Contributed by beezer
This LP filled me with nostalgia for the days before British 'traditional' jazz was murdered by the Top Twenty. Most of the tracks are pretty badly recorded, but then so are the classic King Olivers, Bixes, N.O.R.K.'s and Jelly Roll Mortons of forty years or so ago. Some of the tunes are the old war-horses which have been ridden to death during the past few years, yet in amongst the dross there are some specks of sheer gold. I'm thinking particularly of After Dark, a rich, melancholy blues of great melodic beauty, featuring its composer, John R. T. Davies, on trombone. (He was also the recording engineer.) Mr. Davies now plays trombone, trumpet, alto sax and the part of Sheik Haroun of Wadi el Yadounir with the Temperance Seven; on this disc, recorded for the most part in 1950, he plays guitar on Muddy Old River and American organ on Ja Da, as well as trombone on the remainder of the first side and the opening track of the second. From personal experience I also know that he can play all the reeds, plus banjo, drums and ophicleide. Also involved in this gloriously experimental group, lacking polish but with plenty of feeling, are such latter-day luminaries as Ken Colyer, cornet and vocals (he sounds like the late Jimmie Rodgers on Muddy Old River), and Monty Sunshine. The weird tonecontrast of Colyer's cornet and the American organ on Ja Da recalls Bubber Miley and Arthur Ray in the Texas Blues Destroyers recordings of 1924. Uptown Bump (helped by better recording quality) is just another title for I'm Busy And You Can't Come In. I'd also like to comment on the splendid climax of Do Wha Ory Say, where Colyer and Sonny Morris, both playing comets, produce breaks worthy of the Oliver-Armstrong team. Had the Revivalist Movement continued along the Creative lines promised by such lovely items as After Dark, who knows what might have been achieved?
B.R.
Ken Colyer - trumpet, cornet, guitar, vocals
Sonny Morris - cornet
John R T Davies - trombone, organ, guitar
Monty Sunshine - clarinet
Pat Hawes - piano
Ben Marshall - banjo
Julian Davies - bass
Ron Bowden - drums
01 Muddy Old River
02 Ja-da
03 Lowdown Blues
04 After Dark
05 Just A Little While To Stay Here
06 My Old Kentucky Home
07 Moose March
08 If I Ever Cease To Love
09 Gypsy Lament
10 Winin' Boy Blues
11 Down By The Riverside
12 Eh La Bas!
13 Dauphin Street Blues
14 Just A Closer Walk With Thee
15 Blance Touquatoux
16 Just A Little While To Stay Here (alt)
17 A Miner's Dream Of Home
18 Do What Ory Says
19 Dusty Rag
20 Uptown Bumps
21 Maryland My Maryland
22 Creole Song
Label: Lake LACD182
Recorded: 1950-1952 Cranford Jazz Club and The Cook's Ferry Inn Club London
Many thanks for all the great Brit music you have given us during 2010. Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteBob
Thank you, Bob, for the seasonal greeting. I will take this opportunity to wish all our visitors and contributors "Happy Holiday" too. Not going to make so much of Christmas here though as we have a different celebration coming up shortly - keep an eye open for that!
ReplyDeleteThanks BJ & Beezer ... fan of Colyer's style and on this release I get to hear some tracks I've not heard ... Baron
ReplyDeleteAmazing to hear "The Man" again after so many years.. the man? Why J RT Davies, sadly no longer with us, I am sure most know of his history in the restoration of classic jazz works, many hundreds of re-works are due to the skill and technique of this great engineer/musician. I remember the Temperance Seven well, sessions in Carshalton (SW London) were regular events for me in the early days of live jazz recordings. I remember one such session when J RT caught sight of my home constructed tape recorder, poorly hidden under my seat, thinking I was discovered, making bootleg recordings without permission, I expected to be thrown out, no! after the session J RT came over to me and wanted to see the machine (all transistor, home designed and constructed mechanics and all) Good job I had a screwdriver, the bottom was soon removed so he could inspect the works, I think he was impressed, he never said anything about the recording, which stayed with me for years, until sadly the small 5" reel was damaged in a fire back in the early 1970's.
ReplyDeleteHappy Days, but do you know why the name Wadi el Yadounir was coined? On one occasion he wore a Fez and Bernous while playing an Arab song.
Thanks for sharing your memories, Gonzo - fascinating story. Sounds like shades of Tommy Cooper - the fez! No, I for one had never heard of his pseudonym. The moral - always carry a screwdriver. Major shame about the fire - what a blow.
ReplyDeleteThank you BJ and Beezer. The Cranes introduced me to jazz. Does anyone have the Parlophone and Melodisc sessions recorded while Ken was away? Sadly my 78s are long gone. Also The Christie Brothers, both with Ken and Dickie Hawdon, the latter would be worth hearing again.
ReplyDeleteJazz of this ilk is still fairly sparse here, oldnick, but we do have The Christie Brothers Stompers' Together Again posted and that includes Dickie Hawdon at least.
ReplyDeleteThank you BJ and Beezer for The Crane River Jazz Band. I ventured out to Cranford all those years ago by train and bus to listen to them in their tin shed. They sounded better in the flesh but there again most music does. Is it really 60 years ago? Someone has their foot hard down on the throttle of the time machine. Thanks again.
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