip side of 'Words of Love', also performed this evening.
The second half comprised various rock and roll numbers, including:
4) Summertime Blues, written in the late 1950s by Eddie Cochran and his manager Jerry Capehart. Originally a single B-side, it was released in August 1958 and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 18 on the UK Singles Chart. It has been covered by many artists, including being a number-one hit for country music artist, Alan Jackson, and a notable hit for The Who. The link is to another Alan Becks demo.
5) Please Don't Tease, a UK number-one single of 1960 by Cliff Richard and The Shadows, seen live on this link. The single also reached the no. 1 spot in India, Holland, New Zealand, Norway and Thailand selling 1.6 million worldwide. In 1978 Cliff re-recorded the song in a contemporary arrangement and released it as the B-side of 'Please remember me'.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Jazzsounds at the Belvedere, Bournemouth
This evening we went to Manfred's Bar at The Belvedere Hotel in Bournemouth, where we ate an excellent meal of roast turkey, drank a bottle of Syrah and listened to Jazzsounds.
The trio (pictured), comprised Pat Neil (keyboard), Brian Mursell (stick bass) and Terry Squires (guitar, vocal). Male guest vocalist was Steve and female guest vocalists were Pauline and Pat.
Favourites were:
1) What Difference A Day Makes, originally written in 1934 as Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado ("When I Return To Your Side") in Spanish by Mexican composer María Méndez Grever (María Grever). English lyrics were written by Stanley Adams and it was played by Harry Roy & his Orchestra. The most successful early recording, in 1934, was by the Dorsey Brothers. Dinah Washington won a Grammy Award in 1959 for Best Rhythm and Blues Performance with this song and is featured on this link.
I call this Selina's tune from one night at the Rutland Arms in Catford. She was asking to go home because she was so tired when a guy called Richard, then unknown to us, asked her to dance with him. Tiredness forgotten, she got up and they danced well together to this very number.
2) Little Linda, presumably written by Spyro Gyra as featured on this link. This is an American jazz fusion band, originally formed in the mid-1970s in Buffalo, New York, USA. With over 25 albums released and 10 million copies sold, they are among the most prolific as well as commercially successful groups of the genre. Among their most successful hit singles are "Shaker Song" and "Morning Dance", which received significant play on popular music radio stations, and are still frequently heard nearly 30 years later on jazz and easy listening stations. Their music, which has been influential in the development of smooth jazz and combines jazz with elements of R&B, funk and pop music. Although generally considered to be more "jazz" than "smooth", Spyro Gyra has been praised for their skilled instrumentalists and for their live performances, which average about 100 per year. With the exception of alto saxophonist, songwriter and founding bandleader Jay Beckenstein and keyboardist Tom Schuman, the personnel has changed over time, as well as between the studio and the live stage. Today, guitarist Julio Fernandez is also in his third decade with the band. The band's latest album A Foreign Affair, released on September 13, 2011 to generally great reviews, is a "throwback" to the early Spyro Gyra releases with strong global music content and occasionally using guest vocalists.
3) Lullaby of Birdland, composed by George Shearing, who plays it on this link. The title refers to Charlie "Bird" Parker and the Birdland jazz club named after him. Born in Battersea, London, Shearing was the youngest of nine children. He was born blind to working class parents; his father delivered coal and his mother cleaned trains in the evening. He started to learn piano at the age of three and began formal training at Linden Lodge School for the Blind, where he spent four years. Though offered several scholarships, Shearing opted to perform at a local pub, the Mason's Arms in Lambeth, for "25 bob a week" playing piano and accordion. He even joined an all-blind band during that time and was influenced by the albums of Teddy Wilson and Fats Waller. He made his first BBC radio appearance during this time after befriending Leonard Feather, with whom he started recording in 1937.[2] In 1940, Shearing joined Harry Parry's popular band and contributed to the comeback of Stéphane Grappelli. Shearing won seven consecutive Melody Maker polls during this time. Around that time he was also a member of George Evans's Saxes 'n' Sevens band.
This is a very nostalgic number for me. When I left home at the age of 17 and lived in digs, I was usually alone in the evenings and once a week would go to the cinema in Thornton Heath. While waiting for the performance to start, 'Lullaby of Birdland' was one of the tunes always played. It was a while before I discovered that this version was from the LP 'Chet Atkins Workshop', leading me to become a life-long Atkins fan.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
'Shogun'
Over the last few days we have been watching the four DVDs (from LoveFilm) of the 1980 TV series Shogun, from the novel by James Clavell. A superb, gripping series which we strongly recommend. It simplifies the original plot for the benefit of TV audiences, which accounts for its popularity. However, if you want to fully understand it then you must read the book.
Richard Chamberlain recovers from his Dr Kildare image to give a superb lead performance. Toshiro Mifune is a great Lord Toronaga. However, my favourite acting performance is by Damien Thomas as Jesuit priest Father Alvito. I found him utterly convincing, both when kindly and when menacing.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
'Persuasion' at Salisbury Playhouse
This evening we went to the Salisbury Playhouse to see a performance of 'Persuasion' from the Jane Austen novel. We began with dinner at the nearby Thai Orchid, tasty food and excellent service.
The play was typical Jane Austen. All her plots are basically very simple, yet she manages to embroider them and stretch them into something much bigger. The casting and acting were both very good and we enjoyed the evening.
Friday, November 11, 2011
'Midnight in Paris' at the Rex Cinema in Wareham
This evening we missed Salisbury Jazz Club as I had a bad cold. Instead we went to the Rex Cinema in Wareham to see the latest Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris. Woody's films vary from appalling to excellent and this one is in the latter category. The IMBD description is "A romantic comedy about a family traveling to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better." However, this gives no hint that the story involves time travel to the past to see life in the 1920s and 1890s. Our hero has to choose between :
Marriage to his sexy fianceé, Inez, living in Malibu
Living in present-day Paris without her
Living in 1920's Paris, seeing Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Picasso, Gertrude Stein, Salvador Dali, Josephine Baker, etc.
Living in the 1890s with the beautiful Adriana.
All I can say is that he is a lucky man to have such choices.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
The Reader; Lust, Caution
This weekend we watched two DVDs borrowed from LoveFilm, both favourites from the winter of 2008-09.
The first was The Reader. This film deserves all the accolades and would have won a few more Oscars if they were awarded on merit. Kate Winslet gives a sensational Oscar-winning performance, the part starting at around her current age and finishing 30 years later. The 18 year old David Kross from Germany is also excellent as the young Michael Berg. Ralph Fiennes has a much less meaty role as the older Michael Berg. The story is serious and thought-provoking with some harrowing scenes. There is also quite a lot of very convincing sex. We strongly recommend this film to all serious cinema enthusiasts.
The second DVD was Lust, Caution. This is a truly great film by Ang Lee, with a believable plot that keeps the suspense going to the very end. Wei Tang is a fine young actress, switching effortlessly from poor innocent student with no make-up and baggy clothes to the painted seductress in beautiful Silk Cheongsams. The sex (and there is plenty of it) is very hot and features a wide range of positions. Don't miss it !
I have to ask myself why the majority of great cinema is now composed of foreign language films: 'Tell No-one', 'The Lives of Others', 'Lust, Caution', etc. I suppose that Hollywood is just catering for the mass audience, AKA the great unwashed.Thursday, November 3, 2011
Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the White Buck
This evening, once again, we saw Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the White Buck Hotel at Burley in the New Forest.
The band comprised Tony Robinson (trumpet, vocals), Roy Sear (clarinet, tenor sax, soprano sax), Wyn Bowen (slide and valve trombones), Ron Poole (keyboard), Ron Davidge (drums), Alan Harris (double bass) and Barbara Lorraine (vocals). The picture shows Sally and Roy, to be married on Saturday, as announced to everyone by Tony.
Notable numbers were:
1) Our favourite Bix Beiderbecke recording; I'm Coming Virginia, composed by Donald Heywood with lyrics credited to Will Marion Cook. Bix was, like many other musicians of his generation, a fan of the singer/actress Ethel Waters, who recorded the song in 1926 with Will Marion Cook’s Singing Orchestra. However, in her autobiography Waters appears to credit Heywood for both words and music. Its popularity in the jazz fraternity following Waters’ record, and a small group of famous jazz musicians entered the studio in 1927 to record the classic version featured on this link. Led by C-melody saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer, the group was culled from the ranks of the Jean Goldkette Orchestra. The record is essentially a feature for Bix whose beautiful, moody performance (backed with elan by guitarist Eddie Lang) is a perfect glimpse at one of jazz’s most influential and tragic figures. This is the perfect interpretation and just cannot be beaten. Should present-day bands even try ? Ten-and-a-half years later, Bobby Hackett would reprise Bix’s performance as part of Benny Goodman’s groundbreaking Carnegie Hall concert.
2) Roy's clarinet feature Petite Fleur, written by Sidney Bechet and recorded in 1952 with the Sidney Bechet All Stars. In 1959 it was a big hit for Chris Barber's Jazz Band featuring Monty Sunshine on clarinet. Following the Chris Barber instrumental recording, lyrics were added by Fernand Bonifay and Mario Bua in the same year.
This link is from the Olympia Concert December 1954, with Bechet on soprano sax and trombonist Benny Vasseur.
3) Ron Poole's solo feature, Alabama Jubilee, written by George Linus Cobb (1886 – 1942), a prolific composer best known for ragtime, including both instrumental compositions and ragtime songs, although he did produce other works including marches and waltzes. Jack Yellen was a frequent lyricist for the songs, possibly including this one. Cobb's most famous work is The Russian Rag based (rather loosely) on Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op.3, No.2. This piece was composed after a friend apparently "dared" Cobb to try to make a rag out of the piece at a restaurant. He took the challenge, went to the piano and began to play the rag. To his surprise, Rachmaninoff was sitting at the same restaurant. He walked up to Cobb after he finished playing his rag and said "Nice rag, but you've got the wrong rhythm."
The link is to Chet Atkins (1924 – 2001) at the Grand Ole Opry in 1956. Note the finger-style playing with a thumb pick that is sometimes used as a plectrum. I seem to be linking to Chet every week lately; a mixture of admiration and nostalgia.
4) Barbara's vocal Lonesome Road, a 1927 song with music by Nathaniel Shilkret and lyrics by Gene Austin, also titled 'Lonesome Road', 'Look Down that Lonesome Road' and 'Lonesome Road Blues.' It was written in the style of an African-American folk song. The lyricist and composer were both extremely popular recording artists. Gene Austin estimated he sold 80 million records, and Nathaniel Shilkret's son estimated his father sold 50 million records. Joel Whitburn lists recordings by Austin, Bing Crosby, Ted Lewis, and Shilkret (see list of recordings below) as being "charted" at Numbers 10, 12, 3 and 10, respectively. There are no reliable sales figures that can be used to verify or dispute any of the estimates above.
The link is to Sister Rosetta Tharpe when she was band vocalist with Lucky Millinder and his Orchestra. How about those dancers !
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the White Buck
This evening, once again, we saw Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the White Buck Hotel (pictured) at Burley in the New Forest. The band comprised Tony Robinson (trumpet, vocals), Roy Sear (clarinet, baritone sax, soprano sax), Wyn Bowen (slide and valve trombones), Ron Poole (keyboard), Ron Davidge (drums), Alan Harris (double bass) and Barbara Lorraine (vocals). It is hard to decide which we like best, Roy's soprano or baritone; they are both so good. We wish Roy and Sally, who are to be married next week, every happiness.
Favourite numbers were:
1) The Peanut Vendor, (El Manisero) a Cuban song based on a street-seller's cry, and known as a pregón. It is possibly the most famous piece of music created by a Cuban musician. The Peanut Vendor has been recorded more than 160 times, sold over a million copies of the sheet music, and was the first million-selling 78rpm of Cuban music. The score and lyrics of El Manisero were by the Cuban son of a Basque musician, Moises Simons (1889–1945). It netted $100,000 in royalties for Simons by 1943. Its success led to a 'rumba craze' in the US and Europe which lasted through the 1940s. The consequences of the Peanut Vendor's success were quite far-reaching.
The number was first sung and recorded by the vedette Rita Montaner in 1927 or 1928. The biggest record sales for El Manisero came from the recording made by Don Azpiazú and his Havana Casino Orchestra in New York in 1930. The band included a number of star musicians such as Julio Cueva (trumpet) and Mario Bauza (saxophone); Antonio Machín was the singer. There seems to be no authoritative account of the number of 78rpm records of this recording sold but it seems likely that the number would have exceeded the sheet music sales, making it the first million-selling record of Cuban (or even latin) music.
The lyrics were in a style based on street vendors' cries, a pregón; and the rhythm was a son, so technically this was a son-pregón. On the record label, however, it was called a rhumba-fox trot, not only the wrong genre, but misspelled as well. After this, the term rumba was used as a general label for Cuban music, as salsa is today, because the numerous Cuban terms were not understood abroad. Rumba was easy to say and remember.
On the published score both music and lyrics are attributed to Simons, though there is a persistent story that they were written by Gonzalo G. de Mello in Havana the night before Montaner was due to record it in New York. Cristóbal Díaz says "For various reasons, we have doubts about this version... 'El manisero' was one of those rare cases in popular music where an author got immediate and substantial financial benefits... logically Mello would have tried to reclaim his authorship of the lyrics, but that did not occur." The second attack on the authorship of the lyrics came from none other than the great Fernando Ortíz. For Ortíz, the true author was an unknown Havana peanut seller, of the second half of the 19th century, who served as the basis for a danza written by Gottschalk. Of course, it may well be that elements of the song were to be found in real life. The English lyrics are by L. Wolfe Gilbert and Marion Sunshine; the latter was Azpizú's sister-in-law, who toured with the band in the U.S.A. as singer. The English lyrics are, in the opinion of Sublette, of almost unsurpassed banality.
The Peanut Vendor had a second life as a hit number when Stan Kenton recorded it with his big band for Capitol Records, in 1947. This was also a great and long-lasting hit, re-recorded by Kenton twice with the band, and played by him later in life as a piano solo. The Kenton version was entirely instrumental, with the rhythmic pattern emphasised by trombones.
The link is to a track from 'The Other Chet Atkins' where he shows he can play Spanish guitar as well as C&W steel strings and plectrum. We have this vinyl LP from the 1950s.
2) Barbara's vocal Can't Afford To Lose My Man, written by Memphis Minnie (1897 – 1973) was an American blues guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the only female blues artist considered a match to male contemporaries as both a singer and an instrumentalist. Born Lizzie Douglas in Algiers, Louisiana, Minnie was one of the most influential and pioneering female blues musicians and guitarists of all time. She recorded for forty years, almost unheard of for any woman in show business at the time and unique among female blues artists. A flamboyant character who wore bracelets made of silver dollars, she was a very popular blues recording artist from the early Depression years through World War II. One of the first generation of blues artists to take up the electric guitar, in 1942, she combined her Louisiana-country roots with Memphis blues to produce her own unique country-blues sound; along with Big Bill Broonzy and Tampa Red, she took country blues into electric urban blues, paving the way for Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Little Walter, and Jimmy Rogers to travel from the small towns of the south to the big cities of the north.
According to some reports she was married three times, each time to an accomplished blues guitarist: Kansas Joe McCoy later of the Harlem Hamfats, possibly Casey Bill Weldon (though there is little if any evidence for this), and Ernest "Little Son Joe" Lawlers. Paul and Beth Garon's 1992 biography on Memphis Minnie, Woman With Guitar: Memphis Minnie's Blues, makes no mention of a marriage to Weldon, but only says that she recorded two sides with him, in November 1935, for Bluebird Records. It does describe the relationships and marriages to McCoy and Lawlers.
After learning to play guitar and banjo as a child, she ran away from home at the age of thirteen. She travelled to Memphis, Tennessee, playing guitar in nightclubs and on the street as Lizzie "Kid" Douglas. The next year, she joined the Ringling Brothers circus. Her marriage and recording début came in 1929, to and with Kansas Joe McCoy, when a Columbia Records talent scout heard them playing in a Beale Street barbershop in their distinctive 'Memphis style,' and their song "Bumble Bee" became a hit. In the 1930s she moved to Chicago, Illinois with McCoy. She and McCoy broke up in 1935, and by 1939 she was with Little Son Joe Lawlers. In the 1940s she formed a touring vaudeville company. Some of her most potent and enduring work was made in the early 1940s, such as "Nothing in Rambling," "In My Girlish Days," "Looking The World Over" and "Me and My Chauffeur Blues".
Later in the 1940s Minnie lived in Indianapolis, Indiana and Detroit, Michigan, returning to Chicago in the early 1950s. From the 1950s on, however, public interest in her music declined, and in 1957 she and Lawlers returned to Memphis. Lawlers died in 1961.
3) Ron Poole's solo Dill Pickles, written in 1906 by Charles Leslie Johnson (1876 - 1950), an American composer of ragtime and popular music. He was born in Kansas City, Kansas, died in Kansas City, Missouri, and lived his entire life in those two cities. He published over 300 songs in his life, nearly 40 of them ragtime compositions. His best selling piece, a sentimental ballad called "Sweet and Low", sold over a million copies. Experts believe that had Johnson lived and worked in New York, he would be included alongside Scott Joplin, James Scott, and Joseph Lamb as one of the greatest ragtime composers. He wrote more than the other three combined and exemplified a greater range of talent, composing waltzes, tangos, cakewalks, marches, novelty pieces, and other types of music popular at that time.
He was born in the Armourdale district of Kansas City, Kansas to James R. and Helen F. Johnson. Clearly a prodigy, he was playing a neighbour’s piano by age six and began studying classical piano, harmony, and music theory a few years later. Although he had classical training, he always preferred the popular music of the day. His musical ability led him to proficiency on other instruments as well: guitar, violin, banjo, and mandolin. As a young man Johnson became involved in the music scene of Kansas City by participating in several local groups. In this environment he wrote his first compositions.
Johnson was married twice, first to Sylvia Hoskins in 1901, and they had a daughter Frances. No one knows how this marriage ended or what happened to Sylvia or Frances. He married his second wife, Eva Otis, in 1926. She remained with him until his death in 1950. Johnson’s career was stable and prolific. He began work in the late 1890s for the J.W. Jenkins and Sons Music Company in Kansas City, Missouri plugging songs and playing piano. Over the next five years Jenkins would publish twelve of Johnson’s songs. Eventually Johnson would compose for many other publishers. By 1907, Johnson had also formed his own publishing company, putting out his own music and those of other local composers. In addition, Johnson began vanity publishing for others, often writing music for the lyrics of others or simply arranging others’ compositions. His closest business partnership was with Fred Forster of the Forster Music Publishing Company. Although Johnson’s career would wax and wane with the economy of the turn of the century, World Wars I and II, and the Depression, Charles always had work and could always respond to the musical climate of America.
At some point in his career Johnson began writing under pseudonyms. He used Raymond Birch the most, penning several of his well-known rags under that name such as "Blue Goose Rag", "Melody Rag", and "Powder Rag". But he also used several others. Under any name, however, Johnson was a significant contributor to the Ragtime Era and to rag music in general. By far the biggest hit of 1906 was Charles’ most successful rag "Dill Pickles". The first rag to sell a million copies was Scott Joplin’s "Maple Leaf Rag"; the second was "Dill Pickles". It has been suggested that by 1906 ragtime was already beginning to wane. After the publication of Dill Pickles there was a revival of interest in ragtime that extended its life by nearly ten more years. This piece of music made use of the “three over four” syncopation that was subsequently copied and used in dozens of rags by other composers. Joplin himself had difficulty getting away from its conventions.
The link is to Chet Atkins version, retitled 'Dill Pickle Rag', which we have on another old vinyl LP from the 1950s.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Jazzsounds at the Belvedere, Bournemouth
This evening we went to Manfred's Bar at The Belvedere Hotel in Bournemouth, where we drank a bottle of wine and listened to Jazzsounds. We did not eat there as the food has been unreliable since early August.
The trio, pictured with Selina's head in the foreground, comprised Pat Neil (keyboard), Brian Mursell (stick bass) and Terry Squires (guitar, vocal). Guest vocalists were Bob Harris, Brian and Tom Dyer.
Favourites were:
1) Poinciana (Song of the Tree), composed by Nat Simon with lyrics by Henry 'Buddy' Bernier. It was first introduced in the 1952 film Dreamboat which subsequently became a standard covered by artists including Johnny Mathis, Vic Damone, Percy Faith, The Four Freshmen and Ahmad Jamal (as the first track on an eponymous album). It was featured again in the 1995 Clint Eastwood film 'The Bridges of Madison County'. The link is to the last track of an album entitled 'The Other Chet Atkins', published in 1960 by RCA and made by Decca in the UK. Buy it if you can, the other tracks are as good and better.
2) Bob Harris' vocal This Can't Be love, from the 1938 Rodgers and Hart musical The Boys from Syracuse. It was also included in the 1962 musical film, Billy Rose's Jumbo, though most of the songs in that film came from the 1935 Rodgers & Hart musical Jumbo. The lyrics poke fun of the common depiction of love in popular songs as a host of malignant symptoms, saying, 'This can't be love because I feel so well.' The song was a hit for the orchestras of Eddy Duchin and Benny Goodman in late 1938/early 1939. Nat "King" Cole released a version in 1954 as on this link. In 1956, it was recorded by Ella Fitzgerald on her two-record Verve release Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Songbook. In 1961, Judy Garland performed the song as a medley with "Almost Like Being in Love" in the Judy at Carnegie Hall concert. It was also recorded by Dinah Washington, Frank Sinatra, George Shearing, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Natalie Cole, Rufus Wainwright, Michel Legrand, and Diana Krall, among others.To this day the song is played by many BIG Bands.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
The Regular Joes at The Regent Centre, Christchurch
This evening, for the second time, we saw The Regular Joes, this time playing at the Regent Centre in Christchurch. The band comprised:
Howard Mitchell & Annie Young (vocals), Graham Bennett (piano), Martin Chilvers (baritone sax, dancing), Steve Gallagher (trumpet), Rachel Leo (alto sax), Mark Morris (trombone), Pete Mundy (drums), James Rawlinson (tenor sax), David Vincent (double bass) and Geoff Westgate (guitar).
The 'Swinging Belles' dance group comprised:
Cara Bowen, Carlie Galey, Annie Young, Victoria Hardie and Ruby Adams.
They played no less than 30 numbers, which I would loosely describe as 1940s style. Very hard to pick favourites; most of the numbers were new to us, although jazz-related. Great singing, musicianship and dancing all round. Selina found them very loud.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Spirit of New Orleans Band at the Bluebirds Club
This evening we went to see The Spirit of New Orleans jazz band at the Bluebirds Club in Longham.
The band comprised; Alan Pickering (trombone, baritone horn, tuba), Tim Eyles (trumpet, vocals), Tony Newton (clarinet, tenor sax, alto sax), Doug Kennedy (banjo), Stuart Gledhill (5-string double bass) and John Nuttall (drums).
After Tim Eyles comments about Laura's white trousers last week, Selina wore her size 8 white trouser suit (pictured). Tim made many comments to the microphone and some signs to me while we were dancing. The funniest was when he signalled that I should raise my hand from Selina's bum so he could see it more clearly.
Favourite numbers were:
1) Canal Street Blues, written by Joe 'King' Oliver as featured on this link. Canal Street borders the French Quarter of New Orleans and is wider and more open than the inner streets. I stayed there once while at a business meeting; everyone else stayed at the airport hotel that provided the meeting rooms.
2) I Wish I could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate, written by Clarence Williams and Armand Piron, and published in 1915. It is variously believed to be based on a bawdy tune by Louis Armstrong (about Kate Townsend, a murdered brothel madam) or transcribed from a version performed by Anna Jones and Fats Waller. The lyrics of the song are narrated first person by Kate's sister, who sings about Kate's impressive dancing skill and her wish to be able to emulate it. She laments that she's not quite "up to date", but believes that dancing like Sister Kate will rectify this, and she will be able to impress "all the boys in the neighborhood" like her sister. The link is to a Clip from 'Wabash Avenue' featuring Betty Grable; don't ignore this one.
3) Chimes Blues, written by Joe 'King' Oliver in 1923 so the link is to his band, including Louis Armstrong. As tonight's band had no piano, the chimes were played by the front line in the style of the Chris Barber band. Alan's euphonium works well as the bottom note.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Jazzsounds at the Belvedere, Bournemouth
This evening we went to Manfred's Bar at The Belvedere Hotel in Bournemouth, where we ate a bar meal and then saw Jazzsounds. The menu was very limited again, sad after the good 'special' last week.
The trio comprised Mark Tuggs (guitar), Brian Mursell (stick bass) and Simon Gorelick (drums). There were three guests, Tony Newton (tenor sax), Ron Spang (bass) and Tom Dyer (vocal). This is our favourite Jazzsounds quartet, including the tenor sax. This time, permitted by the small audience, the picture is taken from the front so that nobody is obscured by a cymbal.
Notable numbers were:
1) Barney's Blues, written by Barney Kessel (1923 – 2004) who performs it on this link from 1954. He was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA and was a member of many prominent jazz groups as well as a "first call" guitarist for studio, film, and television recording sessions. Kessel was a member of the group of session musicians known as The Wrecking Crew. He began his career as a teenager touring with local dance bands before moving on to bands such as that led by Chico Marx. He quickly established himself as a key post-Charlie Christian jazz guitarist. In 1944 he participated in the film 'Jammin' the Blues', which featured Lester Young, and in 1947 he recorded with Charlie Parker's New Stars on the 'Relaxin' at Camarillo' session for Dial Records. He is featured on the compilation Charlie Parker on Dial. He was rated the no. 1 guitarist in Esquire, Down Beat, and Playboy magazine polls between 1947 and 1960.
Barney Kessel is known for his innovative work in the guitar trio setting. In the 1950s, he made a series of albums called The Poll Winners with Ray Brown on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. He was also the prominent guitarist on Julie London's definitive recording of 'Cry Me a River'. Also from the '50s, his three Kessel Plays Standards volumes contain some of his most polished work.
Kessel was also a member of the Oscar Peterson Trio with Ray Brown for a year, leaving in 1953. The guitar chair was called the hardest gig in show business since Peterson often liked to play at breakneck tempos. Herb Ellis took over from Kessel. Kessel also played with Sonny Rollins in the late '50s and can be heard on the Sonny Rollins and the Contemporary Leaders album on songs like 'How High the Moon'.
A 'first call' guitarist at Columbia Pictures, during the 1960s Kessel became one of the most in-demand session guitarists in America, and is considered a key member of the group of first-call session musicians now usually known as The Wrecking Crew. In this capacity he played on hundreds of famous pop recordings including albums and singles by Phil Spector, The Beach Boys, The Monkees and many others. He appeared in an acting part playing a jazz guitarist named 'Barney' in one episode of the Perry Mason TV show. He also wrote and arranged the source music, including a jazz version of 'Here Comes the Bride', provided by the jazz combo that figured in the story.
2) Favela, written by Jobim. The link is to a beautiful Stan Getz recording that claims to include Jobim and Luis Bonfa in the band. Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (1927 – 1994), also known as Tom Jobim, was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within Brazil and internationally. Widely known as the composer of 'The Girl from Ipanema' (Garota de Ipanema), one of the most recorded songs of all times, Jobim has left a large number of songs that are today included in the standard Jazz and Pop repertoires.
Jobim's musical roots were planted firmly in the work of Pixinguinha, the legendary musician and composer who began modern Brazilian music in the 1930s. Among his teachers were Lúcia Branco, and, from 1941 on, Hans-Joachim Koellreutter. Jobim was also influenced by the French composers Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, and by jazz. Among many themes, his lyrics talked about love, self discovery, betrayal, joy and especially about the birds and natural wonders of Brazil, like the "Mata Atlântica" forest, characters of Brazilian folklore like Matita Pereira (Saci Pererê), and his home city of Rio de Janeiro.
Jobim became prominent in Brazil when he teamed up with poet and diplomat Vinícius de Moraes to write the music for the play Orfeu de Conceição (1956). The most popular song from the show was "Se Todos Fossem Iguais a Você" ("Someone to Light Up My Life"). Later, when the play was turned into a film, producer Sacha Gordine did not want to use any of the existing music from the play. Gordine asked de Moraes and Jobim for a new score for the film Black Orpheus (1959). Moraes was at the time away in Montevideo, Uruguay, working for the Itamaraty (the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and so he and Jobim were only able to write three songs, primarily over the telephone ("A Felicidade", "Frevo",and "O Nosso Amor"). This collaboration proved successful, and Vinicius went on to pen the lyrics to some of Jobim's most popular songs.
A key event in making Jobim's music known in the English speaking world was his collaboration with the American jazz saxophonist Stan Getz, João Gilberto and Gilberto's wife at the time, Astrud Gilberto, which resulted in two albums, Getz/Gilberto (1963) and Getz/Gilberto Vol. 2 (1964). The release of Getz/Gilberto created a bossa nova craze in the United States, and subsequently internationally. Getz had previously recorded Jazz Samba with Charlie Byrd (1962), and Jazz Samba Encore! with Luiz Bonfá (1964). Jobim wrote many of the songs on Getz/Gilberto, which became one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time, and turned Astrud Gilberto, who sang on "The Girl from Ipanema" and "Corcovado", into an international sensation.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Gentleman Jim McIntosh's Jazzaholics at Salisbury Jazz Club
This evening, for the third time, we went to the Salisbury Jazz Club at the Livestock Market. For our previous two visits the female dancers' clothing was dominated by white trousers but tonight was completely different. One woman was even showing almost as much leg as Selina, who was amused by my attempts to dance close enough for a direct comparison. Four fine legs on display at once was almost too much for me !
The jazz was provided by Gentleman Jim McIntosh's Jazzaholics (darkly pictured). The band comprised Denny Ilett (trumpet, vocals), Mike Pointon (trumbone, vocals), Duncan Hemstock (clarinet, tenor sax), Annie Hawkins (double bass), Baby Jools (drums) and Jim McIntosh (banjo).
Favourite numbers were:
1) Mike's great vocal Shake It Baby, about which I know nothing. The link is to a fine recording under this name by Blind Boy Fuller (born Fulton Allen) (1907 – 1941), an American blues guitarist and vocalist. He was one of the most popular of the recorded Piedmont blues artists with rural Black Americans, a group that also included Blind Blake, Josh White, and Buddy Moss. Fulton Allen was born in Wadesboro, North Carolina to Calvin Allen and Mary Jane Walker. He was one of a family of 10 children, but after his mother's death he moved with his father to Rockingham. As a boy he learned to play the guitar and also learned from older singers the field hollers, country rags, and traditional songs and blues popular in poor, rural areas. He married Cora Allen young and worked as a labourer, but began to lose his eyesight in his mid-teens. According to researcher Bruce Bastin, "While he was living in Rockingham he began to have trouble with his eyes. He went to see a doctor in Charlotte who allegedly told him that he had ulcers behind his eyes, the original damage having been caused by some form of snow-blindness." However, there is an alternative story that he was blinded by an ex-girlfriend who threw chemicals in his face. By 1928 he was completely blind and turned to whatever employment he could find as a singer and entertainer, often playing in the streets. By studying the records of country blues players like Blind Blake and the "live" playing of Gary Davis, Allen became a formidable guitarist, and played on street corners and at house parties in Winston-Salem, NC, Danville, VA, and then Durham, North Carolina. In Durham, playing around the tobacco warehouses, he developed a local following which included guitarists Floyd Council and Richard Trice, as well as harmonica player Saunders Terrell, better known as Sonny Terry, and washboard player/guitarist George Washington. In 1935, Burlington record store manager and talent scout James Baxter Long secured him a recording session with the American Recording Company (ARC). Allen, Davis and Washington recorded several tracks in New York City, including the traditional "Rag, Mama, Rag". To promote the material, Long decided to rename Allen as "Blind Boy Fuller", and also named Washington 'Bull City Red'.
Over the next five years Fuller made over 120 sides, and his recordings appeared on several labels. His style of singing was rough and direct, and his lyrics explicit and uninhibited as he drew from every aspect of his experience as an underprivileged, blind Black person on the streets—pawnshops, jailhouses, sickness, death—with an honesty that lacked sentimentality. Although he was not sophisticated, his artistry as a folk singer lay in the honesty and integrity of his self-expression. His songs contained desire, love, jealousy, disappointment, menace and humor. In April 1936, Fuller recorded ten solo performances, and also recorded with guitarist Floyd Council. The following year, after auditioning for J. Mayo Williams, he recorded for the Decca label, but then reverted to ARC. Later in 1937, he made his first recordings with Sonny Terry. In 1938 Fuller, who was described as having a fiery temper, was imprisoned for shooting a pistol at his wife, wounding her in the leg, causing him to miss out on John Hammond's "From Spirituals to Swing" concert in NYC that year. While Fuller was eventually released, it was Sonny Terry who went in his stead, the beginning of a long "folk music" career. Fuller's last two recording sessions took place in New York City during 1940.
Fuller's repertoire included a number of popular double entendre "hokum" songs such as "I Want Some Of Your Pie", "Truckin' My Blues Away" (the origin of the phrase "keep on truckin'"), and "Get Your Yas Yas Out" (adapted as "Get Your Ya-Yas Out" for the origin of a later Rolling Stones album title), together with the autobiographical "Big House Bound" dedicated to his time spent in jail. Though much of his material was culled from traditional folk and blues numbers, he possessed a formidable finger-picking guitar style on a steel National resonator guitar. He was criticised by some as a derivative musician, but his ability to fuse together elements of other traditional and contemporary songs and reformulate them into his own performances, attracted a broad audience.[citation needed] He was an expressive vocalist and a masterful guitar player, best remembered for his uptempo ragtime hits including "Step It Up and Go". At the same time he was capable of deeper material, and his versions of "Lost Lover Blues", "Rattlesnakin' Daddy" and "Mamie" are as deep as most Delta blues. Because of his popularity, he may have been overexposed on records, yet most of his songs remained close to tradition and much of his repertoire and style is kept alive by other Piedmont artists to this day.
2) Duncan's featured performance, High Society, originally a march copyrighted in April 1901 by Porter Steele, which has become a traditional jazz standard. The piccolo obligato is not found in Steele's first version of the song; it appears to originate in an orchestration by Robert Recker from later in 1901. In New Orleans, Louisiana, Alphonse Picou adapted the piccolo part into a clarinet variation, sometimes considered one of the earliest documented jazz solos. The Picou variations became standard in New Orleans jazz (unusual in a form that values improvization); many traditional jazz clarinetists from the generation just after Picou until today will copy or do a close paraphrase of Picou's solo, sometimes followed by their own improvisations on a second chorus. Picou himself recorded it a number of times in his later life, including recordings with Kid Rena Papa Celestin and on film. The first couple of bars were frequently quoted by Charlie Parker in his improvisations.
The tune was recorded as a march by Charles A. Prince's Band in 1911. The first jazz recording of it made by King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band in 1923, with Johnny Dodds on clarinet as on this link. Apparently unaware that the tune had previously been copyrighted, Gennett Records filed a copyright on the tune as a Joe Oliver original. In the 1920s Walter Melrose added words to it (which are never performed) and republished it, as he did to a number of jazz numbers in order to claim a larger share of the royalties.
3) I'll be with You in Apple Blossom Time, written by Albert Von Tilzer and lyricist Neville Fleeson, and copyrighted in 1920. The song has been recorded by numerous artists including Artie Shaw (1937), Harry James, The Andrews Sisters (US no. 5, 1941), Vera Lynn, Nat King Cole, Jo Stafford (1946), Anne Shelton, Chet Atkins, Louis Prima, Tab Hunter (US no. 31, 1959), Rosemary June (UK no. 14, 1959), Ray Conniff, The Bachelors, Wayne Newton (US no. 52, 1965), and Barry Manilow.
The link is to Harry James & His Orchestra with Helen Forrest.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
'Way Upstream' at Salisbury Playhouse
This evening we went to the Salisbury Playhouse to see a performance of Alan Ayckbourn's play 'Way Upstream'. We began with dinner at the nearby Thai Orchid, tasty food and excellent service.
For this brand-new production, the auditorium of the Playhouse had been re-configured, with the stage filled with a huge water tank and a 20ft river boat! Keith and his business partner, Alistair, hire a boat to take their wives, June and Emma, on a river holiday together. What could be nicer? And indeed all is idyllic – except that Alistair and Emma know nothing about sailing, and Keith and June are having marital difficulties. Plus, daily visits from Keith’s secretary Mrs Hatfield bring worrying updates on the ever-worsening situation at his factory, where the work-force is threatening to go on strike. And then Vince, a suave and experienced boating expert, comes onboard, trailed by his friend Fleur, and the stage is set for a nautical farce – or should that be a spot of piracy ? Great play, even some surprise nudity at the end.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the White Buck
This evening, once again, we saw Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces (pictured) at the White Buck Hotel at Burley in the New Forest. The band comprised Tony Robinson (trumpet, vocals), Roy Sear (clarinet, tenor sax, soprano sax), Wyn Bowen (slide and valve trombones), Ron Poole (keyboard), Ron Davidge (drums), Alan Harris (double bass) and Barbara Lorraine (vocals).
Favourite numbers were:
1) At a Georgia Camp Meeting, written in 1897 by Kerry Mills (1869-1948), an American composer of popular music during the Tin Pan Alley era. His stylistically diverse music ranged from ragtime to cakewalk to marches. He was most prolific between 1895 and 1918. He was born Frederick Allen Mills in Philadelphia. He trained as a violinist and was working as head of the Violin Department of the University of Michigan School of Music when he began composing. Mills moved to New York City in 1895 where he started a music publishing firm (F. A. Mills Music Publisher) from which he published his own music and that of others. He died in Hawthorne, California.
The link is to Sydney Bechet (ss) with
'Wild Bill' Davison (tp), Wilbur De Paris (tb), Ralph Sutton (piano), Jack Lesberg (bass) and George Wettling (drums); what a band !.
This number always reminds me of the three women sitting round the camp fire in Georgia. The first one says "Ah caall mah man Randy coz he waants me aall the taame". The second says "Ah caall mah man Horny coz he's gat a hard on aaall naaght long". The third says "Ah caaall mah man Drambuie." The others say "Ain't that some kaand of fancy liquor". "Thaat's mah man !".
2) Barbara's final vocal Someone To Watch over Me, composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin from the musical Oh, Kay! (1926), where it was introduced by Gertrude Lawrence. It has been performed by numerous artists since its debut and is a jazz standard as well as a key work in the Great American Songbook. The 1987 film 'Someone To Watch Over Me', directed by Ridley Scott, takes its title from this song. The soundtrack features three versions of it, two of which were new renditions by Sting and Roberta Flack. The third version used was the 1961 recording by Gene Ammons. A soundtrack album was never issued and so the Roberta Flack performance (produced by Michael Kamen) remains unreleased. Sting included his version as a b-side for the 'Englishman in New York' single, and on the compilation 'At The Movies', released in 1999. This song was made famous to another generation in the 1996 American film 'Mr. Holland's Opus'. Jean Louisa Kelly played the part of Rowena, who sang the song, but a different version sung by Julia Fordham was included on the soundtrack. Asher Book also sings it in the new remake of 'Fame' (2009). It was performed by Julie Andrews in the 1968 Robert Wise film 'Star!' about the life of the actress Gertrude Lawrence.
The link is to Ella Fitzgerald, who was only 22 when George Gershwin died. However, his brother Ira lived long enough to not only hear Ella record this song, but also to assist with the production of the album from which it came. Recorded in 1959 with arrangements and orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle, Ella won a Grammy for her 'Ella Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook', one of the great musical compilations in recorded history. After this album had been completed, Ira Gershwin remarked, "I had never known how good our songs were until I heard Ella sing them".
3) Ron Poole's feature, with bass and drums The Old Bazaar in Cairo, words and music claimed by Charlie Chester, Ken Morris and Clinton Ford, although surely George Formby recorded it before the last-named reached adulthood.
The link is to Clinton Ford with the fine trombonist George Chisholm.
Jane gave the dance floor a good dust with talcuum powder, claiming that it was so sticky last week that it posed a risk to her knees and hips. She explained that she was due for a hip operation but decided to try a vegan diet instead. It worked and she is now a convert !
Monday, October 3, 2011
Sunset Café Stompers at the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club
This evening, for the first time at this venue, we saw the Sunset Café Stompers (pictured) playing at the Bluebirds Club. The band comprised Jim Holmes (trumpet and vocals), Pete Middleton (trombone), Mike Betts (clarinet, tenor), Mike Denham (keyboard, leader), Pete Ward (double bass), Eddie Edwards (banjo) and Peter Winterhart (drums).
Favourite numbers were:
1) Banjo and keyboard duet I Love Paris, written by Cole Porter and published in 1953. The song was introduced by Lilo in the musical Can-Can. The link is to an interesting version by jazz trombonist, vocalist and band leader Walter Gerhardt 'Pee Wee' Hunt (1907-1979). At an early age Pee Wee developed musical interest since his mother played the banjo and his father played violin. The teenage Hunt was a banjoist with a local band while he was attending college at Ohio State University, and during his college years he switched from banjo to trombone. He joined Jean Goldkette's Orchestra in 1928. Pee Wee Hunt was the co-founder and featured trombonist with the Casa Loma Orchestra, but he left the group in 1943 to work as a Hollywood radio disc jockey before joining the Merchant Marine near the end of the war. He returned to the West Coast music scene in 1946. His Twelfth Street Rag was a number one hit in September, 1948. He was satirized as Pee Wee Runt and his All-Flea Dixieland Band in Tex Avery's animated MGM cartoon, Dixieland Droopy (1954).
2) A boogie version of Shake Rattle and Roll, a twelve bar blues-form rock and roll song, written in 1954 by Jesse Stone under his assumed songwriting name Charles E. Calhoun. It was originally recorded by Big Joe Turner, and most successfully by Bill Haley & His Comets. The song, in its original incarnation, is highly sexual. Perhaps its most salacious lyric, which was absent from the later Bill Haley rendition, is "I've been holdin' it in, way down underneath / You make me roll my eyes, baby, make me grit my teeth". [It may actually be "Over the hill, way down underneath.] On the recording, Turner slurred the lyric "holdin' it in", since this line may have been considered too risqué for publication. The chorus uses "shake, rattle and roll" to refer to boisterous intercourse, in the same way that the words "rock and roll" was first used by numerous rhythm and blues singers, starting with Trixie Smith's "My Man Rocks Me (With One Steady Roll)" in 1922, and continuing on prominently through the 1940s and 1950s.
Bill Haley & His Comets' cover version of the song, recorded on July 7, 1954 (three weeks after Turner's version first topped the R&B charts), featured the following members of the Comets: Johnny Grande (piano), Billy Williamson (steel guitar), Marshall Lytle (bass), and Joey Ambrose (saxophone). It is known that Danny Cedrone, a session musician who frequently worked for Haley, played lead guitar, but there is controversy over who played drums. Music reference books indicate that it was Panama Francis, a noted jazz drummer who worked with Haley's producer, Milt Gabler. However, in a letter written in the early 1980s, Gabler denied this and said the drummer was Billy Gussak. This was Cedrone's final recording session as he died only ten days later. Haley's version was released in August, 21 and reached no. 7 on the Billboard pop chart, spending a total of twenty-seven weeks in the Top 40. Gabler has explained that he "cleaned up" the lyrics because, "I didn't want any censor with the radio station to bar the record from being played on the air. With NBC a lot of race records wouldn't get played because of the lyrics. So I had to watch that closely".
The link is to a fine version by Elvis Presley with lots of 'dirty' words. Note the typical guitar backing by Scotty Moore.
3) Oh You Beautiful Doll, a ragtime love song published in 1911 with words by Seymour Brown and music by Nat D. Ayer. The song was one of the first with a twelve-bar opening. Recorded by many artists, it has also been featured in several major films; 'The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle' (1939), 'For Me and My Gal' (1942), 'Broadway Rhythm' (1944), 'Strangers on a Train' (1951), 'The Eddie Cantor Story' (1953), and 'The Taming Of The Shrew' (1969) as well as some Looney Tunes cartoons. The link is to a classic 1946 recording by Bunk Johnson (trumpet) with Don Ewell (piano) and Alphonse Steele (drums).
The keyboard and banjo playing were the most impressive aspects of this band. We should have made more effort to see them at other venues.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Jazzsounds at the Belvedere, Bournemouth
This evening we went to Manfred's Bar at The Belvedere Hotel in Bournemouth, where we ate duck leg in cherry sauce (good to see the 'specials' back) and then saw Jazzsounds.
The quartet comprised Rob Koral (guitar), Alan (double bass), Ron Davidge (drums) and Zoe Schwartz (vocals). This is a departure from normal, having a vocal in every number, and it worked well.
Favourite numbers were:
1) That Old Feeling, written by Sammy Fain with lyrics by Lew Brown and published in 1937. The song first appeared in the 1938 film 'Vogues'. It was immediately a hit in a version recorded by Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra. In 1952 it was included in the Susan Hayward film 'With a Song in My Heart' where Jane Froman sang it in a dubbing for Hayward. Patti Page, as well as Frankie Laine and Buck Clayton, had hit versions of the song in 1955. Frank Sinatra had a hit with the song in 1960. The title of the song was given to a film in 1997, starring Bette Midler and Dennis Farina, where it was performed by Patrick Williams and by Louis Armstrong and Oscar Peterson. The link is to the wonderful Mary Ford / Les Paul version from the 1950s, which we have on CD.
2) An upbeat latin version of As Time Goes By, written by Herman Hupfeld for the 1931 Broadway musical 'Everybody's Welcome', where it was sung by Frances Williams. It was recorded that year by several artists, including Rudy Vallee. The song was re-introduced in 1942 in the film Casablanca (as in this link), sung by Dooley Wilson accompanied by pianist Elliot Carpenter and heard throughout the film as a leitmotif. Wilson was unable to record a single of the song at the time due to a musicians' strike, leading the studio to re-issue Vallee's 1931 recording and giving Vallee a number one hit in 1942. The song's famous opening line, "You must remember this...", is actually the start of the song's chorus as it was originally written and performed. Wilson did not sing the preceding verse in Casablanca, however, and most subsequent recordings have followed the film's lead in omitting it, leading to its being virtually unknown to most listeners. In addition to the American Film Institute including it as number two in their list of the 100 best songs in film, National Public Radio included it in their NPR 100, the 1999 list of the most important American musical works of the 20th century as compiled by their music editors.
Herman Hupfeld lived his whole life in Montclair, New Jersey and spent many hours at a watering hole built in 1922 on Valley Road which was then part of Upper Montclair, now the Valley Regency. This location, previously known as the Robin Hood Inn, is the location where Hupfeld spent many hours at their piano and wrote several of his songs. A plaque located at the Valley Regency Catering Facility on Valley Road in Clifton, New Jersey commemorates the writing of the song by Hupfeld. Although the building was extensively renovated in 2000-2003, the owners, seeing the value of the plaque, retained it and left it where it was, on the second floor of the facility.
3) Besame Mucho, a Spanish language song written in 1940 by Mexican songwriter Consuelo Velázquez when she was fifteen. According to Velázquez herself, she wrote this song even though she had never been kissed yet at the time, and kissing as she heard was considered a sin. She was inspired by the piano piece 'Quejas, o la Maja y el Ruiseñor' from the 1911 suite Goyescas by Spanish composer Enrique Granados, which he later also included as Aria of the Nightingale in his 1916 opera of the same name. An English language version of the song was written by Sunny Skylar. The lyrics are different from the direct English translation of the original, but retain the Spanish Bésame mucho. The song is also known by translated names such as 'Kiss Me Much', 'Kiss Me a Lot', 'Kiss Me Again and Again, 'Embrasse-Moi', 'Stale Ma Bozkavaj', 'Suutele minua' and 'Szeretlek én'.
Emilio Tuero was the first to record the song, but the Lucho Gatica version made the song famous. Josephine Baker recorded a song of the same title and tune, but with different lyrics. However, the link is to a recent Diana Krall recording in Spanish, with some great pictures of her.
The evening started badly, with a large crowd of noisy Welsh golfers dominating the bar. We were VERY pleased when they left, although this delayed the start of the music by ten minutes. I hope their abandoned wives have lovers to entertain them while their awful husbands are away making a nuisance of themselves !
Sunday, September 25, 2011
John Maddocks' Jazzmen at the St Leonards Hotel
This evening we went to the St Leonards Hotel, Dorset, (pictured) to see the John Maddocks Jazzmen. The band comprised John Maddocks (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, vocals), Peter Wilkinson (trumpet, vocals), Richard Lonnen (trombone, harmonica), Chris Satterley (keyboard, vocals), Peter McCurrie (string bass, tuba), Dave Broomfield, (banjo, guitar) and Brian Barker (drums).
Favourite numbers were :
1) Sunday Morning Blues, featuring Richard on trombone and harmonica with bluesy guitar backing from Dave. I think it was composed by Big Joe Turner, possibly with Pete Johnson. They certainly played it together. The link is to Alec Martin from July of this year.
2) JM's tenor feature She's Funny That Way, composed by Richard Whiting and Neil Moret. John Barnes tells a good story about Richard Whiting's daughter, the Singer Margaret Whiting. When she was young she discovered that 'Uncle Jerry', a frequent visitor to the house, was Jerome Kern. She reputedly said to him "I can't possibly call you Uncle Jerry now I know who you are". Later in life she recorded many of his songs. The link is to Lester Young in 1946.
The food and drink were good; we had roast turkey and cottage pie with a bottle of Shiraz Cabernet. As requested, JM duly gave a plug to the Sunset Café Stompers at Bournemouth Jazz Club.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the White Buck
This evening, once again, we saw Tony Robinson's Chicago Jazz Aces at the White Buck Hotel at Burley in the New Forest. The band comprised Tony Robinson (trumpet, vocals), Roy Sear (clarinet, tenor sax, soprano sax), Wyn Bowen (slide and valve trombones), Dave Lewen (keyboard), Ron Davidge (drums), Alan Harris (double bass) and Barbara Lorraine (vocals).
Favourite numbers were:
1) Night Train, usually credited to Jimmy Forrest. The opening riff was first recorded in 1940 by a small group led by Johnny Hodges under the title 'That's the Blues, Old Man'. Ellington used the same riff as the opening and closing theme of a longer-form composition, 'Happy-Go-Lucky Local', that was itself one of four parts of his Deep South Suite. Forrest was part of Ellington's band when it performed this composition, which has a long tenor saxophone break in the middle. After leaving Ellington, Forrest recorded 'Night Train' on United Records and had a major rhythm & blues hit. The link is to a great version by Earl Bostic in 1952, with Forrest being credited again.
2) Barbara's vocal Frankie and Johnny, sometimes spelt 'Frankie and Johnnie'; also known as 'Frankie and Albert' or just 'Frankie'. The first published version of the music appeared in 1904, credited to and copyrighted by Hughie Cannon, titled 'He Done Me Wrong' and subtitled 'Death of Bill Bailey'. Another variant of the melody, with words and music credited to Frank and Bert Leighton, appeared in 1908 under the title 'Bill You Done Me Wrong". This song was republished in 1912 as 'Frankie and Johnny' with the words that appear in modern folk variations. It tells the story of a woman, Frankie, who finds that her man Johnny was making love to another woman and shoots him dead. Frankie is then arrested and in some versions of the song (including Barbara's) she is also executed.
It has been suggested that the song was inspired, or its details influenced, by one or more actual murders. One of these took place in St. Louis, Missouri, on October 15, 1899, when Frankie Baker, a 22-year-old dancer, stabbed (or shot) her 17-year-old lover Allen 'Al' Britt, who was having a relationship with a woman named Alice Pryor. Britt died of his wounds two days later. On trial, Baker claimed that Britt had attacked her with a knife and that she acted in self-defence. She was acquitted and died in a Portland, Oregon, mental institution in 1952. The song has also been linked to Frances Silver, convicted in 1832 of murdering her husband Charles Silver in Burke County, North Carolina. Unlike Frankie Baker, Silver was executed.
The link is to Mary Ford and Les Paul from the 1950s. A gentler approach without the execution scene, which we have on CD; see this weblog post from Friday, January 23, 2009.
3) Dave Lewen's solo Sidewalk Blues, written by Jelly Roll Morton and recorded with the 'Red Hot Peppers' in 1926, as on this link. The fabulous musicians include George Mitchell (cornet), Kid Ory (trombone), Omer Simeon and Barney Bigard (clarinets) and of course 'Mr Jelly' himself on piano. We have this track and, forget the 'hokum', it is one of Morton's best.
4) Roy's soprano feature Si tu vois ma mère, composed by the greatest Soprano sax player of all time, Sidney Bechet. It was made popular in the UK by Monty Sunshine on clarinet under the name 'Lonesome'. It is featured in the new Woody Allen film 'Midnight in Paris', to be released in the UK on 7 October; one not to be missed. The link is to Sidney Bechet with Claude Luter and his orchestra from the album 'Leurs Grands Succès Vol. 4', recorded in the 1950s.
Since we stated in this weblog 'We think female stars should be in the gents, replaced in the ladies by men', the second half of our wishes has been answered. Selina wanted to know the names of the two male film stars whose pictures now grace the ladies lavatory. Once again young Sally thought they must be before her time but Barbara identified them as Clark Gable and Sean Connery.
Sally introduced us to her pretty young daughter (like her mother in that respect), who was present with her boyfriend. Selina complimented her lovely long blonde hair and she admired our dancing, which is not that good really.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
'Sarah's Key' at the Poole Lighthouse cinema
This evening we went to the cinema at Poole's Lighthouse Arts Centre. This time we saw Sarah's Key, described by IMDB as "In modern-day Paris, a journalist (Kristin Scott Thomas) finds her life becoming entwined with a young girl whose family was torn apart during the notorious Vel' d'Hiv Roundup in 1942."
This is a serious, thought-provoking, film that looks back at France's recent history and makes us deeply shocked. A good film like this will not appear at mainstream cinemas, nor on television, so we are very glad that cinema's like the lighthouse give us the opportunity to see such films.
Unfortunately, it would not be Poole without some logistical problem; we always ask ourselves "what this time ?"
We use the car park behind the Lighthouse and are very careful because of the confusion between contract and public parking. I made sure there was no contract parking because it was Saturday and avoided the 'out' barriers and the 'season ticket' barrier. The one I chose to use produced no response to pressing the green button. The barrier was already raised so I, nervously, drove through it and parked, assuming that there had been a system failure. On returning to the car, I removed a Penalty Charge Notice from the windscreen and drove off, baffled as to how this could happen as, even if a ticket had been provided, I would have kept it to pay the charge in the payment machine. Later, it occurred to me that Poole Council might have changed this car park to 'pay-and-display'. If that is the case, we have not been notified by the Lighthouse, nor by any obvious sign.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Spirit of New Orleans Band at the Bluebirds Club
This evening we went to see The Spirit of New Orleans jazz band at the Bluebirds Club in Longham (pictured).
The band comprised; Alan Pickering (trombone, euphonium, vocal), Tim Eyles (trumpet, vocals), Bernie Murtha (alto sax, clarinet, vocals), Doug Kennedy (Banjo), Stuart Gledhill (5-string double bass) and Steve Keats (drums). Guest vocalist was Peter Titcomb. Favourite numbers included:
1) Alan's great vocal rendition of Good Morning Blues, which I believed was written by Leadbelly, who performs it on this link. Alan uses different (politically incorrect) words, e.g.
Got a woman down river, mean as mean can be
She used rat poison, just to sweeten my tea
I'm going down the river, with my razor and my guns
I'm gonna cut her if she stands still, I'm gonna shoot her if she runs.
2) Tim and Bernie's attempt at Salty Dog, which I believe emanates from a folk song in the public domain. At the words "I Show My Knees To Who I Please", Tim pointed at Selina. The link is to one of the versions by Fiona Duncan; not the one with the Clyde Valley Stompers but one recommended by trombonist Dave Hewett. I quote Dave; "Good as this recording [Clyde Valley] is, I have to tell you that it does not hold a candle to her best version of "Salty Dog" with Forrie Cairns and The Clansmen. Forrie, her then husband, was a good friend of mine, as was Fiona herself. I played with them both back in the distant 1960s."
We sat with the delightful proprietor of Abigail's in Corfe Mullen. Go there to hire ladies hats and mens suits.
Monday, August 8, 2010
'The Lives of Others'
No jazz tonight so we will watch yesterday's recording of Das Leben der Anderen, translated as 'The Lives of Others'.
In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the Stasi, conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives. We recommend this film to anyone interested in serious cinema.
IMDB quotes Henry Porter in The Guardian as writing "Why are the grown-up films all French ?". The answer is that they are not, this is from Germany. Let us re-phrase the question; "Why are all the American films either childish and/or horrific ?" We have given up on mainstream cinema because there is no longer anything for us.
Friday, August 5, 2011
'Dream On' DVDs
This evening we started to watch Seasons 1 and 2 of Dream On the USA television series from 1900-96, which we have bought on DVD. IMDB describes it as follows :
Cult adult comedy about dreamer Martin Tupper, whose life is full of colourful characters. Divorced with a growing teenage son, still friends with his ex-wife, and constantly looking for dates, but without a clue how to relate to women. Working as a book editor, with a ditsy, headstrong secretary, who cramps his style as often as helping him. The series is crammed full of hundreds of clips from all manner of old films, used as metaphors for Martin's reactions (hence the title); and it is renowned for its use of sexual references, plus, in its early seasons, occasional swearing and numerous scenes of nudity.
This is television at its best, winning 11 awards in its time. As one might expect, British television only aired it so late that the following here was minimal. Have the UK networks made a valid estimate of their audiences ? Are they really interested only in the trash that is fed to them seven nights a week ? It would be nice if we could have some quality comedy for adult viewers. The freeview digital channels provide endless repeats of 'Friends' but never 'Seinfeld' or 'Dream On'.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Panama Hat Jazz Band at Ye Olde George Inn (YOGI), Christchurch
This evening, for the fourth time, we went to Ye Olde George Inn in Christchurch, Dorset, to see The Panama Hat New Orleans Jazz Band (pictured). The band comprised Tony Purse (trumpet, vocals), Tom Pearse (trombone), Jim Driscoll (clarinet, vocal), Alan Harris (string bass), George Skidmore (banjo, vocal), and 'Stan the Man' Bowers on drums. The evening featured female vocalist Jo Collison.
Favourite numbers were:
1) George's vocal, involving masturbatory references to all the other band members, Tight Like That, composed by Thomas 'Georgia Tom' Dorsey and Hudson 'Tampa Red' Whittaker, playing and singing it on this link. Tampa Red is best known as an accomplished and influential blues guitarist who had a unique single-string slide style. His songwriting and his silky, polished 'bottleneck' technique influenced other leading Chicago blues guitarists. Georgia Tom was a leading blues pianist who later became the father of black gospel music.
2) Marching Through Georgia, written by Henry Clay Work at the end of the American Civil War in 1865. It refers to U.S. Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's March to the Sea late in the previous year. Because of its lively melody, the song became widely popular with Union Army veterans after the war. Ironically, General Sherman himself came to despise it, in part because it was played at almost every public appearance that he attended. Outside of the Southern United States, it had a universal appeal: Japanese troops sang it as they entered Port Arthur, the British Army sang it in India, and an English town thought the tune was appropriate to welcome southern American troops in World War II. The link is to Acker Bilk's Paramount Jazz Band in the 1950s.
We arrived early, eating dinner at YOGI. This gave us time to talk to René, Irene and Lionel first. René raised the subject of when and where Selina and I first met, which was in the refectory at Kingston College of Technology in 1962. I explained my fetish for black stockings on lovely legs like hers, thinking I stood no chance. When she responded that she had a pair in her bag upstairs, I knew I was in with a chance after all !
Irene and Lionel told us about their Brussels trip, following the advice we had relayed from our son Adam to visit Bar Delirium. They loved it.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Misuse of the English language
I know that I am a grumpy old man but I am irritated every day of my life by one or more of the following. I accept that most are due to US influence. The exceptions are just stupidity on the part of we Brits.
Smart (meaning intelligent rather than well-dressed)
Dumb (meaning stupid, not unable to speak)
Gay (meaning homosexual, not cheerful)
Wicked (origin Boston, Mass, meaning very or great, not evil)
Cool (meaning great, not laid-back)
Accessibility (meaning to the disabled, yet not specifying it)
Bling (Jamaican, defined in the urban dictionary as "Any shiny thing that distracts morons such as rappers")
Bandwidth (when not meaning frequency range between the 3dB points)
Alternate (when alternative is really meant)
Signage (meaning signs)
Subway (meaning underground railway, not pedestrian underpass)
Blow (meaning suck as in blow job)
Table (meaning shelve as in "we wish to table our motion")
Tee-shirt (when the garment is sleeveless)
Pump (meaning some sort of shoe, not a pressuriser)
Cookie (meaning biscuit or something lurking in my web browser)
Product (meaning a service, no production being involved)
Candy (meaning sweets)
Buggy (meaning pushchair)
Shock absorber or shock (meaning damper)
Gas (meaning petroleum spirit not gas)
Inverter (meaning variable frequency drive, rather than DC-AC converter)
Slut (meaning loose woman - a 'slag', rather than one who is slovenly, i.e. untidy and/or unwashed and/or badly dressed)
Public (when meaning private, as in public school or privatising a public body and calling it a public company); cannot blame the USA for this one
Geranium (meaning pelargonium not geranium)
Adding 'up' or 'off' at the end of a perfectly adequate word (e.g. closed up, sealed off, rose up)
Pronouncing Router as 'Rowter' when 'Rooter' is meant. We have both at Ampair Energy Ltd; very confusing
Pronouncing lingerie as 'lonzheree' rather than 'lanzheree'
Not being allowed to say rubber when I mean eraser not condom
Etc, etc.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen, Regent Centre, Christchurch
This evening we went to The Regent Centre in Christchurch, Dorset, to see Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen. The band comprised Kenny Ball (cornet, vocals, pictured), John Bennett (trombone), Andy Cooper (clarinet, vocal), Bill Coleman (string bass), Hugh Ledigo (baby grand piano), John Gibson (drums) and, a welcome surprise, one of our favourite trumpeters, Peter Rudeforth. The house was full, a tribute to the pulling power of this band.
Favourite numbers were :
1) The rhythm section feature, Toccata, based on Toccata in D Minor, generally credited to Johann Sebastian Bach and probably the most famous work in the organ repertoire. The attribution of the piece to Bach is doubtful and has been challenged since the 1980s by a number of scholars. The hyperlink is to a live performance by the electric group SKY.
2) The best of the Ball hits, Sukiyaki, originally 'Ue o Muite Arukō' (上を向いて歩こう?, literally "[I] shall walk looking up"), a Japanese-language song composed by Hachidai Nakamura with lyrics by Rokusuke Ei. It was performed by Japanese crooner Kyu Sakamoto. The link is to the early Kenny Ball band.
3) Peter and Bill's feature, Take the A Train, a jazz standard by Billy Strayhorn that was the signature tune of the Duke Ellington orchestra. It is arguably the most famous of the many compositions to emerge from the collaboration of Ellington and Strayhorn. The link is to a rare 1943 performance by the Ellington band with vocal by Betty Roche.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Jazzsounds at the Belvedere, Bournemouth
This evening we went to Manfred's Bar at The Belvedere Hotel in Bournemouth, where we ate an excellent bar meal of roast beef with the usual bottle of Syrah. We were joined by Peter Walters for Jazzsounds (pictured).
Highlight of the evening was Gillian (pictured), singing in her sultry, sexy, style :
1) Gazing into the eyes of Peter and me individually, I'm In The Mood For Love, written by Jimmy McHugh with lyrics by Dorothy Fields in 1935. It was introduced by Frances Langford in the movie Every Night at Eight released that year. The song was featured in the 1936 Our Gang (Little Rascals) short The Pinch Singer, sung by Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer. The link is to Doris Day; no date provided.
2) Ain't Misbehaving, a 1929 song written by Thomas 'Fats' Waller and Harry Brooks with lyrics by Andy Razaf. Waller recorded the original version that year for Victor Records and later performed the song in the 1943 film Stormy Weather. The link is to Anita O'Day with the Nat 'King' Cole Trio around 1945.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Monchique, Portugal
We have just returned from holiday, staying at the Estalagem Abrigo da Montanha just up the road from Monchique to the highest peak in the Algarve. The first pictures show the hotel and the view from our window.
Following is a picture of Selina in Monchique centre on the final day, wearing two essential garments bought in Portugal:
1) Sombrero to keep sun off face
2) Long-sleeved pure cotton blouse, normally worn without the jacket (only used for travelling from and to the UK).
The mountain roads in the Monchique district are superb; very twisty, well-surfaced and mostly devoid of traffic. As soon as one crosses the local boundaries, the surface deteriorates, sometimes to coarse rock chips.
The worst experience was when we suffered a flat tyre in the full glare of the mid-day sun in shadeless Portimao. Max. temperature that day was 44 deg.C. To make matters worse, we had a Fiat Punto, reviving memories of wheel changing on Selina's Fiats. Instead of studs on which one just drops the wheel, there are threaded holes into which one inserts perfectly-aligned bolts. This requires repeated minute adjustments to the jack and ripping at least one of the plastic wheel trim holes in order to see the thread in the hub. The designer should spend the rest of his life changing Fiat wheels in extreme weather conditions.
We found a superb restaurant, Jardim-das-Oliveiras, near the hotel where we ate specialities such as Kid and Wild Boar, cooked slowly all day in a wood-fired oven. The house wine was excellent and came in a litre carafe. To finish there was a complementary Medronho, the local brandy, distilled from the fruits of the strawberry tree. I rarely feel as if I have been drinking but I did after that.
The flowers are beautiful in June; even the weeds. This is a picture of the equivalent to our white convulvulus, which spreads like wildfire everywhere.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Mike Barry's Fervent Six at the Bournemouth Jazz Club
This evening we saw Mike Barry's Fervent Six playing at the Bluebirds Club in Longham. The band comprised Mike Barry (trumpet, vocals), our favourite reedsman Goff Dubber (clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, vocal), Michael Holt (trombone, vocals), Peter Gregory (banjo, guitar, vocals), Roger Kirby (double bass) and Graham Collicott (drums). This is a fine band, supposedly playing West Coast style but actually ranging much further than that, including many unusual numbers such as:
1) Little Rock Getaway, composed by Joe Sullivan and published in 1934. Joe was a great Irish-American jazz pianist and composer whose career ultimately suffered from his excessive drinking. There is a story concerning his poor performance due to drink when recording with Sidney Bechet. Not one to tolerate such behaviour, Bechet pulled out a knife and chased Sullivan out of the studio. The link is to the famous Les Paul version that we have on CD. He pioneered the use of the multiple recording technique to create this unforgettable sound. The number is played on this link by Les Paul in 1950. We first heard this recording in the '50s but only obtained it on CD in January 2009.
2) San Francisco Bay Blues, composed by one man band 'Lone Cat' Jesse Fuller as featured on this 1968 link.
3) Brown Skin Girl, about which I know nothing. The link is to TOMMY McCLENNAN (1939) Delta Blues Guitar Legend.
We particularly liked Peter Gregory's acoustic guitar style, such as when backing Goff on 'Lotus Bud' and 'Petite Fleur'. It was also good to see Graham, one of our favourite drummers, again. We first saw him shortly after our return to jazz in 2004, depping with Bob Dwyer. There was a long gap before seeing him regularly at the Cricketers in Horsell Birch. Young Jill, who sat with us in the final days there, was in the audience this evening. She was the most supportive of our stand against the pub for noisy parties in the jazz area (scroll down to posts from 9/12/08 and 16/1/09).
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Beaulieu
This evening, for the first time together, we visited Beaulieu, at the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire. The short trip there from our home in Dorset involved driving right across the forest, passing through some lovely scenery in glorious sunshine.
Highlight of the visit was the Motor Museum, home to the earliest motor cars through to stars of racing and entertainment. Selina was much taken with the De Dion Bouton because it is pictured on her coffee mat at work. I was fascinated by a Mk1 Ford Zephyr on sale outside the museum. How has it avoided rusting away to nothing ? Such a model was my first motor car, a 1953 version that I bought in 1963 for £80. It achieved 30 miles in 30 minutes from Wanstead to Southend carrying 6 lads, set fastest time on a rally section (with girlfriend Selina as navigator) and suffered brake fade over Hard Knott pass (with same girlfriend).
We also took the monorail ride, during which the sky clouded over, making it too cold for exposure up high. Lunch was at the Pru Leith 'Brabazon' restaurant; OK but over-hyped and over-priced. Finally we visited the 'World of Top Gear', seeing the actual victims of the team's childish pranks. I would have liked to see the various caravans that have been justifiably destroyed in the name of motoring but nothing remains of them.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Mazda 2
For the first time in 30 years we have just bought a brand-new car (pictured). From 1961 to 1976 we worked our way up from rust bucket to brand new cars, three in succession. In 1982, I made the mistake of opting for a company car rather than the equivalent extra salary, forgetting that it could not last for ever. When I was made redundant in 1992, we had to start all over again with no job, little money and no car to trade. Since then we have worked our way through four used cars with decreasing miles on the clock until we have returned to the land of the extravagant.
Why choose a Mazda 2 ? It was world car of the year when launched in 2008 and is loosely related to the very successful Ford Fiesta, both made at the Mazda factory in Thailand. Both have a fine record for reliability. The Mazda is much lighter (and cheaper and prettier) than the Fiesta, which, if they had the same engine, would make it faster and more economical. It is impossible to compare engines, the Ford offering a bewidering choice. We opted for the lowest power, lowest cost, Mazda engine.
Compared with our previous Suzuki Ignis Sport, the new car is much quieter (it is higher geared) and rides much better. Despite this, it handles really well round the twisty Dorset lanes and we never notice the relative lack of power. We are hoping for lower fuel consumption and longer range; filling up every few days had become a bore.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
John Maddocks' Jazzmen at the St Leonards Hotel
This evening we went to the St Leonards Hotel, Dorset, (pictured) to see the John Maddocks Jazzmen. The band comprised John Maddocks (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, vocals), Peter Wilkinson (trumpet, vocals), Tony Farr (trombone), Chris Satterley (keyboard, vocals), Peter McCurrie (string bass, tuba), Dave Broomfield, (banjo, guitar) and Brian Barker (drums).
Favourite number by far was my written request from a while back :
1) Lester Leaps In, composed by one of the greatest tenor Sax players of all time, Lester Young, who plays it on this link. John Maddocks played it with the rhythm section, claiming to have learnt it this afternoon. His tenor style was great as always; honking and stonking like a rock-and-roller.
The food and drink were good; we had roast turkey with a bottle of Malbec.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Antique Six at the Bournemouth Jazz Club
This evening we saw The Antique Six at the Bluebirds club. The band (pictured) comprised Tony Davis (trumpet, Vocal), Richard Leach (trombone, vocal, leader), Chris Pearce (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, soprano sax), Clinton Sedgley (guitar, banjo), Ian Parry (double bass) and Graham Smith (drums). This was the third time we have seen this fine band, although we know Ian Parry from his drumming and guitar playing with the Excel Jazzmen and the Apex Jazz Band. Tony Davis, guest trumpeter, we know from his work with Judy Eames, present in the audience. Reducing favourite numbers to just three:
1) Trombone / guitar feature Out of Nowhere, composed by Johnny Green with lyrics by Edward Heyman. It was first recorded by Bing Crosby in 1931 and became his first number one hit as a solo artist. The link is to Stan Getz.
2) The World is Waiting For The Sunrise, lyrics by Gene Lockhart and music (Toronto 1918) by the concert pianist Ernest Seitz, who had conceived the refrain when he was 12. Embarrassed about writing popular music, Seitz used the pseudonym "Raymond Roberts" when the song was first published by Chappell in 1919. The link is to Les Paul and Mary Ford.
3) Trumpet / guitar feature, with Tony vocalising, Blue Turning Grey, composed by Fats Waller (music) and Andy Razaf (lyrics), the link being to Louis Armstrong's famous version.
This fine band is on its final tour so we might never see them again; sad.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Brian White / Alan Gresty Ragtimers & The Piccadilly Dance Orchestra
This evening we visited Poole's Lighthouse Arts Centre to see two great bands; The Brian White / Alan Gresty Ragtimers, followed by The Piccadilly Dance Orchestra, led by .
The Ragtimers comprised Alan Gresty (cornet), Brian White (clarinet), Geoff Cole (trombone, vocal), Martin Wheatley (guitar, banjo), Colin Miller (drums), Vic Pitt (double bass) and Goff Dubber (tenor and soprano saxophones). Brian, Geoff and Goff all recognised us from the stage; we were in the front row. They played mostly Bix Beiderbecke numbers, of which notable examples were:
1) At The Jazz Band Ball, written by Nick La Rocca and Larry Shields. The link is to tonight's band at a previous gig with slightly different personnel.
2) Our favourite Beiderbecke number I'm Coming Virginia, composed by Will Marion Cook & Donald Heywood. The link is to the famous recording by Bix, with wonderful support from Eddie Lang on guitar. This is the perfect interpretation and just cannot be beaten.
3) No connection with Bix; Brian and Goff's feature 'The Blues and Jung', composed by Brian, inspired by the Sidney Bechet / Mezz Mezzrow number 'The Blues and Freud'. I could not find a link to either number.
The Piccadilly Dance Orchestra ws led by founder, musical director, singer and pianist on one number, Michael Law. The female vocalist was the sweet-voiced Tracy Stewart-Fry and we noticed Martin Litton on piano and Martin Wheatley on banjo and guitar. Notable numbers for which I have found links to this band are as follows:
1) Happy Feet, an old swing standard recorded by Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra.
2) My Hat's On The Side of My Head, composed in 1933 by Claude Hurlburt with lyrics by Harry M. Woods. It was made famous by Al Bowlly, a favourite of my maternal grandmother.
3) Brighter Than The Sun, written by Ray Noble and Anona Winn, who I remember from the radio quiz game 'Twenty Questions' (showing my age).
I ate the Lighthouse Cafe special for the third time; Bubble and Squeak topped with Bacon, Egg and Hollandaise Sauce. I must like it !
Selina was unable to walk far in her long Spanish boots car so we were fortunate to find the car park at the rear of the Lighthouse open to the public as we arrived before 18:30.
A continued grumble is the lack of advertising from the Lighthouse; we were fortunate to spot the gig in 'The Jazz Guide' under Thursdays / Dorset / ragtimers.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
'The Social Network' at the Poole Lighthouse cinema
This evening, for the third time, we went to the cinema at Poole's Lighthouse Arts Centre. This time we saw The Social Network, a film about the beginnings of Facebook. It is a well-made film with good actors; we just could not understand it. Perhaps the problem is wider than that; we don't understand the Facebook business model. Is it just about advertising ? Do some people read advertisments unintentionally ? We welcome responses from anyone who has the answers.
Before anyone asks; no, we cannot avoid television advertising entirely but we always mute the sound and yes, we are a grumpy old couple.
Because the film started around 18:00, the Lighthouse restaurant closes at 19:30 and the chef at our local pub leaves at 21:00, we had to find a convenient eating-place. We chose The Real China, a buffet-style Chinese Restaurant just over the road in Poole. It has received some bad reviews but it was just what we needed; quick, close, no booking and a huge choice of dishes. To obtain really good value for money you need to eat a lot (which we did not) but we won't quibble about that.
Monday, March 7, 2011
New Orleans Heat at the Bournemouth Jazz Club
This evening we went to see New Orleans Heat jazz band at the Bournemouth Jazz Club's new venue; the Bluebirds Club in Longham.
The band (pictured) comprised Gwyn Lewis (cornet, flugelhorn, Vocals), Mike Naylor (trombone), Ross Garfield (clarinet), Tony Peatman (banjo), Harry Slater (double bass), Barry Grummett (keyboard, leader) and Colin Bushell (drums). The most obvious advantage of this band is the fine jazz-style vocals of Gwyn Lewis, featured on the majority of numbers. Favourites of the evening were:
1) Lady Be Good, written by George and Ira Gershwin in 1924. The link is to Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli in 1937.
2) Mike Naylor's feature with the rhythm section The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise, with lyrics by Gene Lockhart and music (Toronto 1918) by the concert pianist Ernest Seitz, who had conceived the refrain when he was 12. Embarrassed about writing popular music, Seitz used the pseudonym 'Raymond Roberts' when the song was first published by Chappell in 1919. The link is to Carl Perkins, stablemate of Elvis Presley in the Sun Studio days and composer of 'Blue Suede Shoes'.
3) Dallas Blues, written by Hart A. Wand, the first true blues song ever published. The link is to the band of Theodore Leopold Friedman, better known as Ted Lewis.
The move of the club to the Bluebirds is a great success. There was such a large audience that more chairs and tables were added during the evening. The only problem was that this limited the size of the dance floor.
Monday, February 21, 2011
John Howlett's Copper Rail Six at the Durley Dean Hotel
This evening, for the firstd time, we saw John Howlett's Copper Rail Six's Copper Rail Six (pictured left) playing at the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club in the Durley Dean Hotel. The band comprised John Howlett (trombone, vocals), Brian White (clarinet, vocal), Alan Bateman (trompet, vocals), Tony Pitt (banjo), Vic Pitt (double bass) and Graham Smith (drums). The feature numbers were:
1) Brian's beautiful feature with the rhythm section, Babette, about which I know nothing. Kid Ory's daughter was named Babette but I doubt if there is a connection. The link is to the Jack Hylton Orchestra in 1925.
2) John's classic feature with the rhythm section, Dark Eyes, (Russian: Очи чёрные, Ochi chyornye; English translation: Black Eyes; French translation: Les yeux noirs) is a Russian song. The lyrics were written by a Ukrainian poet and writer Yevhen Hrebinka. The words were subsequently set to Florian Hermann's Valse Hommage (in an arrangement by S. Gerdel') and published as a romance on 7 March 1884. The link is to Quinn Bachand (guitar), Nelson Moneo (violin) & Oliver Moneo (accordion) at Daniel Lapp's Joy of Life Concert, April 6, 2007. Wonderful to see such young musicians playing great gypsy jazz.
3) Vic and Graham (pictured right) duetting for Big Noise From Winnetka, a spontaneous composition, created at the Blackhawk in Chicago in 1938 by Bob Haggart (bass) and Ray Bauduc (drums), both members of the Bob Crosby band. The link is to a later performance by the composers. This was the first jazz record I ever owned, chosen by me from my uncle's huge collection. I still have it.
It was good to talk to Brian again having not seen him since we lived in Guildford and saw his Magna Jazz Band every Thursday evening. John also remembered us although he was confused by our presence in Dorset.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
'The Constant Wife' at Salisbury Playhouse
This evening, for our 45th wedding anniversary, we went to the Salisbury Playhouse to see a performance of Somerset Maugham's aptly-named play 'The Constant Wife'. We began with dinner in the posh restaurant, which was much more enjoyable than last time, due to better food and service. The play was even better than last time, with a great plot based on attitudes to marital infidelity in the 1920s. The picture is of Maggie Steed, playing the mother, who received rave reviews for her performance. We thought the actors were all equally good, with never a moment of hesitation throughout.
Maugham wrote this play as his marriage to Syrie was coming to an end. One wonders if there was any connection, yet the play is much more sympathetic to the wife than to the adulterous husband.
Saturday, February 13, 2011
Woody Allen
We have started to work cronologically through our old VHS video recordings of Woody Allen films. The first three, all with Diane Keaton, are probably the best:
1972: Play It Again Sam, a great Casablanca spoof.
1973: Sleeper, a pure farce, loosely based on H.G. Wells 'The Sleeper Awakes'.
1977: Annie Hall, the clever, witty, film that deservedly won four Oscars, including best actress for Diane Keaton who was playing herself, even wearing her own fashion-leading clothes (pictured).
One question on the IMDB Woody Allen forum is "If I am new to his films, where should I start." The majority advice is 'Annie Hall' to which we agree.
Monday, February 07, 2010
Sussex Jazz Kings at the Bournemouth Jazz Club
This evening, for the second time, we saw the Sussex Jazz Kings playing at the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club in the Durley Dean Hotel. The band comprises Dave Stradwick (cornet, vocals), Bernard Stutt (clarinet), Graham Wiseman (trombone, vocals), Phil Durell (banjo), Peter Clancy (double bass) and John Hall (drums). The most interesting numbers were:
1) Dauphin St Blues, presumably named after the historic street of Mobile, Alabama. The link is to a famous version by the Crane River Jazz Band, forerunner of the Ken Colyer and Chris Barber bands.
2) Black Cat On The Fence, composed, depending on which source you believe, by either Narvin Kimball or Emanual Sayles.
The link is to the classic Ken Colyer version.
3) Bad Penny Blues, composed by Humphrey Lyttelton. The link is to a later performance than the original but still featuring Humph.
It can be seen from the above that this band makes frequent references to the British 'trad' era in the 1950s and early-mid 60s. The mid-60s was the time when Selina and I originally experienced much live jazz so this is nostalgia for us.
We liked Dave playing cornet instead of his customary trumpet. He is a loud performer and the cornet keeps it under control.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Martin Litton's Red Hot Peppers & The Charleston Chasers
This evening we visited Poole's Lighthouse Arts Centre to see two great bands; Martin Litton's Red Hot Peppers, followed by The Charleston Chasers, led by Debbie Arthurs.
The Peppers comprised Martin Litton (piano, pictured), Paul Lacey (tpt), Keith Nichols (forsaking his piano for trombone), Martin Wheatley (guitar, banjo), Nick Ward (drums), Malcolm Sked (double bass, sousaphone) and James Evans and Trevor Whiting (clarinets, saxophones). They played mostly Jelly Roll Morton numbers, of which notable examples were:
1) Milenburg Joys, named, and mispelt, after the town of Milneburg on the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana. It was named for landowner / developer Alexander Milne. The link is to tonight's band at a previous gig with slightly different personnel.
2) Martin's feature with drums only Perfect Rag, AKA 'Sporting House Rag'. The link is to a 1924 recording by Mr Jelly Lord himself.
3) James Evans's feature with piano and drums only Sidewalk Blues, one of the greatest recordings by the original Red Hot Peppers. The link is to that 1924 Chicago recording.
The Charleston Chasers comprised Debbie Arthurs (percussion, vocals), Ruth Ross (trumpet, vocal), Andy Woon (trumpet), Andy Flaxman (trombone), Zoltan Sagi (tenor sax, clarinet), Tony Carter (alto sax, clarinet), Nick White (alto sax, clarinet), Martin Litton (piano), Martin Wheatley (guitar, banjo, vocals) and Malcolm Sked (double bass, sousaphone). They played a wide selection of numbers, mostly well-known but with a few we had never heard before. All the band are fine musicians but we must single out Debbie's singing for particular praise; she has a beautiful clear voice. Links are to Debbie's bands, not necessarily this one and not numbers that were played this evening:
1) Naughty Man, played by the Charleston Chasers at Whitley Bay.
2) Am I Blue, again at Whitley Bay but with a smaller band.
3) Walking My Baby Back Home, Debbie Arthurs' Sweet Rhythm at the 2005 Bude Festival.
We ate at the Lighthouse for the first time; the Bubble and Squeak topped with Bacon, Egg and Hollandaise Sauce was certainly far better and much more interesting than the general ambience.
It was fortunate that Selina was back to walking well; car parking was worse than last time, involving too much foot slogging up and down stairs and through a revolting underpass. Audiences should not be expected to be fit and well in order to attend.
Another grumble is the lack of advertising from the Lighthouse; we could easily have missed this great evening.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Save our forests
Our new government, of which we expected so much, plans to sell off our forests, at least those in England. I have signed the petition at 38 degrees and contributed to its funds. I have also written to the Prime Minister's Office pointing out that private owners will certainly fence off against public access and will ignore any 'right to roam legislation'. All history shows that landowners obey only those laws that suit them. I also noted the risk of a 'forest-owner' being discovered as a contributor to party funds.
The picture shows the Place of my birth, High Beech in Epping Forest. We now live close to the New Forest, where we go every Thursday evening for dinner and jazz. Perhaps their unusual ownership might save them. However, the thought of any forest being owned by rich scum and/or big business, to the exclusion of us, the present owners, is just too horrific to contemplate. I implore all our readers to fight against it.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Poole Hospital
This morning Selina passed out, fell and hit her head on a stone slab. She was unconscious for about 10 seconds with her eyes wide open. I momentarily thought she was dead. When her head was still bleeding in the afternoon, I took her to the Accident and Emergency (A & E) department at Poole General Hospital. Waiting time for admission was minimal and tests were undertaken promptly. As these involved undressing it was fortunate that she was wearing matching black underwear with her black tights and long black boots. All went well until the wait began for blood test results to come back from the lab. When the time reached 20:00 we could stand no more and Selina discharged herself.
We had already complained to both Bournemouth and Poole hospitals plus NHS Dorset about the appalling blood testing service in the area. We never thought it could be as bad for internal requests. The nursing staff said it was just a computer problem on that day; results normally come back in about one hour ! Remember this is an emergency department; a patient could be dead within an hour. Compare this with Royal Surrey Hospital where Selina was once admitted to A & E; blood test results were back in 10 minutes !
Friday, January 07, 2011
Tiger Tim's Ragamuffins at the Verwood Hub
This evening we saw Tiger Tim's Ragamuffins at The Hub in Verwood, Dorset. This great jazz quartet comprised Tim Eyles (trumpet, vocals, jokes), Clive Burton (trombone), Ken Ames (guitar, banjo) and Pete Maxfield (double bass). They are all fine musicians and it was particularly good to hear Ken and Clive again after a long break for us. Every number was good so we will just list some that we don't often hear in this area:
1. My Little Suede Shoes, composed by Charlie Parker, and played on this link by the Blue Morning Quintet.
2. Seven Golden Daffodils, composed by Lee Hays and Fran Moseley. The link is to a fine vocal by the late Lonnie Donegan.
3. Electric Chair Blues, possibly written by Bessie Smith but performed on this link by Blind Lemon Jefferson in 1928 with very different words.
We were recognised us as soon as we entered the room and given a warm welcome by the musicians and by Clive's wife, Jan. She was amazed that Selina's hair is no longer short. I pointed out that it has been much, much, longer. The 'Hub' was a new experience for the band although not for us. We like the table arrangement and the food & drink with the music. The audience is always very different from those we normally meet; rather polite and restrained. Not what we are used to !
Friday, December 10, 2010
Elvis Presley night at the White Buck
This evening we went to the White Buck Hotel at Burley in the New Forest for a USA style dinner with an Elvis Presley impersonator Lou Jordan singing for us. He is a real showman, building up a terrific rapport with the audience. The first picture shows him in his white outfit and the second in blue with me. This was immediately after he had tricked me into singing, solo and unaccompanied, my own request You're a Heartbreaker. This was a first for me and I aim to make it the last. The song was composed by Jack Sallee and the link is to the 1954 Presley version with Scotty Moore (guitar), Bill Black (double bass) and D J Fontana (drums). My version was inferior.
Favourite numbers by the real singer were:
1) Lawdy Miss Clawdy, an 8-bar blues with a rolicking piano backup, words written by Lloyd Price, using a melody adapted from the older Junker Blues (Champion Jack Dupree, 1941). The link is to Lloyd Price in 1952.
2) Sung by Lou to Selina on his knees The Girl Of My Best Friend, written by Beverly Ross and Sam Bobrick. The link is to Elvis in 1960.
3) Bridge Over Troubled Water, composed by Paul Simon in 1969 and recorded by Presley in 1970 as on this link.
Selina's tight (size 8) white trouser suit was much appreciated, as was her svelte figure. Michael, a tall slim builder with long blonde hair, danced with her, lifting her high in the air with ease. They looked great together; I doubt if I looked as good dancing with Michael's lovely sister, Carol. Michael mentioned that I was obviously very proud of Selina; definitely true !
Monday, November 8, 2010
Amy Roberts at the Bournemouth Jazz Club
This evening, for the second time, we saw Amy Roberts (pictured from her web site) this time playing with Gerry Brown's Mission Hall Band at the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club in the Durley Dean Hotel. Still only 22 years old, Amy is brilliant on both alto sax and clarinet. The band raised their standards for the occasion, one member confessing to nervousness prior to his duet with Amy. Favourite numbers were:
1) Hindustan, composed in 1918 by Harold Weeks with lyrics by Oliver G. Wallace. We don't normally care much for this number but Amy's alto solo really brought it to life. The link is to the Dutch Swing College from 1990.
2) Some of These Days, by Shelton Brooks, with Amy on clarinet. The link is to Sophie Tucker in 1927.
3) Caravan, by Juan Tizol with Amy on alto sax and with an unusual drum solo from Ray Ball. The link is to Chet Atkins and Les Paul.
We badly need more young musicians like Amy to keep real jazz alive, not try to turn it into something different.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
The Blue Devils at the Layard Theatre, Canford Magna
For our first visit to the (hard to find) Layard Theatre in Canford Magna this evening we saw Keith Nichol's Blue Devils (pictured with some different musicians) playing a programme dominated by Duke Ellington numbers. This is a great band, featuring some of the finest jazz musicians in the country. No Ben Cummings tonight but we still had a great band; Keith Nichols (baby grand piano, vocals), Richard Pite (drums), Martin Wheatley (banjo, guitar), Tony Fisher (trumpet), Nathan Bray (trumpet), Alastair Allan (trombone,vocals), Robert Fowler (tenor sax, clarinet), Mark Crooks (alto sax, clarinet), Bob ? (baritone sax, alto sax, clarinet) and Jerome ? (double bass).
Favourite numbers were:
1) I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby, composed by Fats Waller with lyrics by Alex Hill. The link is to the Blue Devils with some different personnel.
2) Creole Love Call, most associated with the Duke Ellington band. Ellington first recorded it in 1927 and was issued a copyright for it as composer the following year. However the main melody appears earlier in the Joe "King" Oliver composition "Camp Meeting Blues" which Oliver recorded with his Creole Jazz Band in 1923. Apparently Ellington reedman Rudy Jackson had presented the melody to Ellington claiming it was his own composition. After Ellington's recording came out, Joe Oliver attempted to sue for payment of royalties and composer credit. The lawsuit failed due to problems with Oliver's original paperwork resulting in Oliver not holding a valid copyright. Ellington fired Jackson over the incident, bringing in Barney Bigard as his replacement.. The link is to the Blue Devils with more different personnel.
3) Nathan's feature Singing The Blues, written by Sam M. Lewis, Joe Young, Con Conrad and J. Russel Robinson. The link is to the famous Bix Beiderbecke / Frankie Trumbauer version from 1927. Was this Bix's greatest recording or was it 'I'm Coming Virginia' ?. I vote for the latter but it is close.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
'It Happened One Night' at the Rex Cinema in Wareham
This evening, for the third Saturday in succession, we went to the Rex Cinema in Wareham for one of the Purbeck Film Festival series of classic / worthy films. We went to see It Happened One Night, (1934) the first of the 'screwball comedies' and the first to use a moving camera on a crane. The picture shows a classic moment when Clark Gable begins to undress in front of Claudette Colbert, exposing bare flesh under his shirt. This started the fashion for not wearing a vest, causing unrest among vest manufacturers.
It was said the neither Gable nor Colbert liked the film; being on loan to then lowly Columbia as punishment for different misdemeanours. However, both won Oscars for it; Gable giving his to a child who admired it. The child returned the Oscar to the Gable family after Clark's death.
The film also won oscars for best film, best director (Frank Capra) and best writing, adaptation. Seeing it today, one notices witty dialogue, skilled acting and much social comment. One wonders who was the socialist on the team.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Tony Pitt's All Stars at the Bournemouth Jazz Club
This evening we saw Tony Pitt's All Stars, playing at the Durley Dean Hotel. The band (pictured) comprised Alan Bateman (trumpet), Dave Hewett (trombone), Adrian Cox (clarinet, vocals), Tony Pitt (banjo), Andy Lawrence (double bass) and T J Johnson (drums, Vocals). Favourites were:
1) T J's vocal Old Fashioned Love, written by Cecil Mack and James P. Johnson for the show Runnin' Wild. The link is to the wonderful Bechet / Mezzrow version. Sidney remains my favourite clarinet / soprano player of all time. I know he was a bad man but we can't have everything.
2) Adrian's feature St. Philip Street Breakdown, written by George Lewis when he lived in that street. The link is to Brian Carrick playing it on George's old metal clarinet.
3) Dave's feature Dark Eyes (Russian: Очи чёрные, Ochi chyornye; English translation: Black Eyes; French translation: Les yeux noirs), a Russian song. The lyrics were written by a Ukrainian poet and writer Yevhen Hrebinka. The first publication of the poem was in Literaturnaya gazeta on 17 January 1843. The words were subsequently set to Florian Hermann's Valse Hommage (in an arrangement by S. Gerdel') and published as a romance on 7 March 1884. The link is to Django Reinhardt.
This is a great band; well worth seeing if you ever get the chance.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
'L'Armée du Crime' at the Rex Cinema in Wareham
This evening, for the second time, we went to the Rex Cinema in Wareham for one of the Purbeck Film Festival series of classic / worthy films. We went to see L'Armée du Crime, an attempt at introducing realism into the well-trodden French Resistance genre. This is a harrowing tale of defiance and suffering; the torture scenes being very realistic. The title is based on a propoganda poster depicting the resistance group as criminals; actually making heroes of them. The cinema had a copy of the very poster for us all to see and touch. We recommend this film to any film buff who is not too squeamish.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
'Tamara Drewe' at the Rex Cinema in Wareham
This evening, for the first time, we went to the Rex Cinema in Wareham. This is a fine old cinema dating back to 1920. It is now among the few cinemas in the UK where one can drink a glass of wine or beer whilst watching the film ! We went to see the film Tamara Drewe, particularly interesting to us because the location is a Dorset village. I liked it but Selina was not so keen; perhaps it is more a man's film as it features a fair amount of sex with georgeous women (Gemma Arterton and Josie Taylor).
Monday, October 4, 2010
Graeme Hewitt's High Society Jazz Band at the Bournemouth Jazz Club
This evening we saw Graeme Hewitt's High Society Jazz Band, playing at the Durley Dean Hotel. The band (pictured) comprised Denny Ilett (trumpet, Vocal), Micky Cook (trombone, vocal), Graeme Hewitt (clarinet, vocals), Dave Moorwood (banjo, guitar), Mike Bennett (double bass), Perry Lockyer (keyboard) and Steve Watling (drums). Favourites were:
1) Trogs Blues, presumably written by Wally Fawkes, the Trog cartoonist, as featured on this link.
2) Careless love, a traditional song of obscure origins. The link is to Madeleine Peyroux. Tonight's version was notable for the guitar playing of Dave Moorwood.
Selina was kissed by Mike (twice) and by Denny, complaining about their spiky beards on each occasion.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
The Bootleg Shadows at the Tivoli in Wimborne
This evening, for the first time, we saw The Bootleg Shadows at the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne Minster.
The band comprises Mark Burton (lead guitar), Keith Smith (rhythm guitar, vocals), Tony Cole (bass guitar), Tony Bayliss (keybords) and Steve Green (drums). Browse the three examples below (prior to Keith joining the band) to hear the uncanny resemblance to Hank Marvin and Co.
1) Apache, written by Jerry Lordan, recorded by The Shadows in June 1960 and topping the UK singles chart for five weeks.
2) Wonderful Land; another Jerry Lordan composition released as a single by The Shadows in 1962. It stayed at number 1 in the UK for more weeks than any other single during the whole of the 1960s.
3) The Savage; from the film 'The Young Ones'.
Our other favourites from the concert were:
4) Nivram, composed by the Shadows and played by them on this link. A nice jazzy number.
5) Cavetina, composed by Stanley Myers and AKA theme from 'The Deer Hunter'. The link is to the Shadows again.
6) Don't Cry For Me Argentina, composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Tim Rice for 'Evita'. The link is to the original version by Julie Covington.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
The Panama Hat Band + Southern Union Chorus
This evening we went to the Memorial Hall in our Dorset home of West Moors for the second time for a charity concert called America. The first half featuredThe Panama Hat Jazz Band (pictured). This is a standard 6-piece trad line-up of trumpet, trombone, clarinet, banjo, double bass and drums (Stan the man), criticised by at least two people recently. We liked them.
The second half featured The Southern Union Chorus, a barbershop chorus singing in unaccompanied close harmony. They sang old songs and hits from the sixties. Our favourite numbers were:
1) Hello Mary Lou, composed by Gene Pitney but made famous by Rick Nelson as on this link.
2) Always Look On The Bright Side of Life , written by Eric Idle and originally featured in the 1979 film 'Monty Python's Life of Brian' as in this link.
3) St Louis Blues, composed by W C Handy and made famous by Bessie Smith as on this link.
We had a moment of excitement on arrival. We went to sit in the front row but were told by a woman that all the seats were reserved. I protested and she slapped my hand. In response we sat on two of the seats for the evening. She is probably a Christian; she certainly needs to learn to treat others with respect.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
'Inception' at the Bournemouth Odeon
This evening, for the first time, we went to the Bournemouth Odeon to see the film Inception, which received the highest praise we have ever seen from IMDB's amateur critics. The basic idea, entering the dreams of others down to 5 levels of depth, is not new. I remember as a teenager being enthralled by the Dennis Wheatley novel Strange Conflict, which explored the idea rather well for its time.
Does this film enhance or extend the idea ? I am afraid not. It is typical Hollywood mass audience fodder, featuring the standard formula of car chases, guns galore and dual female love interest. We cannot recommend this film.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
'Partir' (leaving) at the Poole Lighthouse cinema
For the final cinema session at Poole's Lighthouse Arts Centre this evening we saw Partir, translated as 'Leaving'. This French film starred Kristin Scott-Thomas, the first time we have seen her in a leading role. She did not disappoint, displaying a range of emotions in a very convincing manner. The storyline, married woman with everything falls for handyman and risks losing all, is not new but this takes it to extremes. Making the obvious comparisons with Lady Chatterley and Anna Karenina; this film was much more believable than either. We recommend it to anyone interested in serious cinema.
IMDB quotes Henry Porter in The Guardian as writing "Why are the grown-up films all French ?". The answer is that they are not, there have been excellent films from Germany and China recently. Let us re-phrase the question; "Why are all the American films childish and/or horrific ?" We have given up on mainstream cinema because there is no longer anything for us.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Marty Wilde at The Pier, Bournemouth
This evening we went to the Bournemouth Pier Theatre to see Marty Wilde and the Wildcats perform songs from the 1950s and early 60s. In the first half the Wildcats performed without Marty, all but the drummer singing at some time. Our favourite number from this set was Be Bop A Lula, composed by Gene Vincent, who performs it on this link. Note the great guitar backing by the greatest rock guitarist of all time, Cliff Gallup. He sounds even better on Race With The Devil.
For the second set the Wildcats were joined by Marty, who looks incredibly young for his 71 (he says 72) years. He performed numerous songs, including his big hits:
Donna, written and originally sung by Ritchie Valens;
Danny, written by Ben Weisman with lyrics by Fred Wise and recorded for the film King Creole but eventually eliminated. I remember listening to it on the juke box in a cafe in Plaistow as a teenager;
Bad Boy, Marty's own composition
Teenager in Love, written by Doc Pomus with Mort Shuman and originally sung by Dion and the Belmonts.
However, our favourite was Apron Strings, written by Aaron Schroeder with George David Weiss and first recorded publicly by Cliff Richard, although Elvis Presley had already made a home recording not intended for release.
A great evening of nostalgia that had us all singing along.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Dave Hewett's Condonians at the Bournemouth Jazz Club
This evening, for the first time, we saw Dave Hewett's Condonians playing at the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club in the Durley Dean Hotel. The band comprises Dave Hewett (trombone, baritone horn), Andy Dickens (trumpet, vocals), Julian Marc Stringle (clarinet, tenor sax), John China (keyboard, vocals), Andy Lawrence (double bass) and our favourite drummer Rod Brown. This is a great band, playing in the Eddie Condon style rather than imitating his band. Some of the numbers are listed below, all the unusually high quality links being to the Condonians from YouTube, for which we are grateful to the lovely Sylvia Hewett for posting them. We were sad that she was unable to attend this evening.
1) St James Infirmary, of anonymous origin, though sometimes credited to one Joe Primrose (probably falsely as it is a pseudonym for Irving Mills). Louis Armstrong made it famous in his influential 1928 recording.
2) Beale Street Blues, a rarity in that it is believed to be composed by W.C. Handy rather than plagiarised by him. The title refers to Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee.
3) Wolverine Blues, written by Jelly Roll Morton and included in the 2005 Complete Library of Congress Recordings of his work.
As we left we heard one woman say to another "that was the best band yet", with which we certainly agree.
Friday, July 3, 2010
The Elephant & Castle, West Moors
This evening we visited our local pub, the Elephant and Castle, for live music; a singer-guitarist. We led the dancing (again) with Selina showing off her new hair style and her shortest dress, not pictured here as this is not primarily an 'adult' site. She might wear it again on Monday; is the Bournemouth Jazz Club ready for it ?
A young man, previously unknown to us, asked her to dance and proceeded to hold her VERY close. Her told her that he did not have a woman of his own. Does it follow that he has to share mine ?
Toni, who was our favourite member of staff until she left, returned as a customer, looking great. We had a chat and a hug; more of that please Toni !
Thursday, June 17, 2010
John Shillito's Select Six at the Verwood Jazz Club
This evening we saw John Shillito's Select Six at the Verwood Jazz Club, Located at the Crane Valley Golf Club on the road out of Verwood towards Cranborne. The band (pictured) comprised John Shillito (trumpet, Vocals), Bobby Fox (trombone), John Wurr (clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax), John Whitlock (guitar, banjo), Bob Jarvis (bass guitar) and Derek Maughan (drums). This was the first time we have seen this fine band, although we saw John Whitlock this month with the Dart Valley Stompers and we vaguely remember seeing John Shillito in the 1960s, possibly at the Thames Hotel at Hampton Court. They played a wide range of numbers from Jelly Roll Morton to Sonny Rollins, of which three of our favourites (all links to tonight's band) were:
1) Choo Choo Ch'boogie, written by Denver Darling, Vaughn Horton and Milt Gabler. It was first recorded in January 1946 by Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five.
2) John Wurr's feature Poor Butterfly, written by Raymond Hubbell with lyrics by John Golden and published in 1916. It was introduced in 'The Big Show' on Broadway, where it was sung by Sophie Bernard.
3) Last Chance to Dance, about which I know nothing.
We danced on the small polished wood dance floor at the far end of the room from the band and were amazed at the superb acoustics.
Attendance was poor on this lovely calm warm evening, which is a great pity. The absentees missed a treat.
We sat with a couple who were on the cruise at which Dave Hewett performed. They loved his trombone style and commented on how attractive his wife Sylvia is.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Millennium Eagle Band at the Bournemouth Jazz Club
This evening, for the first time, we saw the Millennium Eagle Jazz Band playing at the Bournemouth Trad Jazz Club in the Durley Dean Hotel. The band comprises Peter Brown (trumpet, vocals), Matt Palmer (clarinet, alto sax, soprano sax, vocals), Andy Holdorf (trombone, vocals), Chris Etherington (banjo, vocals), Brian Lawrence (double bass) and Jack Cotterill (drums). Here are a few examples from YouTube, all of which were played this evening:
1) My request Indian Summer, originally written as a piano piece by the prolific composer Victor Herbert.
2) Black Bottom Stomp, composed by Jelly Roll Morton in 1925 and originally entitled 'Queen of Spades'.
3) Whistling Rufus, written by Kerry Mills in 1899.
Chris Etherington sold us a CD of the band and invited requests. It took 3 tries to find something the band would agree to play but at least the result was probably the best of the evening. Chris approved of all our choices.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Cuff Billet's New Europa Jazz Band at the Verwood Jazz Club
This evening, for the first time, we saw Cuff Billett's New Europa Jazz band at the Verwood Jazz Club, Located at the Crane Valley Golf Club on the road out of Verwood towards Cranborne. The band (pictured) comprised Cuff Billett (Conn Victor cornet, Vocals), John Wiseman (trombone), Loz Garfield (clarinet, tenor sax, vocals), Chris Tilley (banjo), Cliff Harper (double bass) and Pete Jackman (drums). They played no less than 28 numbers, of which our favourites were:
1) New Orleans Hop Scop Blues, written by George Washington Thomas Jr. and published in 1916. It is claimed to be the first twelve-bar blues to be written with a boogie-woogie bass line. It is sung on this link by Bessie Smith.
2) I Lost My Gal From Memphis, written by Tobias ? and De Rose Presumably Peter of Deep Purple fame. The link is to Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy.
3) Savoy Blues, composed by Kid Ory and played by him on this link.
Selina was invited to draw one of the raffle tickets and drew one of ours. We chose a Tommy Dorsey CD as our prize.
This is a good jazz venue. Pity it is only once per month.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
The Purbeck Big Band
This evening we went to the Memorial Hall in our Dorset home of West Moors for the first time to see The Purbeck Big Band (pictured). The band, which has been performing for 40 years, comprises four saxophones, four trumpets, three trombones, piano, guitar, double bass and drums plus young male and female vocalists. We were particularly impressed with John Costello on tenor sax. Our favourite numbers were:
1) Autumn Leaves, composed by Joseph Kosma with English words by Johnny Mercer and played on this link by guitarist Manuel Granada.
2) Jumping at the Woodside, composed by Count Basie. The link is to the Count Basie band.
3) St Louis Blues March, played on this link by the Glenn Miler Orchestra.
4) Tanya Lonergan's vocal Cry Me a River, written by Arthur Hamilton and first published in 1953. The song's first release and most famous recording was by actress/singer Julie London in 1955. A sultry performance of the song by London in the 1956 film The Girl Can't Help It helped to make it a million-selling blockbuster. The link is to the relevant scene from the film.
5) Midnight In Moscow, originally created as "Leningradskie Vechera" ("Leningrad Nights") by composer Vasily Solovyov-Sedoy and poet Mikhail Matusovsky in 1955. It was jazzed up as Midnight In Moscow by Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen as on this link.
6) Sing, Sing, Sing, composed by Louis Prima in 1935 and most famously played by the Benny Goodman Orchestra, particularly in the 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert as featured on this link. Note the very original Jess Stacey piano section in the middle.
We were delighted that our first visit to our local village hall went so well. We are sure to return.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Last Night at the G & D
This evening we went to the George & Dragon in Thames Ditton to see the John Barnes quartet (pictured), comprising John Barnes (baritone sax, alto sax, clarinet), Alan Dandy (keyboard), Mick Durell (bass guitar) and Don Cook (drums). The one guest was John Lang (trombone). Our favourite numbers were:
1) Open Country, composed by Bob Brookmeyer. The link is to BBS Kobe University jazz music club graduation concert.
2) Skylark, composed by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The link is to Aylon Samouha playing solo fingerstyle guitar.
3) Alan and Mick's duet, Triste,composed by Antonis Carlos (Tom) Jobim and played on this link by Dmitri Koval, Jon Coleman, and Dave O'Brien.
We announced that this was our last night at the G & D due to move to Dorset. The band had been expecting this but not all of the audience. Shirley, who we have been seeing at various jazz gigs for years was very surprised.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Magna Jazz (last time for us)
This evening, for the last time due to move to Dorset we saw Brian White's Magna jazz band (pictured) at The Manor in Old Malden.
The line-up was the now standard one, Ken Reece playing an old short cornet and a newer longer one. Our favourite numbers were:
1) My request, a number that Brian dislikes, for no good reason, Close Your Eyes, composed in 1933 by Bernice Petkere and sung superbly on this link by Doris Day.
2) I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling, music by Fats Waller and Harry Link and lyrics by Billy Rose, published in 1929. It is played on this link by Fats as the first part of a medley.
3) Alan Dandy's solo feature, the recently popular Shreveport Stomp, composed by Jelly Roll Morton and played on this link by his Red Hot Peppers.
All the band and many of the audience said goodbye to us at the end, several saying it won't be the same without us. It was quite touching.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Showaddywaddy
This evening we went to the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne (pictured badly) to see Showaddywaddy. At least two of the band were from the original 1973 line-up; Dave Bartram (vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboard) and Romeo Challenger (drums). Pictures all seem to carry a copyright warning. It was a great evening combining covers of 1950s rock numbers with the band's own hits from the seventies.
Our favourites were:
1. Blue Moon words and music by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934 but the link is to the 1961 hit version by the Marcels that Showaddywaddy cover.
2. Whole Lotta Woman, words and music by Marvin Rainwater, who performs it on this link.
3. Summertime Blues, written in the late 1950s by Eddie Cochran and his manager Jerry Capehart. Eddie performs it on this link.
4. Pretty Little Angel Eyes, written by Curtis Lee and performed on this link by Showaddywaddy in 1978.
5. Under The Moon Of Love, again written by Curtis Lee and performed on this link by Showaddywaddy in 1976.
Dave Bartram really works the audience, calling for participation, inviting questions and strolling down the aisles shaking and kissing hands.
We had a double seat in the balcony, like a small sofa, encouraging lots of kissing and cuddling.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Magna Jazz at the Manor in Old Malden
This evening we saw Brian White's Magna jazz band at The Manor in Old Malden (pictured).
Selina, in white teenage-style mini-skirt, received a warm welcome from four lads young enough to be her grand children. They obviously appreciated her loveliness; one was hanging out horizontally from the doorway, hanging on by one hand.
Our favourite numbers were as follows:
1. Creole Love Call, most associated with the Duke Ellington band. Ellington first recorded it in 1927 and was issued a copyright for it as composer the following year. However the main melody appears earlier in the Joe "King" Oliver composition "Camp Meeting Blues" which Oliver recorded with his Creole Jazz Band in 1923. Apparently Ellington reedman Rudy Jackson had presented the melody to Ellington claiming it was his own composition. The link is to a fine recording by Andor's Jazz band in 2006.
2. There'll be Some Changes Made, written by Benton Overstreet with lyrics by Billy Higgins. This link is to the Chicago Rhythm Kings but I prefer the 1950s Dutch Swing College version with its slow introduction.
3. Goose Pimples, written by Henderson and Trent. This link just has to be to the Bix Beiderbecke version.
4. Alan Dandy's solo feature Lady be Good From the 1924 show 'Lady Be Good' by George and Ira Gershwin. The link is to a wonderful version by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli.
During the interval we heard the sad news that Brian Hicks had died. He was always so kind to us, cooking us dinner, inviting us to his birthday parties, taking us to Guildford clubs and introducing us to the Musical Museum. Classic Brian was when he once arrived at the Cricketers in Horsell with a bag full of examples of his hobby, 'adult' photography. We were at a table full of men but Brian handed the bag to Selina. The men all watched her flick through the pics, wondering what she would say. She finished, passed them to the man on her left and uttered the unforgettable "I've got a better body than her !"
Monday, March 22, 2010
Road fuel prices
We have a surge of e-mail messages asking for support for action against rising fuel prices. I would just like to say that low prices have restricted surveying for new sources of crude oil. The fleets of seismic survey vessels have been idle at the dock side, wasting millions of pounds. This is not good for the world's future. We are now seeing some activity from our position as suppliers to that business.
Also many rural petrol stations are closing because the profit margins are so low. This is a problem for those people in the most need, those for whom there is no alternative form of transport.
Conversely, the high tax on road fuel is dragging our economy down. I believe the government should compensate by ending the wasteful, inefficient, ineffective, vehicle excise duty.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Jazz at the G & D
This evening we went to the George & Dragon in Thames Ditton to see the John Barnes quartet, comprising John Barnes (baritone sax, alto sax, clarinet), Alan Dandy (keyboard), Mick Durell (bass guitar) and Don Cook (drums). The only guest was John Lang (trombone). Our favourite numbers were:
1) Secret Love, composed in 1953 by Sammy Fain with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster for the musical 'Calamity Jane', where it was sung by Doris Day. The link is to the later Kathy Kirby hit.
2) Alan Dandy's first solo feature Autumn Leaves, composed by Joseph Kosma with English words by Johnny Mercer and played on this link by guitarist Manuel Granada. Alan wove in some Chopin and a snatch of 'Suicide is Painless', the M.A.S.H theme
3) John's vocal You're a Sweetheart, from the 1937 musical of that name, where it was sung by Alica Faye as on this link. The composer was Jimmy McHugh.
4) Alan Dandy's second solo feature, Stratford Hunch AKA Chicago Breakdown, composed by Jelly Roll Morton. The link is to a Louis Armstrong. recording.
Two well-endowed young blonde women sat alongside us at the beginning of the evening. One complimented Selina on her legs and figure, shown off by a white teenage-style mini-skirt. She then asked Selina's age, a request that was refused. After some thought she estimated 48; the greatest compliment of all time !
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Joscho Stephan Trio at the Forest Arts Centre
This evening we visited the Forest Arts Centre in Old Milton, Hampshire, for 'Gypsy Swing' by the Joscho Stephan Trio. This fine trio comprises Joscho (lead guitar), his father Günter (rhythm guitar) and Max Schaaf (double bass). Joscho is a wonderful guitarist, playing mostly in the Django Reinhardt style but with some Chet Atkins finger style thrown in when it suits. Every number was great so we will just provide a few examples, with links to performances on YouTube.
1) Django's Tiger, composed by Django Reinhardt.
2) Mr Sandman, written by Pat Ballard in 1954 and first recorded in that year by The Chordettes.
3) Rondo Alla Turka, from the third movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K 331.
4) Bossa Dorado, composed by Dorado Schmitt.
Anyone who likes jazz guitar should get along to see these guys; they are just brilliant !
Friday, March 05, 2010
Mike Piggott Trio at the Verwood Hub
This evening we saw the Mike Piggott trio with Nils Solberg and Peter Morgan, at The Hub in Verwood, Dorset. Once again this group provided fine swinging jazz with every number enjoyable and played differently from the average performance. Our favourites were:
1. Nuages, composed by Django Reinhardt, who plays it on this link.
2. Exactly Like You, composed in 1930 by Jimmy McHugh with lyrics by Dorothy Fields and performed on this link by Stephane Grapelli and Django Reinhardt. Mike played it in the style of Joe Venuti with a section using all four strings on the violin simultaneously.
3. Peter's feature with Nils A Tisket A Tasket, composed in 1938 by Al Feldman and Ella Fitzgerald and performed on this link by the Oscar Peterson quartet. Peter played it in the style of Slam Stewart with bowing and humming.
4. Mike's Strohviolin feature A Kiss To Build A Dream On, composed by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby and Oscar Hammerstein II in 1935 and performed on this link by Louis Armstrong.
The musicians recognised us as soon as we entered the room and gave us a warm welcome. The 'Hub' was a new experience for them and us; we liked the table arrangement and the food & drink. The audience seemed rather abstemious with no rush for the bar during the interval. Not what we are used to !
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Buddy Holly tribute at Ferndown
This evening we went to the The Barrington Centre in Ferndown to see Marc Robinson and the Counterfeit Crickets. Marc looks and sounds like Buddy with ace lead guitarist Adrian playing the original backings brilliantly. There was also a Billy Fury tribute singer.
It is hard to pick favourite numbers as they were all equally good. The one that I am still humming is Blue Days, Black Nights, Buddy's first published recording. We have it on a cassette tape of early recordings that I bought in Phoenix, Arizona and played over and over all the way to the Grand Canyon and Back.
If Marc or any of the band should read this, why not perform:
Listen to Me
Midnight Shift
and
Words of Love.
Saturday, February 06, 2010
The Lonnie Donegan Band with Peter Donegan
This evening we went to the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne to see Peter Donegan performing with the Lonnie Donegan Band, comprising Paul Henry (Lead Guitar), Chris Hunt (Drums), Sticky Wicket (Percussion) and Eddie Masters (Bass). Peter sang and played keyboard, Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Harmonica and Mandolin. It was a great evening combining old 1950s skiffle numbers with Peter's own compositions.
My favourite was the blues number Rocks in my Bed perfomed on this link by Lonnie Johnson. Paul Henry played superbly in a more modern blues style, drawing applause from the audience.
Selina preferred Mule Skinner Blues, the link being to an early Lonnie Donegan version with Denny Wright on guitar.
The Tivoli is a beautiful old theatre from 1936, lovingly restored after being closed for many years. Tonight's audience were almost entirely of an age for whom the 1950s were full of great musical memories. They sang along whenever invited, requested numbers (unsuccessfully) and one even asked Peter to confirm that his guitar was a Martin.
We will surely visit the Tivoli again; but will we get another opportunity to see the Lonnie Donegan Band ?
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Magna Jazz Band, Chez Chesterman and Carol
This evening, as usual for a Thursday, we went to the Berrylands Hotel in Surbiton, to see Brian White's Magna jazz band. Chez Chesterman replaced Pete Towndrow on Cornet, the remainder of the band being standard. The picture shows Chez with his new girlfriend, Carol White, surely not the daughter Brian never knew he had ? In addition to her pretty face, Carol is friendly and outgoing. She is a fine testament to the results of internet dating, enjoying the evening immensely and expressing great interest in my note-taking for this weblog.
Our favourite numbers were as follows:
1. Chez's great blues vocal 2:19 Blues AKA Mamie's Blues, listed as 'traditional' but claimed by Jelly Roll Morton. The link is to the version by Mamie Desoume, with an unmistakable Sidney Bechet in the background.
2. Alan Dandy's fine keyboard feature Relaxin' at the Touro, the theme tune of Muggsy Spanier and His Ragtime Band (as on this link), named for Touro Infirmary, the New Orleans hospital where Muggsy had been treated for a perforated ulcer early in 1938. He had been at the point of death when he was saved by one Dr. Alton Ochsner who drained the fluid and eased Muggsy's weakened breathing.
4. Chez's other vocal Lonesome Blues, a number about which I know nothing. The link is to a Louis Armstrong version.
Selina and I have won the raffle between us for the last two jazz nights at the Berrylands. The club was packed tonight so we did not expect to win for the third time against so much competition. Surprisingly, I had the first winning number so had the choice of prize. I took the Ma Rainey CD, coveted by Chez.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Ampair A6000 in real wind at Boost Energy
The new Ampair A6000 wind turbine today experienced real wind at Boost Energy's Park Farm premises. Although the system has not yet been programmed for maximum power, we recorded over 6 kW fed into the grid.
Selina and I spent most of the day monitoring performance in the flat that is fed by the A6000 (top floor of house in picture). While the grid-tie inverter logged many parameters automatically, we made manual independent checks of RPM and inverter input Voltage.
It was a long hard day but seeing 6kW made it all worth while.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Parcel Force again
The latest effort from Parcel Force. They delivered two pieces of prototype machined casting to the wrong address, albeit in the same lane so with the same post code. After some detective work I found the goods; damaged. This must have involved dropping on concrete from some height.
I have e-mailed Peter Mandelson and Pat McFadden as follows:
Having just suffered yet another disastrous delivery via Parcel Force, might I suggest a plan that meets the need for private investment in the postal system without enraging MPs and the public.
Sell Parcel Force to the private sector and retain the rest of Royal Mail in public ownership.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Northern Ireland
We heard on the radio a man from Northern Ireland extolling the virtues of mixed denominational schools, still a small minority there. He also mentioned that marriage between Catholic and non-Catholic is still called a mixed marriage. I really despair about the Northern Irish; have they learned nothing from their decades of troubles. I also despair about Christians, and members of certain other religions, who feel that division between sects within that religion, is more important than unity.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Top Gear repeats
People ask us what do we do when we are at home Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. Selina's friends were horrified to hear we watch Top Gear repeats on the Dave channel. Our favourite episodes are those where caravans are destroyed, e.g. by dropping from a great height or by fire (see picture). Yes, we know these are stunts but who ever thought Top Gear was anything but lots of fun.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Les Paul and Mary Ford
After twice watching the television programme celebrating Les Paul's 90th birthday (he is now 92) we searched the HMV site and bought the Very Best Of Les Paul & Mary Ford.
It has now arrived and is delightful. It includes Mary singing, in her beautiful voice, tracks such as:
'How High The Moon', by Morgan Lewis with lyrics by Nancy Hamilton and first featured in the 1940 Broadway revue Two for the Show;
'The World is Waiting For the Sunrise', by Ernest Seitz (pseudonym Raymond Roberts) with lyrics by Gene Lockhart and first published in 1919;
'Vaya Con Dios', by Larry Russell, Inez James, and Buddy Pepper, and published in 1953.
The wonderful Les Paul instrumentals include:
'Little Rock Get Away', by Joe Sullivan with lyrics by Carl Sigman (1938);
'Mammy's Boogie', a Paul original boogie-woogie guitar version of 'Mammy's Little Baby Loves Shortening Bread' originally written by James Whitcomb Riley in 1900;
'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles', Jaan Kenbrovin (James Kendis, James Brockman and Nat Vincent) with lyrics by John William Kellette (1919) and now the West Ham football anthem, originally referring to Billy J. 'Bubbles' Murray who played for the local Park School and resembled the boy in the famous Bubbles painting by Millais used in a Pears soap commercial of the time.
Browse the Very Best Of Les Paul & Mary Ford for a listing of all 25 tracks.
Pop music from the 1950's is still alive and well. Don't expect the same to be said of today's pop music in 50 years time.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Our Views on 'mobs'; The Cricketers, Surbiton Station, etc.
Following my post 'Is This Goodbye to The Cricketers' in Horsell Birch I have received two e-mail messages from other customers of this pub. One was very supportive of our firm stand against a venue that gives priority to a large noisy party over its regular Monday jazz fans. The other says that we are wrong and should apologise to the staff.
Let us state our position beyond any misunderstanding:
1) Making excessive noise while musicians are performing is insulting to them and is hurtful to those who wish to listen.
2) Those who do it are selfish, thoughtless, people who care nothing for others; they share this characteristic with burglars, thieves, drug addicts, hooligans, etc. who care nothing for the affect of their actions.
3) Large parties and other large groups (e.g. Surbiton commuters) automatically become a mob with the above characteristics so they should be isolated from other people.
4) If a business does not accept the above responsibility because of the nature of its premises and/or because it wants the instant surge of income, then that is its right.
5) Equally, it is our right to withdraw our custom from that business, be it a pub, a railway station or anywhere else; we offer no apology for this and will continue such action whenever appropriate, publicising it as widely as possible.
6) We do not accept Christmas, Birthday, large family or rush-hour as excuses for mob behaviour.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Surbiton Railway Station
I have just noticed, somewhat belatedly, that Surbiton scooped the title of Rail Station of the Year at the 2005 London Transport Awards. The Royal Borough of Kingston and South West Trains were presented the award in recognition of a programme of improvements carried out at Surbiton Station during 2004 to enhance accessibility for cyclists and pedestrians.
There was a period when I used Surbiton Station for trips to London. I had to stop because I could not stand the selfish mob behaviour from the regulars. The stairs were divided in two with a narrow section reserved for those coming down to catch the train when the majority were those leaving the train. Having most of the stairs available was not enough for the mob; they had to use it all, risking injury to any frail person coming down. I just cannot understand the minds of such people. Were they human beings once but lost all humanity through commuting to London by rail every day ? I tried battering them with my brief case as I came down but I was so heavily outnumbered that mob rule won and I just gave up on Surbiton for rail travel.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Road vs Rail
We have been reading messages from those who extol the virtues of rail travel in place of the motor car. Clearly to use the car is grossly irresponsible of us so we should research other options. Firstly, let us be clear that working from home is best and this should be encouraged with local telecottages. However, it is not always possible to work like this, particularly those of us who work with heavy equipment.
Our 21 mile journey to Park Farm by car most weekdays takes an average 40 minutes in a car that averages 46 miles per gallon. There are no traffic jams. We carry a desktop computer in the car on Monday and Friday. To get there by public transport we will:
Buy a laptop computer (even though we don't need any more computers)
Wait at local the bus stop in all weathers for a bus that might be late or not arrive
Take the bus to the rail station on the other side of Guildford
Take the train to Wokingham
Then train or bus from Wokingham to Bracknell
Finally a brisk, healthy, 20-30 minute walk from Bracknell station to Park Farm in all weathers.
I estimate 2-3 hours so 4-6 hours of each day would be spent travelling, an increase of between 2 hours 40 minutes and 4 hours 40 minutes. Clearly the best use of time and energy. We should be fit and ready for a hard days work after this journey.
We go out at least 3 nights a week to pubs with live jazz. Berrylands Hotel is next to Berrylands railway station so let us start there. Only the slow trains to Hampton Court stop there, not the Guildford trains, but we must not be discouraged. Neither must we be put off by the difficulty of returning from Guildford station, 3 miles away, after the buses have ceased to run. A taxi is a car so that is out; we will just have to walk.
Selina, my wife, likes to get out of her unfeminine work gear when we go out and show off her fabulous legs in mini-skirts and high heels. We have to think of a way of avoiding hypothermia on the exposed high-level platform at Berrylands Station. The jazz club has no facilities for hanging outdoor clothes but perhaps we could pile them in the corner with the instrument cases. There are no changing facilities but I am sure the randy old men won't mind Selina changing in front of them.
Having succeeded with the Berrylands we must consider the Europa and the George and Dragon. By an amazing coincidence the nearest stations are also on the Hampton Court line so we will become accustomed to travelling up to Waterloo from Guildford than back to the venue. We will also be accustomed to the 3 mile walk back home so the 2 mile walk to the Europa from Hampton Court station will seem easy.
Obviously we will need to leave work early to allow for the extra evening travel time. We also have to manage with less sleep after arriving home so late. Oh, I forgot; we will be taking 4-6 hours to travel to work and back on public transport. We will have to be absent from work on jazz days. Perhaps we could work on Saturday and Sunday to make up the lost time. Oh dear, Sunday is a Jazz night; there are not enough days in the week.
Happy New Year to the rabid train fanatics.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Aldi demolished our pub
German discount supermarket chain Aldi has now demolished the 'Green Man', a public house since the 16th Century and possibly before, in Burpham, Guildford, where we live. For many months the old pub has been left in an unsightly state, with no roof tiles, presumably to wear down local resistance. We appeal to all Burpham residents to oppose any planning application from this evil company and to make it clear that we will never spend money in any Aldi retail outlet, anywhere, ever. We are British and will never surrender to German efforts to destroy our culture and take money from us in return.
Another aspect is the effect another supermarket would have on the local environment. The 'Green Man' roundabout cannot cope with existing traffic levels; just imagine the impact of all the shoppers driving to and from that very spot. If plans for flats above the shop were to be approved then we would have even more traffic plus the problem of resident and visitor parking. Aldi is not wanted here.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Goodbye to the Cricketers ?
For the last few years we have been eating, drinking and enjoying jazz at The Cricketers in Horsell Birch almost every Monday evening. We spend about 2000-2500 pounds per year and we attract others to join us at our table, two of whom now eat there regularly. Yesterday evening was ruined by an excessively large party making the inevitable deafening noise, with no care for other customers or for the musicians. We cancelled the table for next week because it is clear the same will happen again and that its regulars are not the priority customers for this pub.
The pub manager's business plan (if there is one) is deeply flawed. He can fill the side area every Monday with jazz fans so it is counter-productive to put large one-off parties there. He has the front area and the snug empty on Mondays so that is where the extra customers should be seated. If he has to split them between tables then that is all to the good, as the two end groups on a long table cannot communicate and it is very difficult for the middle back customers to get up to relieve themselves.
The band was the 'Famous Four' comprising Chris Lowe (trombone), Richard White (bass sax), Martin Wheatley (acoustic guitar) and, new to us, young Ben Cummings (trumpet, vocal). We would have liked to hear Ben from our table as he sounded good when we danced close to the band.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Personal involvement in a company
Today I was accused of being unable to separate my role as Director and Company Secretary from my personal involvement in the Company. These are the words of somebody who previously always worked for the tiny majority; the large corporations.
It occurs to me that personal involvement is what makes it good to work with or for the vast majority of companies, i.e. the small ones. Directors with no personal involvement are those that cream off huge salaries and bonuses regardless of company performance. They care only about their own wealth and care nothing for their employees, suppliers or even for their shareholders.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Windsor for Selina's birthday
To celebrate Selina's birthday today (I am not allowed to say which one) we went to Windsor for much of the day. This involved kissing and cuddling in every place we visited; so I too enjoyed her birthday. We had lunch in 'The Crooked House', then toured Windsor Castle, as pictured. We spent the rest of the afternoon in shops, coffee bars and a pub before having dinner at a new Chinese Restaurant, two doors away from the Royal Theatre. 13.50 pounds buys as much as you can eat, far more than we wanted. The alcohol license was still to be granted so we were each given a free glass of wine.
At the theatre we saw the Agatha Christie play 'And Then There Were None', advertised as following closely the original novel. It was certainly gripping, with a typically devious plot.
One warning to visitors to Windsor: DO NOT use the car park immediately behind the theatre or any other privately owned car park. They use a clamping company but do not pay them. Result is over-enthusiastic clamping to make as much money as possible, see Windsor forum. We actually witnessed this happening.
Ideally we, the car-driving electoral majority, should have our own political party, pledged to re-introduce hanging, drawing and quartering for clamper scum, thus discouraging any others. As this will not happen, the only alternative is to starve the private car parks of funds by NEVER EVER using them. If the local authority car parks are all full, PLEASE DRIVE AWAY from Windsor and post to the forum explaining why you spent no money in the town.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Selina's advice to young men contemplating marriage
I am a very lucky man, still very happily married after 42 years (see picture). Many men tell me how lucky I am to have such a lovely wife. I have just asked Selina what advice she would give to a young man contemplating marriage. Her answer was "Don't do it !"
Let me expand on this by saying that, in the likely event of marital breakdown, the odds are now so stacked against the husband that he will always emerge the loser. Even a pre-nuptial agreement appears to mean little in the UK. The politicians have gone so far to seek the female vote that the law discourages men from marriage. I have said in a previous post that the law also discourages the employment of women of child-bearing age. All this bias in favour of women is self-defeating.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Size of UK Enterprises
Some people seem unable to accept that, to first second or third approximation, all UK enterprises are small. From the official statistics; distribution of enterprises by employment size band shows that 89.0 % had less than 10 employees, and 98.1 % had less than 50 employees. So-called large enterprises - those with 250 or more employees - accounted for only 0.4 %.
I cannot find a statistic for the number of really large organisations but even the FTSE 250 includes many that are not huge. I conclude that there are a few hundred at most, compared with millions of businesses in total (7 million ?). The percentage is therefore around 0.003 %
This disparity will increase as large companies shrink or disappear and many more small enterprises start up.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Grumpy Old Misogynist
I have always been against misogynists, having argued strongly that women should be given the opportunity to undertake any job and rejoicing in the appointment of female airline pilots, etc.
Experiences this week are driving me towards the woman-hating camp.
When I tell a woman that an ex-wife who denies an ex-husband access to his child is evil, I expect some measure of agreement. Instead I get irrelevant arguments that men are evil in different ways.
When I say that the laws on maternity leave are making it too risky for small businesses (i.e. the vast majority) to employ women of child-bearing age except through agencies, I expect some sympathy for that view. I do not get it.
Must I conclude that women in general (and this does not include Selina) believe that they can inflict extreme cruelty just because they are vindictive or ruin a business just because they are selfish ?
Monday, May 05, 2008
Redwing at the Cricks
This evening, unusually, we went direct from home to The Cricketers in Horsell Birch. The band was the Redwing, comprising Kevin Scott (leader, banjo, vocals), Bernard Stutt (clarinet), Roy Stokes (trombone, vocal), Roger Sills (Sousaphone) and John Hall (drums). This is a real trad band with a large dose of humour. All the numbers were from the New Orleans period, e.g. 'Flatfoot', 'Gatemouth', etc. or from the Dixieland era, e.g. 'At The Jazz Band Ball', 'Davenport Blues', etc.
We danced to several numbers, including 'Riverside Blues' and 'Careless Love'.
Our favourite vocal was Roy Stokes' 'All of Me' and our favourite instrumental was Bernard's feature 'In The Upper Garden', which was totally new to us.
Funniest moment was when, during 'Big Butter and Egg Man' Kevin sang 'Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Mr Aldi, if you Think Old England's Done'. He obviously reads this weblog. Kevin asked Mary Stokes to take this picture of us.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Files of the Inquisition
Unusually this week we have watched television 3 nights in succession; the programme, on the UK TV History channel, was called 'Files of the Inquisition'. It is amazing to think that this abomination continued from 1233 to 1834. Even more amazing is that modern catholics show no shame or remorse. I realise that they were brainwashed as children but, in later life, do they never consider that they might belong to an evil institution ?
Monday, April 21, 2008
Panama Cafe Orchestra with John Lawes
This evening we saw the Panama Cafe Orchestra at the Cricketers in Horsell Birch, Woking. The band comprised Dave Lowe (cornet, vocals), Richard White (washboard, cymbal, vocals), Chris Lowe (trombone), John Lawes (clarinet, vocals), Chris Houslander (sousaphone) and Dave Griffiths (banjo).
The pictures show the full band and Dave Griffiths wearing his latest beauty aid, flanked by the great John Lawes and our friend Tony in the forground. Our favourite numbers were:
Hoagy Carmichael's 'New Orleans';
Bix Beiderbecke's 'Davenport Blues';
Jelly Roll Morton's 'Kansas City Stomp';
'Washboard Wiggle';
Kid Ory's 'Savoy Blues';
and, best of all, John's vocal 'Sugar', which he sang looking at Selina (my sugar) as we danced.
At our table were; Alan 'Mr Sherry' Roper (who sounds just like my mother, describing Indian and Chinese food as 'foreign muck'), Brian Hicks (planning to pay a jazz band to perform for him yet refusing to pay entrance fees to gigs) and Rustom Patel (getting ready to display his classic Rolls and Fire Engine at various shows).
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Aldi; not wanted here, go back to Germany
German discount supermarket chain Aldi has now had the roof tiles removed from the 'Green Man', a public house since the 16th Century and possibly before, in Burpham, Guildford, where we live. For many months the old pub has been boarded up in an unsightly fashion, presumably to wear down local resistance. Now they are pushing us further by making the building look even worse. Let me tell you again you evil Aldi Germans and your equally evil British quislings that the people of Burpham hate you !
This is a marginal political area so expect no support from local politicians.
To the staff of Aldi, I point out that you are working for an evil German Company and should be ashamed. To existing Aldi customers, I ask you to consider the alternatives for your shopping rather than provide income for such a rotten German organisation.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Parcel force
I have often moaned about transport companies on this weblog but now Parcel Force has proved worse than even my expectations:
1) delivery took far too long
2) an attempt was made to collect import VAT from our customer, despite the fact that I had already paid by credit card
3) the relevant depot refuses to provide any receipt for this payment
4) I can only get a breakdown into VAT and other charges verbally over the telephone, no documentation is available.
The award pictured would appear to be worthless.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Brian Hicks' 70th with Rance's Rocking Chair Band
On Saturday evening we went to Brian's 70th birthday party at Guildfords 'Aggi' club. We presented him with an appropriate card, depicting his old pastime of drumming and his present passion of photography. It was called 'Drummers Get All The Luck' and showed drumming on a naked woman's body. We thank trombonist Dave Hewett for producing the card.
Brian had hired Rance's Rocking Chair Band, led by Dave Rance (cornet, mellophone and vocals). The picture is from an earlier appearance at the Cricks. This band is well worth seeing for its mix of humour and steady flow of jazz, hardly pausing to draw breath. The line-up is unusual in having both guitar and banjo playing together. Both musicians played guitar for a beautiful rendering of 'I Can't get Started'. Our other favourite was 'Big Noise From Winnetka' featuring some fine string bass playing.
Thanks Brian for a great evening.
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Gatsby Jazz Band at the Wych Elm
On Saturday evening we went to The Wych Elm in Elm Road, Kingston Upon Thames, for the monthly performance by the Gatsby Jazz Band. Mike Adamson was back as full-time leader and banjo player with the standard musicians forming the rest of the band. Our favourite numbers were 'Breeze', sung by trombonist Bob Dwyer, and one of the band's regulars;'King of the Swingers', with trumpeter Alan Jenkins singing in fine Louis Prima voice.
The pub was quiet at first and even at peak there was room for dancing; not just us this time. Mike commented that he likes to see the bottoms wobbling.
Selina was called 'leggy girl' by another woman (Joyce); the picture shows why !
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Al Fresco Indoor 4 with Eileen Ford
On Saturday Evening we went, for the first time, to the Rutland Sports and Social Club, the home of jazz in Catford since the demise of the Rutland Arms. The band was the Al Fresco Indoor 4 with Eileen Ford, nearly all new to us. The musicians were Eileen Ford (vocals), Ernie Reid (cornet, clarinet), Steve Howlett (clarinet, alto sax), Nick Singer (G banjo, tenor banjo, guitar) and Paul Busby (sousaphone). We enjoyed Eileen's singing so much that we bought her CD, which includes her fine version of 'Hold Me' as performed yesterday. I only wish it included her equally fine 'Blue Moon'. Unlike some bad-tempered female jazz singers she seems a genuinely friendly person, sitting with us briefly during the interval. The rest of the band provided good support plus instrumental numbers and individual vocals from Ernie, Steve and Nick, who plays an interesting-looking Django Reinhart style guitar. We saw him once at the Rutland Arms last summer (2006).
The only other person we recognised from the Rutland Arms was Richard, who once danced with Selina there. Last night he only danced with Eileen !
Monday, April 02, 2007
Urban Gin House with Ivor Elliott and Leslie Dyos
On Sunday evening we went to The Europa in East Molesey to see the Urban Gin House jazz band. This time it was a sextet comprising Alan Brock (trumpet), Ivor Elliott (Tenor Sax, pictured), Leslie Dyos (trombone), Andrew Clancy (keyboard), Mike Bennett (string bass) and Eddie Kettle (drums). The guests from the audience were too numerous to mention. Colin Lewry (keyboard) played during the breaks. Our favourite numbers were 'Blue and Sentimental', 'Bill Coleman's Blues' and 'Lover Come Back to Me', all with fine tenor playing by Ivor. We wish he played at the Europa more often as he enhances the band enormously. The way he plays soft and smooth then excitingly jazzy is just magic.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Magna Jazz Band; feauring Pete Towndrow and Alan Dandy
On Thursday evening we went to the Berrylands Hotel in Surbiton to see and hear Brian White's Magna Jazz Band. The band, normal line-up yesterday, is so good that one of the audience comes from Bedford. Brian White suggested that I would know how to spell pedant when I pointed out that they played Hindustan with 3 key changes and not 4 as he had stated. He meant 4 different keys. It reminds me of junior school and all those excercises that show N telegraph poles have N-1 spaces between them.
He did agree that a blues does not have to be 12 bars in structure when they played the 8 bar 'Far Away Blues'. However, our favourites number was Pete Towndrow's cornet feature 'Davenport Blues' with only Alan Dandy in support on keyboard. I have said before that the best Bix Beiderbecke numbers are impossible to play better than the originals but this is not one of Bix's best, at least not on our 3 recordings of it.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Magna Jazz Band with Dick Charlesworth, Dave Hewett and Johnny McCallum
On Thursday evening we went to the Berrylands Hotel in Surbiton, to see and hear The Magna jazz band. The three excellent deputies (pictured) were Dick Charlesworth (clarinet and tenor sax), Dave Hewett (slide trombone and baritone horn) and Johnny McCallum (guitar). In the absence of Brian White, the band was led by Pete Towndrow who not only plays great cornet and trumpet but has a good jazz voice. His vocal on 'Smiles' brought a standing ovation from the audience. Other highlights were 'Some of these days' from Dave, Dick's vocal on 'Save the bones for Henry Jones' and my request for 'Samba de Una Nota So' featuring Pete on cornet with Rex Bennet providing the latin beat on drums. This is the second track from my 1960's Charlie Byrd record for which my request has been granted. The trick is to ask when Pete is in charge.
The other picture is of Sylvia Hewett, a regular reader of this weblog, to show she looks better than she imagines.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Steve Lane's Red Hot Peppers at Catford
On Saturday evening we saw Steve Lane's Red Hot Peppers at The Rutland Arms in Catford, South-east London. The pub is a good jazz venue; comfortable seats, good range of real ales, wine available in 125 ml glasses and a baby grand piano. The musicians I liked best were Peter Bennetto (clarinet, alto sax), Grahame Humphreys (trombone) and Pam Heagren (vocals). Pam sat next to me when not singing so I heard her speaking voice first. Her singing voice came as quite a surprise; deep and rich in true jazz style. My favourite number was 'Streamline Train' a fast blues that could so easily have been in the early repertoire of Elvis Presley in his Sun Records days. Steve Lane is not very good with audio equipment so I had to set up the radio mike for Pam to use. We never discovered how to switch off the 'reverb'.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
The evil of Pay and Display car parks
Over dinner with business associates, the subject of pay and display car parks arose. I stated my belief that they were evil, as nobody can be sure how long they need to park, particularly at a hospital but also for general shopping. The result is accidental overstay and being fined for an accident. Furthermore, paying in advance at a machine that does not take notes or cards and does not give change requires the exact money to already be in one's pocket; impossible to guarantee. The worst example is Swanage, where one needs 2.5 pounds in change every time.
The counter arguments were:
1) Is it not the same everywhere so we just have to accept it.
Ans. No and I don't. There is at least one pay on exit car park in Guildford and weight of public opinion forced the hospital to change too.
2) Pay on exit requires an automatic barrier.
Ans. No problem, they work fine and investment is soon recovered as the car park becomes more popular.
3) Those that live in the town centre want to discourage visitors by all possible means.
Ans. Then the town will die and become a less pleasant place to live.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Gene Vincent and Cliff Gallup
Yesterday we posted a package to a customer with the address 'Be Bop a Lula'. The older members of staff began musing about the probability that this is an ageing fan of Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps. I still have some of their recordings, including the first Race With the Devil, memorable for the highly original guitar playing of Cliff Gallup who inspired the young Jeff Beck. I could never catch the mumbled words on the record but the advent of the WWW reveals all.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Dick Charlesworth, Alan Dandy, Peter Morgan & Don Cook
On Tuesday evening we saw Dick Charlesworth playing clarinet and tenor sax with some vocals at the George & Dragon in Thames Ditton. He was accompanied by three of our favourite jazz musicians; Alan Dandy (keyboard), Peter Morgan (string bass) and Don Cook (drums). Peter and Don indulged in their specialities; Peter bowing and strumming the bass while humming in the Slam Stewart style and Don using the drumsticks on every fixture and fitting in the pub. We sat further back from the band this time reducing the exposure to cigarette smoke. Highlight for me was 'A Hundred years from Today' featuring tenor sax. I reject Dicks' description of it as dreary; it was beautiful !
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Complaint to IEE Engineering Management
As one who was recently involved in the acquisition of another company, with the loss of most of its staff, I take exception to remarks attributed to Alan Fitzgerald in the article 'Cream in the Global Churn' in IEE Engineering Management Magazine December/January 2005/6. New regulations covering information and consultation of employees came into force in April 2005. Under the regulations, employees have a statutory right to information about and consultation on employment developments and substantial changes to the organisation of their work, such as a transfer of ownership. Failure to observe the regulations puts both the buyer and seller at risk of legal action from an employee. In our case, the seller had not informed his employees so we insisted on being indemnified against such an action.
The argument attributed to Fitzgerald is that employees won't work as hard if they know the company is to be sold. This suggests the answer to this problem is to 'tell them as you serve them their redundancy notices'? Does he think that employers have no responsibility to their workers ? Does he think employees work hardest for an employer who cannot be trusted to behave honourably ?
I have asked IEE Engineering Management to print an apology for these remarks as they could encourage IEE members to ignore statutory regulations.
Saturday, April 03, 2004
Nigerian 419 scams
Malcolm Reeves at Full Circuit read my blog about Nigerian scams. He recommends reading Beating 419 scams. His favourites are:
I LIKE TO WORRY SHEEP
and
A STUNT TOO FAR
(starring Klench Mychiques - Stuntman Extraordinaire)
But they are all pretty good.
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
Transport and the Environment
I submitted my views to the IEE consultants' chat line.
The greens and environmentalists want us to give up our cars and nothing else will do. I have news for them; we won't and we are the largest electoral group in the country so governments beware. Those are the facts.
Tinkering with public transport will never solve the problems of crowded roads at rush hours and school times but no passengers for transport to earn money during the rest of the day. The rush hours solution is simple enough; no office worker needs to travel to work every day. They can work at home or in local 'telecottages' where workers from different employers gather together to share equipment, facilities, high speed communications and social exchange. We need a government that is bold enough to 'pump prime' the feeble-brained big employers to accept this, using some strong carrot and stick.
I arranged for an attractive, intelligent, well-spoken woman from DEC to present this case to a Transport 2000 meeting. A row of scruffy men, who seemed to form some sort of environmental weirdo clique, tried to argue that this approach would never work. Eventually one of the speakers on their side of the argument admitted that his London-based company had its typing pool in Northern Ireland and this worked perfectly well. QED.
I wish I had such a solution to the school run :-(
Any ideas on persuading mothers (to do anything) ?
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