We should like to hear from you about items on this website or about jazz in general. Please click here to contact us. As well as the recent correspondence below, there are a number of topics currently under discussion - click on the one you would like to read:
(From Roger Strong and Bill Hasler, New Zealand and Australia, June 2008)
Roger Bell (born: Melbourne, Victoria. 4 Jan. 1919) was Graeme Bell's younger brother. With Ade Monsbourgh and friends he discovered jazz on radio and records in 1932, while at school. He began playing drums in 1935, formed a band with Graeme playing local dances, and took up cornet in 1938. Apart from a period in 1943 during the war the brothers' musical activities were linked until the famous Graeme Bell Australian Jazz Band broke up in September 1952. Roger left jazz music for a while, then joined Max Collie's Rhythm Aces. He worked with various bands until becoming a member of the Melbourne Jazz Club house band in June 1958. This band evolved into Frank Traynor's Jazz Preachers and Roger remained with them until mid 1967. He recorded between 1949 and 1980 with his Pagan Pipers, freelanced during the 1970s and made overseas playing trips in 1976 and 1981. He was still active on the Australian jazz scene up until the mid-late 1990s and a regular and popular performer at the Australian Jazz Convention and Australian jazz festivals. Rude health (to borrow the name of his 1968 original composition) eventually forced Roger into reluctant retirement. He died on Tuesday, 17th June 2008 following a long illness. He was a dear friend with a great sense of humour, a passionate and dedicated supporter of Australian jazz, a popular and enthusiastic performer, innovator, prolific composer and extremely knowledgeable regarding Australian music, its history and importance.
Bill Hasler.
Photographer Walter Hanlon's book 1950s Jazz In London And Paris (Tempus - £15.99) has recently been featured at London's National Portrait Gallery with a selection of photographs from the book. The exhibition finished in July, but the book is still available.
Walter has written to tell us that the book is selling well, but there are one or two corrections people might like to note:
Page 13: Humph's date of birth should be 1921.
Page 51: Should read 'John Dankworth and pre-Cleo singer Marion Williams, who was with the Seven for a short time.
Page 61: Missing name is Flip Phillips
Page 71: Should read 'the Christie Brothers, Pete Appleby, Dick Hawdon and Nevil Skrimshire', the rest as is.
Page 79: Third from right is French bassist Pierre Michelot.
Acknowledgements: 'Clare Brown' should read 'Camilla'.
The photographs in this book are well worth seeing.
(From Hugo Strötbaum, Netherlands, April 2008)
What's going on at the Six Bells these days? What does it look like? What happened to the Chelsea Jazz Club? There must be people around that know more about it.
Reply and Discussion:
The Six Bells in the King's Road, Chelsea was a well-known landmark for jazz gigs, and a frequent venue for the Sandy Brown-Al Fairweather band. It is now part of the Henry
J. Bean's chain of pubs, and there is little, if any, evidence of the jazz that used to be played there. Apparently the upstairs rooms have been turned into offices. Henry J Bean's website gives pictures of today's interior www.henryjbeans.co.uk/chelsea
Henry J Bean's (2006/7)
Photo courtesy of Ian Maund
Hugo recalls: 'I don't remember much about those days in Chelsea. I was on holidays in England and must have read somewhere (Melody Maker?) that they (Sandy and Al) were playing at the Six Bells.
The Sandy Brown - Al Fairweather Band at the Six Bells Chelsea, June 1968
Malcolm Cecil (bass), Stan Robinson (tenor sax), Sandy (clarinet), Brian Lemon (piano), Al (trumpet), Mike Scott (drums).
© Hugo Strötbaum
When I see the photographs the whole thing comes to life (I was 22 years old then), very good music, informal atmosphere, glass mugs filled with apple cider and those larger-than-life paintings of jazz musicians on the walls (Fats Waller, etc).
Al and Sandy at the Six Bells, Chelsea, June 1968
© Hugo Strötbaum
I went there two nights and that was all I ever saw of Sandy and Al. Strange, I remember them as two very sympathetic guys, bent on their job of making music'.
We probably each have our own memories of the Six Bells. I remember taking a girlfriend there once - she hated it! The air was clear to about five feet off the floor and above that a haze of cigarette smoke, but the music was unbelievable. Tony Coe was playing with Sandy and Al that night and the whole band was buzzing.
Of course, many other bands played there - please send us your memories and any pictures you have of the Six Bells. Does anyone know anything about the Chelsea Jazz Club? Click here to Contact Us .
(From Jim Keppie, April 2008)
The thinking behind the Scottish Jazz Archive concept stems from discussions by a number of us who came to the opinion that the legacy of the early years of the jazz revival in Edinburgh and Scotland was significant enough to merit the creation of an archive which would hold recordings as well as photographic and written evidence of the approximate period 1945-1960.
The arrival of the Scottish Jazz Federation seems to provide an ideal vehicle to assist in an archive's creation. This body has, however, only recently been formed and while interested in our approach, has requested that we come back a little later. We are happy to do this, but in the meantime decided it would be sensible to research the period in question and produce a 'text', which could be a book or other form of print based on information culled from appropriate individuals while their memories still function (!). This would of course be in addition to whatever data we can abstract from existing texts and elswhere. We are convinced that there are collectors/enthusiasts from those earlier days who would be pleased to leave their 78s, LPs, CDs and books, photographs and anecdotes to such an archive. Any such resting place would, of course, depend on the results of discussions with the SJF and possibly other agencies.
I have an interest in jazz going back to the early days of the Edinburgh Rhythm Club in Methven Simpson's where the original band included Bob Fairley, Bill MacGregor, Drew Bruce, Mrs Bruce and Dave Mylne, which in time was replaced by Al Fairweather, Sandy Brown, Stu Eaton and others. The Club moved to Riego Street and was renamed the Edinburgh Jazz Club. My fellow attenders included Jim Tabel, Gerry Hall and Janol Scott who were form-mates at the Royal High School, as was Bill Strachan. Janol (who died a year or so back) was on the 'committee' concerned with the plaques for Sandy and Al but, like me, always thought that something of a more permanent memorial was required, hence this development.
While researching the situation throughout Scotland, I have found an interesting and surprising listing in 'Enjoying Jazz' by Rex Harris of Jazz Clubs north of the Border and would be interested to hear from any of your readers who could supply information on the clubs, venues and bands - they number about 28 in all, including Aberdeen (2), Ayr, Bellshill, Dundee (2), Edinburgh (4), Falkirk, Glasgow (14), Largs (2) and Paisley.
Finally, I would welcome memories and anecdotes of the Edinburgh and Glasgow scene in the 1940s with particular reference to the West End Cafe in Edinburgh; the Edinburgh Rhythm/Jazz Club, the Condon Club, the Stud Club (Crown Bar) and the Oddfellows Hall (Jazz Band Balls).
If you would like to respond to Jim's request, please contact us.
(See the links above) - We should like to hear from any bands or clubs about things they might be doing to encourage young or returning players. Please let us know what you think.