Another 'Lady' from Ted Heath. Everybody wanted to make a jazz version of these songs. Decca even used a very similar cover picture to the one they used for Tony Kinsey's version. Same model, different pose.
Ted Heath - leader
Bobby Pratt - trumpet
Bert Ezzard - trumpet
Duncan Campbell - trumpet
Eddie Blair - trumpet
Don Lusher - trombone
WallSimth - trombone
Jimmy Coombes - trombone
Keith Christie - trombone
Ronnie Chamberlain - soprano, alto, clarinet
Les Gilbert - alto
Red Price - tenor
Henry Mackenzie - tenor, clarinet
Ken Kiddier - baritone
Stan Tracey - vibes, piano
Ike Isaacs - guitar
Johnny Hawksworth - bass
Ronnie Verrell - drums
01 I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face (Lerner, Loewe) (3:09)
02 The Rain In Spain (Lerner, Loewe) (3:08)
03 On The Street Where You Live (Lerner, Loewe) (2:08)
04 I Could Have Danced All Night (Lerner, Loewe) (1:57)
05 With A Little Bit Of Luck (Lerner, Loewe) (2:16)
Label: Decca ep DFE 6484
Recorded: June 26 July 03 17 1958
Lineage: EP>FLAC
https://rapidshare.com/files/3894505045/0260.rar
ReplyDeleteI have never been convinced that this move to make a British jazz by jazzing other aspects of British popular culture was that successful. Under Milk Wood is probably the exception. On the other hand I'm pleased to be able to put this one to the test. Many thanks.
ReplyDelete"Alice In Jazzland" wasn't a bad effort either and I thought Dankworth's "What the Dickens"/"Shakespeare And All That Jazz" were successful??
ReplyDeleteWe'll have to agree to disagree, grumpy. I'm not exactly saying the records were bad. They had their moments, and they still stand up against some of their contemporary releases. It's just that I find that the solution to making British jazz could be found in jazz interpretations of Dickens, Shakespeare and Caroll is daft. I know themed jazz LPs were strong sellers in the US, and musical theatre soumndtracks were the biggest selling albums of the time, but this strategy didn't exactly produce the future of British jazz as it was imagined (and is sometimes suggested in histories). The Heath tracks here are very dated even for Heath in 1958, even though their is some nice playing. Hardly the forward arch of modern jazz so well represented on these posts.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe issue that underpins and therefore seems to be at the heart of our discussion is "is there such a thing as a distinct 'British Jazz'?", and, consequently, has there been a unique development of British Jazz based on its own past achievements?
ReplyDeleteI shall ponder awhile!
Fantastic!!!
ReplyDeleteMany, many thanks.
Thanks very much bella.
ReplyDeletethank you so much BeWo for this piece of english jazz history and controversy ! eager to make me learn something and have my own opinion.
ReplyDeletemaybe I'm out of tune but can we project the same question (grumpy's) on the french jazz at the same years ?
very quickly and supercially thinking : the french jazz during the same years was not really having a french distinct manner and was deeply impacted by americans' players trhough hard-to-find records.
I do not know how easy was to find americans records in England at this time, but in France it was a hell of la croix et la bannière.
I dare to say that french jazz started create his caracteristic color from the ealy 60's, not before.
I have the idea that is the same for the english jazz.
But that's my own opinion and sorry for my frenglish, I'm 53 years old.
I have been listening to jazz for a very long time now (I even shook my rattle in 5/4 time so I am told) but I have never been convinced that there is such a sound as 'British Jazz'.
ReplyDeleteWe all know that jazz is an Afro-American art form and I contend that anything that followed in other countries, was at least at the start, just a pale copy of the original. Bhowani commented that this was the same in France too. As time passed then players developed their own style and followers and began to move away from this 'copied' sound but the only country I can think of which developed a recognized jazz style is Sweden.
I cannot think of a single British jazz player who has influenced the course of the music on a Worldwide scale as did Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman for example.
There may have been minor trends and local influences from time to time and many fine players emerged in the UK but not with a sound you could say was 'British Jazz'. I am not denigrating the music or the musicians in the UK because I collect and enjoy the music they play and I am full of admiration for most of what they do.But a British sound ? Don't think so.
I will now retreat behind my wall and await the gunfire.
I couldn't agree with you more, bluebird!
ReplyDeleteThere are now 260 examples of British jazz here, mostly from the 50s and much of very high quality, but, by the end of the 50s is there anything here to come anywhere near "Kind of Blue", "Giant Steps", "Saxophone Colossus" or "The Shape of Jazz to Come" or even on a more mundane level the work of Blakey, Silver or Adderly?
The fountainhesd of jazz is Afro-American (and I would argue that it had reached it's peak by the early 60s).
I do believe that some of the jazz recorded in the UK in the mid 60s to early 70s rivalled the quality of the contemporary US output, but I wouldn't argue that it was distinctly British.
The point I'm making about the Tracy and Dankworth albums I've mentioned is that they did look for inspiration to indigenous sources and they were praisewothy endeavours and very successful in their own terms. However they did not create a "British Jazz" per se, they were interesting sidelines, in much the same way as Clifford Jordan's "These Are My Roots".
Gentleman, i stumbled upon your conversation and think it is more complicated than "it's really just Afro-American" music. I agree that it's hard to make a case for a distinctive 'sounding" British or French jazz. Clearly, if you are going to emulate Kenton or Coltrane you are going to come up with British or French versions of them. French bebop isn't going to sound any different; it can't -it's bebop. In my humble opinion combining jazz with madrigals, etc may be experimentation but (to these ears) its usually fails. Even the Beats had a hard time with that. It's gotta swing. That's why Brazilian and Cape Verdean music works.
ReplyDeleteBy going "outside" or borrowing from classical composers or the traditional music of their's or somebody's country, non-US players have developed their own sound .When the Dutch met free jazz they came up with something different. Check out South African Jazz.
You don't even need nationalities to be different. Look at the "downtown" NY scene in the 80's and 90's (mostly white) and the the kind of music that came after the AACM in Chicago in the '90's to the present, white and black.
Sure, it all came out out of America, and other than Django there are hardly any Armstrongs, Parkers, etc. ( maybe none) but that doesn't mean there won't be. My point, if I have one, is that there are examples of actual "distinctive", "different" non- American jazz but, because they are jazz ( swing and contain improvisation, it is hard to veer too far from the original models.
I don't disagree agmosk.
ReplyDeleteI believe the closest British jazz came to a unique voice occurred during the 60s with the arrival of South Africans escaping the apartheid regime. Their influence resulted in some wonderful music.
European free music does have a distinctive voice, but, in many cases, I would question whether the label 'jazz' is really applicable.
In the US, there have, of course been significant 'sideshoots' from the mainstream of Afro-American jazz, most obviously with the so called 'cool school' or 'west coast'. Perhaps the most interesting of such off-shoots is the Tristano 'school'.
I agree with you Grumpy. Sometimes Free music is hard to define as jazz and is often better described as "improvised music". But as to whether there is 'British' or "French' jazz; ( or German, etc) no I don't think so.Maybe its because European classical music tradition ( which does to an extent underlie Jazz) is so common to the US, England, France, etc. and foreign to Africans and Asians so that they can attempt to merge their indigenous music with jazz to the extent that it "sounds" different. I'm no musicologist and i'm just guessing.
ReplyDeleteAll very interesting but does it matter? Go and listen to people such as Shearing, Ronnie Ross, Humph, Pete King, Derek Smith, Tubby Hayes, Tommy Whittle, Don Rendell, Dill Jones, Roy Williams, Danny Moss, Joe Temperely et al. They are all British. They all play jazz- all over the world with international colleagues. It's a world art form!
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