What Jazz are you listening to now?

[Joseph K]

Joe Henderson - Lush Life - the music of Billy Strayhorn

... just resuming this from where I left off. It's a fine record.

[Ian Thumwood]

I love listening to the big bands from the 1920s, 30s and 40's but have to own up to the fact that knowledge of Cab Calloway's band was a yawning gap for me. There are clips of this band on Youtube which are fascinating because they are totally contrary to the perception I had of this band. If fact, I would go as far as saying that the clips of the band are mesmerising because it is so difficult not to be fascinated by Calloway himself. It is also very obvious from listening to these performances just how good Calloway's band was.

When I was a teenager lots of people helped me explore these kinds of bands, especially a really nice presenter of Radio Solent who became a good friend. Back then, there was a tendency to dismiss Calloway amongst the people I knew and this was largely because of his singing. It always struck me the Gunther Schuller's appraisal of Calloway's singing was deliberately contrarian and my initial impression was of a decent band marred by the constant singing. For people from the era growing up with the likes of Goodman, the Dorsey's, James , Shaw and Miller, Calloway seemed to be totally off the radar or not taken seriously. Whilst there has always been an appreciation of Basie and Ellington, it always seemed that Jimmie Lunceford's band was the next most respected Black big band. In many cases I have heard comment pass that Calloway's singing was too much of a barrier to overcome in order to appreciate his band. Listening to the records last night, I think that Calloway was one of the most attuned band leaders in making music for his community and you can understand that if he had any following amongst a white audience, it would be those people who were looking to appear to be decadent. The gap between someone like Glenn Miller and Cab Calloway is, perhaps, too wide to bridge. In addition, I have to say that I don't think that comparisons with later artists such as Prince as too much of a stretch either.

Listening to this music last night with fresh ears after playing a 3-CD compilation of his "best" work, I have become fascinated because there are only two conclusions you can deduce from this music. The first is just how good this band was from the very beginning and in to the 1940s. Calloway's band would have been amongst the best in the early-mid 1930s. I felt that the band was really tight and this was easily one of the sharpest groups of that era. The Basie band has always struck me as being the gauge by which to judge bands and I think the Calloway's was pushing in that direction albeit in a fashion which was not quite so forward-thinking. However, if you compare this band with the likes of Henderson's, Kirk's, Hine's. Goodman's, etc, etc from the same era, it is pretty clear just how good Calloway's band was. Calloway rarely seems to get the credit he deserves in this respect.

Regarding the leader himself, I don't think of his rivals were in touching distance of his for charisma or character. I believe that Schuller was 100% correct to suggest that Calloway was one of the greatest jazz singers of that era. The problem is often that the material he had to work with was often inferior yet the "Minnie the moocher" style records are so rooted in a particular era that they manage to endure. There are plenty of more straight ahead swing numbers in his repertoire too. The quality of his voice as a musical instrument has been totally over-looked by most jazz fans. I think Calloway had an incredible voice and probably could only be matched by Armstrong for phrasing in an improvisatory manner. I am sure that I have read comparisons between Calloway and Sinatra regarding the relaxed manner of phrasing and this also seems appropriate. There are times when I wish there was more soloing from his sidemen yet the" fact" that Calloway's singing somehow detracts from the band (which was the impression I had grown up with) is entirely erroneous. Calloway was a truly great singer. I would also say that he obviously knew what he was doing simply because his band is so sharp. I wonder if he was the musical director himself but even if Calloway had assistance, he knew how a good band should sound. There is a fallacy that singers in this era were not necessarily "musicians." I think Calloway is an excellent example of where this is clearly not the case.

The other weird thing about this band is how prevalent Harold Arlen was in composing this band's repertoire in the 1930s. It is actually quite prevalent. I was not surprised either to see Will Hudson's name in the composer credits. Hudson was a staff arranger for Irving Mills and his charts pop up in all sorts of bands such as McKinney's cottonpickers, Flectcher Henderson, Mill's Blue Rhythm Band, etc, etc. He also had a shot at co-leading a big band himself which was not a success. I feel that Hudson was so closely involved in some of these pivotal bands of the 1930s that he should be better known.

All in all, I am really enjoying listening to this band which deserves greater attention , certainly from what I had given it in the past.

[Joseph K]

Joe Henderson - Big Band

[Serial_Apologist]

I love listening to the big bands from the 1920s, 30s and 40's but have to own up to the fact that knowledge of Cab Calloway's band was a yawning gap for me. There are clips of this band on Youtube which are fascinating because they are totally contrary to the perception I had of this band. If fact, I would go as far as saying that the clips of the band are mesmerising because it is so difficult not to be fascinated by Calloway himself. It is also very obvious from listening to these performances just how good Calloway's band was.

When I was a teenager lots of people helped me explore these kinds of bands, especially a really nice presenter of Radio Solent who became a good friend. Back then, there was a tendency to dismiss Calloway amongst the people I knew and this was largely because of his singing. It always struck me the Gunther Schuller's appraisal of Calloway's singing was deliberately contrarian and my initial impression was of a decent band marred by the constant singing. For people from the era growing up with the likes of Goodman, the Dorsey's, James , Shaw and Miller, Calloway seemed to be totally off the radar or not taken seriously. Whilst there has always been an appreciation of Basie and Ellington, it always seemed that Jimmie Lunceford's band was the next most respected Black big band. In many cases I have heard comment pass that Calloway's singing was too much of a barrier to overcome in order to appreciate his band. Listening to the records last night, I think that Calloway was one of the most attuned band leaders in making music for his community and you can understand that if he had any following amongst a white audience, it would be those people who were looking to appear to be decadent. The gap between someone like Glenn Miller and Cab Calloway is, perhaps, too wide to bridge. In addition, I have to say that I don't think that comparisons with later artists such as Prince as too much of a stretch either.

Listening to this music last night with fresh ears after playing a 3-CD compilation of his "best" work, I have become fascinated because there are only two conclusions you can deduce from this music. The first is just how good this band was from the very beginning and in to the 1940s. Calloway's band would have been amongst the best in the early-mid 1930s. I felt that the band was really tight and this was easily one of the sharpest groups of that era. The Basie band has always struck me as being the gauge by which to judge bands and I think the Calloway's was pushing in that direction albeit in a fashion which was not quite so forward-thinking. However, if you compare this band with the likes of Henderson's, Kirk's, Hine's. Goodman's, etc, etc from the same era, it is pretty clear just how good Calloway's band was. Calloway rarely seems to get the credit he deserves in this respect.

Regarding the leader himself, I don't think of his rivals were in touching distance of his for charisma or character. I believe that Schuller was 100% correct to suggest that Calloway was one of the greatest jazz singers of that era. The problem is often that the material he had to work with was often inferior yet the "Minnie the moocher" style records are so rooted in a particular era that they manage to endure. There are plenty of more straight ahead swing numbers in his repertoire too. The quality of his voice as a musical instrument has been totally over-looked by most jazz fans. I think Calloway had an incredible voice and probably could only be matched by Armstrong for phrasing in an improvisatory manner. I am sure that I have read comparisons between Calloway and Sinatra regarding the relaxed manner of phrasing and this also seems appropriate. There are times when I wish there was more soloing from his sidemen yet the" fact" that Calloway's singing somehow detracts from the band (which was the impression I had grown up with) is entirely erroneous. Calloway was a truly great singer. I would also say that he obviously knew what he was doing simply because his band is so sharp. I wonder if he was the musical director himself but even if Calloway had assistance, he knew how a good band should sound. There is a fallacy that singers in this era were not necessarily "musicians." I think Calloway is an excellent example of where this is clearly not the case.

The other weird thing about this band is how prevalent Harold Arlen was in composing this band's repertoire in the 1930s. It is actually quite prevalent. I was not surprised either to see Will Hudson's name in the composer credits. Hudson was a staff arranger for Irving Mills and his charts pop up in all sorts of bands such as McKinney's cottonpickers, Flectcher Henderson, Mill's Blue Rhythm Band, etc, etc. He also had a shot at co-leading a big band himself which was not a success. I feel that Hudson was so closely involved in some of these pivotal bands of the 1930s that he should be better known.

All in all, I am really enjoying listening to this band which deserves greater attention , certainly from what I had given it in the past.

Dizzy Gillespie was in one of Cab's big bands, and got himself sacked for such antics as letting off a firework on stage, I read once. It would have been interesting to have heard something from that line-up!

Ian, did the "friend" you mention as having broadcasted on Radio Solent just happend to be the singer/songwriter Tim Colwell? He ran his own jazz programme on Radio Victory (is that different?) in the early 1980s called Jazz Friends, I believe, after the title of his own big band, and organised gigs around pubs in the area. I read somewhere that he had been murdered? I don't know anything about this - obviously he deserves mention in any write-up on jazz in the Hampshire area. Maybe I'm barking up a wrong tree here, as they say.

[Jazzrook]

Dizzy Gillespie was in one of Cab's big bands, and got himself sacked for such antics as letting off a firework on stage, I read once. It would have been interesting to have heard something from that line-up!

Ian, did the "friend" you mention as having broadcasted on Radio Solent just happend to be the singer/songwriter Tim Colwell? He ran his own jazz programme on Radio Victory (is that different?) in the early 1980s called Jazz Friends, I believe, after the title of his own big band, and organised gigs around pubs in the area. I read somewhere that he had been murdered? I don't know anything about this - obviously he deserves mention in any write-up on jazz in the Hampshire area. Maybe I'm barking up a wrong tree here, as they say.

Tim Colwell did have a jazz programme on Radio Victory based in Portsmouth. I remember listening to it in the 1970s & 1980s.
Tim died in 2003 and two men were charged with his manslaughter.

https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/5374316.friends-pay-tribute-to-jazz-musician/

On the subject of Cab Calloway, Alyn has written a book about him titled 'Hi-De-Ho' which I'll have to read.

JR

[Ian Thumwood]

Dizzy Gillespie was in one of Cab's big bands, and got himself sacked for such antics as letting off a firework on stage, I read once. It would have been interesting to have heard something from that line-up!

Ian, did the "friend" you mention as having broadcasted on Radio Solent just happend to be the singer/songwriter Tim Colwell? He ran his own jazz programme on Radio Victory (is that different?) in the early 1980s called Jazz Friends, I believe, after the title of his own big band, and organised gigs around pubs in the area. I read somewhere that he had been murdered? I don't know anything about this - obviously he deserves mention in any write-up on jazz in the Hampshire area. Maybe I'm barking up a wrong tree here, as they say.

SA

I knew of Tim Colwell who was well respected as a saxophonist but I cannot ever recall having heard him play. Bruce might be aware of him because he also worked with pianist Ray D'Inverno who I am aware he is familiar with. From what I understand, Tim Colwell died from a heart attack after being harassed by some teenagers who were subsequently charged with manslaughter. (Anti-social neighbours.) I had no idea that Tim Colwell worked on Radio Victory but you need to be aware that this radio station was an independent one based in Portsmouth so I never listened to it. There was quite a large jazz following in Portsmouth with Nat Gonella being a fixture at Gosport Jazz Club. My piano teacher also had his own programme on Radio Victory where he performed solo jazz piano. Because I grew up near Romsey, I never listened to Radio Victory and am not sure that it ever broadcasted this far West. I would have to point out that there is a very clear rivalry between Southampton and Portsmouth which exists beyond football. As a rule, people in Southampton would be reluctant to listen to anything on the radio that came out of Portsmouth although I think I am correct in saying that Radio Victory had an ear open for jazz. On top of that , BBC local radio used to cater for "minority music" like jazz - this is decidedly not the case now. There is no jazz on Radio Solent and the only reason to listen to it is for the Saints commentaries and the sports news.

My friend was the journalist and radio presenter Gerry Didymus. I corresponded with him for years as I was a regular listener to his programme "Solent Swing" which was dedicated to big band music. This was a local BBC programme. I was a guest on the programme twice as it was considered a shock that someone who was 14 loved this kind of music. Even then, my tastes were very much outside of the box. (My first request was for "Blue Jazz" and this prompted a surprised letter in response to my request expressing disbelief that I should be aware of the Casa Loma Orchestra! ) Gerry was an absolute gent and was really good at putting me on to music that he felt I might like. Getting in to jazz through the big bands of the 30s and 40s was my inroad into jazz. At the same time there was "Jazz on Solent" which was initially co-presented by local clarinetist Chris Walker and another presenter. It was a weird combination because Chris Walker was more New Orleans - Benny Goodman in taste whereas the other presenter liked the avant garde. As a consequence, a lot of the jazz "in the middle" got overlooked but the programme did facilitate a number of broadcasts from the Concorde Club when it was a serious jazz club.

Hope this answers your question.

[teamsaint]

I never listened to Victory , or only by accident, and didn’t know it covered anything except mainstream pop/ rock, but despite the city rivalry it did have a following of sorts in Southampton, due I think to what were perceived as somewhat better daytime playlists than R1, and the fact that Capital didn’t reach this far, and that there was no Southampton based alternative.
I never listened to it on principle, of course, but its demise was much regretted in the forgotten SE Corner of Hampshire.

Back in those days Solent had a decent “ alternative “ rock show on weekday evenings with Gethyn Jones, who it seems went off to Radio Victory for a spell.

[cloughie]

Zoe Rahman: Dreamland

[elmo]

Lee Morgan with Joe Henderson, Ronnie Mathews, Vic Sproles, Billy Higgins in 1965 playing the Wayne Shorter composition "Edda". A really nice tune that I don't think Wayne recorded himself not on Blue Note anyway, lovely solo's plus the underrated Chicago bassist Vic Sproles.

https://youtu.be/xiD92MAp_Nk

elmo

[Serial_Apologist]

SA

I knew of Tim Colwell who was well respected as a saxophonist but I cannot ever recall having heard him play. Bruce might be aware of him because he also worked with pianist Ray D'Inverno who I am aware he is familiar with. From what I understand, Tim Colwell died from a heart attack after being harassed by some teenagers who were subsequently charged with manslaughter. (Anti-social neighbours.) I had no idea that Tim Colwell worked on Radio Victory but you need to be aware that this radio station was an independent one based in Portsmouth so I never listened to it. There was quite a large jazz following in Portsmouth with Nat Gonella being a fixture at Gosport Jazz Club. My piano teacher also had his own programme on Radio Victory where he performed solo jazz piano. Because I grew up near Romsey, I never listened to Radio Victory and am not sure that it ever broadcasted this far West. I would have to point out that there is a very clear rivalry between Southampton and Portsmouth which exists beyond football. As a rule, people in Southampton would be reluctant to listen to anything on the radio that came out of Portsmouth although I think I am correct in saying that Radio Victory had an ear open for jazz. On top of that , BBC local radio used to cater for "minority music" like jazz - this is decidedly not the case now. There is no jazz on Radio Solent and the only reason to listen to it is for the Saints commentaries and the sports news.

My friend was the journalist and radio presenter Gerry Didymus. I corresponded with him for years as I was a regular listener to his programme "Solent Swing" which was dedicated to big band music. This was a local BBC programme. I was a guest on the programme twice as it was considered a shock that someone who was 14 loved this kind of music. Even then, my tastes were very much outside of the box. (My first request was for "Blue Jazz" and this prompted a surprised letter in response to my request expressing disbelief that I should be aware of the Casa Loma Orchestra! ) Gerry was an absolute gent and was really good at putting me on to music that he felt I might like. Getting in to jazz through the big bands of the 30s and 40s was my inroad into jazz. At the same time there was "Jazz on Solent" which was initially co-presented by local clarinetist Chris Walker and another presenter. It was a weird combination because Chris Walker was more New Orleans - Benny Goodman in taste whereas the other presenter liked the avant garde. As a consequence, a lot of the jazz "in the middle" got overlooked but the programme did facilitate a number of broadcasts from the Concorde Club when it was a serious jazz club.

Hope this answers your question.

Yeah thanks very much, Ian. Someone I know quite well in the Portsmouth area (actually Waterlooville) is a Steve Didymus - a great Stan Tracey enthusiast. Didymus not being that common a name I'm assuming they must be related. Incidentally I stayed for two nights in Romsey back in June 1968. I was working for Lyons Corner Houses who just then were diversifying into pub ownership, and was seconded for a few nights to work at the Dolphin, I think was the name of the pub. It was a notoriously tough place - the only pub in town that would allow a local gang, "them Turner boys" as other locals would say, to use it as their regular drinking hole. This was all right because they had "Bill" who was built like a proverbial and had their respect, but one night I was on my own, and when on the gang's refusal to pay for their drinks I insisted, one of them grabbed my tie and yanked down hard, banging my face on the bar, causing a serious nose bleed. They left - there were no other customers, people being afraid to visit when they were there, and I shut the place down for the night. The next day the manager wanted to know why and was totally unapologetic for the trouble I'd had, and not long after I jacked it in with J Lyons!

[Serial_Apologist]

Tim Colwell did have a jazz programme on Radio Victory based in Portsmouth. I remember listening to it in the 1970s & 1980s.
Tim died in 2003 and two men were charged with his manslaughter.

https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/5374316.friends-pay-tribute-to-jazz-musician/

On the subject of Cab Calloway, Alyn has written a book about him titled 'Hi-De-Ho' which I'll have to read.

JR

Many thanks for that information. Poor Tim.

[Katzelmacher]

Miles Davis - Dark Magus.

[Stanfordian]

‘Heavy Soul’ - Ike Quebec
with Freddie Roach, Milt Hinton, Al Harewood
Blue Note (1961)

[Bert]

‘Heavy Soul’ - Ike Quebec
with Freddie Roach, Milt Hinton, Al Harewood
Blue Note (1961)

[Bert]

Miles Davis - Dark Magus.

Once loved, now I struggle with this record ........