Long distance Information
Give me mention, then we'll see
Help me find a party ...
with apologies to Chuck Berry (click here)
Please contact us if you able to help with any of the following requests for information?
Last month Todd Allen in Canada asked if anyone has contact details for trombone player Mick Clift. An entry on The Free Library internet site (click here) says: 'Back in 1979 trombonist Mick Clift had to leave Ken Ingram's band in Birmingham because his work took him to Cornwall.... Mick Clift will blast out a musical goodbye to all his followers, at the Coach and Horses in Daventry on Thursday, before retiring to Skegness.', but the date of the 'musical goodbye' is a little unclear.
Griff Thomas has written to say that Mick died about 5 years ago, a short time after cornet player Ken Ingram. Tony Quinn tells us that as far as he knows, Mick went to live in the West Country several years ago and died down there. Tony says: 'I was the percussionist in Ken Ingram's band from 1997 to 2002. Ken, of course, died about 6 or 7 years ago. My new band is The New Washbboard Syncopators'. (click here for The New Washboard Syncopators playing Beale Street Blues). Griff Thomas played banjo with Ray Foxley in the Saratoga Jazz Band in the late 1970s and is currently playing with the Birmingham based Old Comrades Jazz Band and the Worcester based Sauce City Jazz Band.
12.2011
Trevor Lee and Chris Flanagan have undertaken recording the bands that appeared at The Festival Hall in East Kirkby (now Kirkby In Ashfield) in Nottinghamshire. Trevor has discovered that pianist Bill McGuffie played at the Festival Hall in June 1957 and wonders if anyone knows what the band line up might have been at that time. Please contact us if you can help.
9.11
Eddie Fowler, who manages website for manouche guitarist Paul Vernon Chester, has written to say that it is likely the band personnel were as listed on his website - Bill McGuffie (piano); Bob Burns, Peter Hughes (alto & tenor saxophones, clarinet); Bobby Lamb, Jimmy Wilson, Keith Christie, Bill Geldard (Trombone); Derek Watkins, John McLevy, Paul Tungay, Greg Bowen (trumpet); Alan Metcalfe (guitar); Frank Donnison (bass); Bobby Midgley (drums).
There is much more information about this band and in particular about guitarist Alan Metcalfe on Eddie's website: click here for more information.
Trevor Lee, however, thinks that Bill McGuffie brought a Quintet to the gig at the Festival Hall, and has raised the interesting question of what instruments a dance band quintet would have involved in 1957 - piano, bass, drums .....?
12.2011
Dean Rafferty is researching the early nineties with a view to making a documentary of the era. He is looking for information about the bands Guilt Edge and Charm School, and the musician John Marshall. Although they were not jazz bands, Dean had noticed our page on Merlin's Caves (click here) and wondered if anyone had come across the bands there. Please contact us if you can help.
It is intriguing to read in trombonist Jack Free's profile (click here) that Jack remembers ‘... in 1956, we played at a private party for Lord and Lady Donegall, and the guests of honour were the great Louis Armstrong and Mezz Mezzrow ... Lord and Lady Donegall had a club along the Embankment in London, a big house with a great tapestry on the wall – reminded you of the Bayoux Tapestry. It was really a jazz club for debutantes, but all the major visiting musicians played there – they would say “Let’s go down the Lords”, as if it were the cricket ground! Judy Garland, Sophie Tucker, Louis Armstrong, George Lewis – they all played there.’
So far, we have been unable to find out any information about the Donegalls' "club along the Embankment" and would like to hear from anyone who knew of it - please contact us if you do.
5/11
In the meantime, Jack Free has raided his photograph albums and sent us these two photographs of Harry Walton's band at the time of the Donegalls.
The first of the band with Lord and Lady Donegall. Jack says: 'Lord Donagall is the chap 
in the white jacket, Lady Donegall is behind him. Harry Walton is behind Lady Donegall on her right shoulder, next to him is drummer Frank Thompson. The chap in glasses is trumpeter Johnny Rowdon. That's me with the trombone and Colin Thompson, a wonderful clarinet player.'
Harry Walton's band with Lord and Lady Donegall
Photo © Jack Free
Jack tells us that the Donegall's club was called Crosby Hall on the corner of Chelsea Embankment and Danvers Street. He remembers that:
'Lord Donegall's first wife ran off to the USA, and eventually married F Scott Fitzgerald. His second wife who we knew as Jean, was a very nice Lady and very interested in Jazz. She came from the Coombe family (as in Watney, Coombe & Reid, the Brewers).
I remember one night our bass player never turned up, and Harry Walton, the bandleader asked me if I would take Lady Donegall to Mac`s rehearsal rooms in Soho to find someone to deputise. When we got there I dropped her off, as I couldn't find a parking space. I said to her: "You go down and see if you can find a dep and I will keep circling around and pick you up here on the corner." Anyway, after some time I saw her on the corner and picked her up. She had managed to get a bass player, but she said she had been accosted twice while waiting for me. She said: "I don't know whether I should be outraged or flattered." On another occasion, I bought a new trombone and at the end of the evening I found £20 in my case. She had given it to me towards my trombone! Fifty odd years ago that was quite a lot of money.
On another occasion, they sponsored us to go to Zurich, Switzerland to represent Britain at an International Jazz Festival. It was a terrific experience as there were bands there from all
over Europe.
Harry Walton's band at the Zurich Festival
© Jack Free
We did a broadcast with Switzerland's top trumpet player, his name was Hazy Osterwald (I hope I have spelt that right). He was their Kenny Baker. All in all, they were happy days. Unfortunately, I think I am the only one left out of that band.
Lord and Lady Donegall sound as though they were great patrons of jazz during the 1950s and we should very much like to hear more about them.
7.11
Trevor Lee has written to say:
I'm compiling a history of every band that appeared at our Local Dance Hall -The Festival Hall, Kirkby In Ashfield Nottinghamshire in the 1950's, and with a colleague producing a series of A5 publications giving details and some background information about the leader and players where space permits.
Sandy Brown only appeared with his Jazz Band once on Saturday March 2nd 1957 and from the advert in the local press I have the list of featured players. I have one which doesn't appear on your list and wonder if you can confirm him and my guess that he may have played bass as there doesn't appear to be anyone else in the list who may have played it.
The full list is Al Fairweather, Jeremy French, Ian Armitt, Diz Disley, Graham Burbidge and my mystery player Jimmy Raka. Perhaps you can also confirm this would have been the complete line up. The spelling of the name could be wrong as the paper was very local!
Hope you don't mind me troubling you but I like to get the information as accurate as possible and it looks as if you are my best reference point. Thank you for producing a very informative web site I have only found it tonight.
(We have replied that we think Jimmy Raka might be a mispelling of bass player Timmy Mahn's name, but if anyone has any other ideas, please contact us).
6.11
A couple of months ago, we received an enquiry about a lady named Eddi MacPherson who might have sung with the Sandy Brown band during the late 1950s / early 1960s. We were not aware of this and wondered if it rang a bell with anyone else?
Jo Thorpe wrote to say: 'I saw your request for information about a lady called Eddie Mcpherson... I knew her too she was a good friend of my mum's.. I couldn't say whether she sang in any band, I do know she used to work in clubs... because my mum used to look after her son Graham a lot.... Graham later went on to be very famous as the lead singer of Madness... He was also one of those kids running around the Merlin's Cave on a Sunday afternoon'.
Josephine Lambourne has written saying: Someone was asking about Eddy Macpherson. Eddy used to manage or run the Kismet Club. She is still around the Soho scene'.
Toby Follett, writing on behalf of Eddi's son, Graham, (a.k.a. Suggs from the band Madness) says that Suggs is in touch with his mother but is trying to work out is if there is anyone who remembers her husband, Suggs' dad. 'Maybe people who Eddi has forgotten from the past who have their own stories, and any other stories from that time that may jog Eddi's memory.'
Suggs has been staging a one-man show in which he looks back on his life.
Please contact us if you can remember any other stories about Eddi or her husband.
6.11
Vicky Jones has sent us this picture with a couple of queries. Does anyone recognise people in the picture, and could it have been taken at the Six Bells in Chelsea?
Vicky says: 'I happened upon your site when my sister and I were trying to find out whether the Six Bells was still operating as a pub. My Dad, Leonard Jones, together with his bes
t friend, Stanley Peake, were great friends of Bill Nicholls who was landlord in the sixties. I believe there was a tragedy involving Bill's daughter falling from the upstairs balcony of the pub and he gave it up soon after. Here is a picture of Dad and a group of chaps that Bill took out to a New Years event. We think it is either a Brewery Do or was related to the Jazz Club. (Click on the picture for a larger image).
The big chap front left is Stanley Peake, next to him with glass to lips and ciggie is my late Dad, Leonard Jones.
Unfortunately you can't see Bill the landlord clearly (bald head) as he is behind the chap with glasses next to my Dad. I believe one of the chaps in the picture is called Lawrie but they were all regulars at the pub and a few of them may have been merchant seaman like my Dad and Stan.
I do remember as a teenager when they had the disco (Birds Nest by then). Sadly more and more of the smaller live venues close in favour of the mega stadiums. It is happening all the time where I live in Kingston-Upon-Thames but the Grey Horse and Fighting Cocks struggle on. The Grey Horse started out as a Jazz Venue but now has all sorts of music.
Please contact us if you can help Vicky.
3.11
Danish trombone player Fessor Lindgreen has written to ask if anyone is able to help him to 
contact the Jamaican trombone player Rico Rodriguez. Please contact us if you can help.
Wikipedia tells us that Rico Rodriguez was born in Kingston, Jamaica. In 1961, he moved to the UK and started to play in reggae bands here. In the late 1970s, with the arrival of the 2 Tone genre, he played with ska revival bands such as The Specials. One of his most notable performances was on The Specials' song, "A Message to You, Rudy". Rodriguez also led his own outfit, Rico and the Rudies, to yield the albums Blow Your Horn and Brixton Cat. Since 1996, amongst other engagements, he has played with Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra and he also performs at various ska festivals throughout Europe with his own band.
Click here for a video of Rico playing Take Five with the Cool Wise Men in Japan in 2007 - hard not to get up and dance!
Click here for more about Rico Rodriguez.
3.11
Sydney Wardman is trying to find out information about trombone player Geoff Sowden. Geoff's first band was the Delta Dixielanders and some of the bands he went on to play with include those of Freddy Randall, Joe Daniels, Monty Sunshine and Terry Lightfoot. Sydney says: 'I knew Geoff in Leeds when I played trumpet with the Delta Dixielanders and amongst my friends in those days were Freddie and Ernie Tomasso, Diz Disley, Dick Hawdon, Mac Duncan (we were at school together), Alan Cooper, Geoff and others.'
February: Gerry Salisbury and Norman Simpson have replied - Gerry Salisbury says that Geoff died aound 2004/2005. Gerry was in Monty Sunshine's band with Geoff but also played with him quite a lot in Spain near Malaga. Norman Simpson has been putting together some information about Geoff but only has a little so far. It is on an Excel spreadsheet that we are not able to share on the website, but if anyone is interested, we can forward a copy.
If anyone else can help, please contact us.
2.11
Charlotte Roberts has written to us and is trying to find out more about her great gandfather. I anyone can help, please contact us. Charlotte says:
'My name is Charlotte Roberts and I believe that my great grandfather Gordon Hillier 
(DOB 1931) was a trumpet player with George "Bunny" Austin. The photo I attach is from Bunny Austin's profile on your website (click here) and was taken around 1982 in Shirley Social Club, Southampton. It says in the narrative that Gordon Hillier (trumpet) was out of the picture which is a shame as I would have loved to have seen him. Unfortunately, I have just found out recently that he is my great grandfather and my father's grandfather, my father only finding out two months ago that his mother Olive Smith (nee Hillier) was his mother and sadly passed away when he was 2 months old. Gordon Hillier was Olive's father. Gordon Hillier unfortunately died in 2004 in Torquay. His full name was Gordon Thomas Alfred Hillier. I would be grateful if you could let me know whether the Gordon Hillier (or should I say the trumpet) is in fact my great grandfather. Do you have a full copy of this photo with Gordon in it or any photos at all of Gordon. I would really love to see them.'
Bunny Austin remembers Gordon and has contacted Charlotte, but if anyone else remembers him, please let us know.
2.11
Collette Wijkander has written with the following enquiry. Collette has discovered that the musician in the picture is her father, and she is trying to trace him. She only has a little information:
'I'm looking for a Cuban Bass (standing Bass) player who toured and
played in Stockholm 1957. I have a press photo from Aftonbladet,
Photographer Kurt Berggren. Any information is important to me. I
think he played Cuban Jazz. He was probably in his twenties.' 
In February 2011, Collette wrote: 'I have got a tip from Svante Grundberg who knows a lot about jazz.' Svante had sent Collette a link to a website at http://william.houston.se/ she wondered if this is the same bass player and if anyone knows anything about Bill Houston?. Collette also says:' I have also detected the Lecuona or Havana Cuban Boys - playing all summer 1957 in Stockholm. Haven't found any good pictures of them though.'
Please contact us if you think you can help.
12.10
Alan Bond writes to say that he has been in correspondence with Tom Lord of The Jazz Discography and has been helping Tom to update Discography online with information from records in his collection. Alan says: 'Looking through his files I found large gaps in the information on CDs on the 'Lake' label. As you know, a lot of these are re-issues but quite a few are of new stuff by European musicians.' Tom has been in touch with Lake who are unable to help with the discography at the moment due to pressure of work. Alan says: 'Would it be possible to put out an appeal to anyone who has any of the Lake CDs listed in the attached schedule (click here) to photocopy the inlay labels and forward them to Tom Lord for inclusion in Directory at:
lord@lordisco.com.?'
1.11
John Ferguson and Albert Craske have been in touch with us about 'once upon a time' jazz venues they remember and wonder if others recall them too?
John says: 'Alas, I think the 'Down At The Res' got swamped out years ago by a malignancy of Noisicians! The 'Prince of Wales' Buckhurst Hill was another pleasant venue in those old days'.
11.10
Steve Fletcher writes: 'Do any of your readers know if Erroll Garner, my all time favourite pianist,
was ever married - and to whom?' We have had a quick look on Wikipedia, but there is no clue there.
11.10
Roger Trobridge has been contacted by someone who went to school with jazz 
harmonica player Cyril Davies in New Denham, London, and later played with him in the Barbecue Jazz Band in the early 1950s. Roger was unaware of this and thought Cyril had just played with Steve
Lane and the Southern Stompers. The Barbecue Jazz Band started up in 1950 and in 1952 featured Ron Ware (cornet/leader), Mick Clift (trombone), David Morgan/Frank Bond (drums), Kenneth
Eltringham (clarinet), Terry Bowler (tuba), Brian Powell (piano) and
Cyril Davies (banjo/vocals).
Can anyone help with more information about the Barbecue Jazz Band and the musicians who played in it? It probably lasted from 1950 to 1952 and met in The Hut, Yiewsley, Hillingdon? It appears that the band was recorded at The Hut by someone with a portable recording who recorded direct to a disc. The players all got a disc
afterwards. Roger, who has a recording on an aluminium disc coated with plastic (an 'acetate'?) which looks unplayable, also wonders if anyone can help with more information about this? The label has the words 'A Gold Star Recording and the brand SMS around the central hole: HUT 29-1-52.
Roger is also interested in finding out about people who were recording some of the early bands in the 50s in the clubs. 'Not the proper labels who had their own studios. I think there was a shop in Oxford Street where bands could go and I think there was a singer called George Brock who had a recorder...'
Please contact us if you can help.
8.10
Eric Jackson writes: Would anyone know the fate of Harry Lock - Peanuts-style clarinetist often in the jam sessions at the Tally Ho on Sundays in the sixties and prominent on the LP recorded there? He was big mate of Alan Littlejohns and sometimes depped in the Kenny Ball band.Very smart dresser and subject to jokes about bow locks and employment in Cecil Gee's window.
8.10
Joe Harriott was featured in our Photographic Memory item - see picture below (click here for Photographic Memories). Pete Pohl writes:
'I heard Joe Harriott play at the 100 club ca.1952. He "sat in" for a few numbers with the Band of the evening (Humph ???). Took Me back a few years! I had fogotten him completly till I read the article.'
Does anyone else remember Joe?
8.10
In last month's Photographic Memory picture with Joe Harriott was drummer Harry Miller. We wondered if anyone knew what had become of Harry. There was a well known bass player also named Harry Miller that some people picked up on, but that was a different Harry. Bunny Austin has come up with some other interesting information about 'drummer Harry':-
'Harry Miller (real name Harry Shillingworth) was a very good
drummer, playing in the Freddy Randall band from circa 1946 to 1950 when
Freddy replaced him with Lennie Hastings. Harry recorded with the Freddy Randall band in June 1948 and again in
September 1948 on the old Cleveland Rhythm Club label. Harry also recorded
six sides with F
reddy on the Tempo label in September 1949.
Harry Miller (left) with Joe Harriott
Photograph courtesy of Bunny Austin
In the 1950's Harry Miller ran his own band, and also acted as a band booker. I played for Harry in the Whitechapel area of the east end of London along with my friend Laurie Harris, an alto player. The venues were generally over a type of Burton's clothing stores. Harry's mum and dad used to carry in Harry's drum kit and assemble it on the stage, then when the gig was finished they would dismantle the drum kit and march off! Harry's dad was an accordion player. Sometimes, to liven things up, Harry would fire off his blank cartridge automatic! (Not exactly the way to introduce the band to the citizens of Whitechapel!). Laurie Harris told me half the audience vanished when Harry did his party trick!
In the 1960's Harry Miller was a member of the Ferry Boat Jazzmen who played on Sunday lunchtimes at the Cook's Ferry Inn at Edmonton, north London.This band had Nevil Skrimshire on guitar, Harry Miller on drums, Ted Fawcett bass, Alan Wickham trumpet, Dave Jones clarinet, Bert Murray trombone, Pat Mason on piano and Jack Jacobs alto/clarinet. Harry would sing one or two numbers (he was quite a good vocalist).
About this time Harry Miller also lead a band on Sunday nights at a rugby club not far from
the Ferry. I played at this venue a few
times. One night Jimmy Skidmore and Art Elefson turned up to play - they
nearly blew the roof off!
I lost touch with Harry Miller towards the end of the 1960's, but perhaps
there are a few people who can help with later news. I know that Harry has died, quite
some years ago, diabetes trouble, but don't have a definite date, but I'm
tracking it down.'
8.10
Kwaku, editor of British Black Music, has written to us saying:
'We were in Edinburgh a fortnight ago and whilst waiting for our train, decided to while away the time in the central music library. I asked if there was any black music from Scotland that I could browse through. I read the history of Scottish rock and pop, which had a smattering of R&B connections and the staff were very nice and helpful but had to admit there was hardly anything so specific.'
We contacted the Central Music Library and are grateful to Garry Gale who looked into the query again. Garry says:
'I've done a bit of digging about and haven't really come up with anything .... lots of black musicians came to Scotland to perform.. Louis Armstrong, Big Bill Broonzy and many other great American and European jazz musicians. In the 60s there was a thriving interest in soul and ska, especially in Glasgow, and there were some clubs which specifically catered for that audience but, again, there is no evidence of any local black musicians being involved ... performers tended to come from London or Liverpool.
There is a new book, just published, which claims to be the most authoritative history of popular music in Glasgow: Minstrels, Poets and Vagabonds (click here). Our copy hasn't arrived yet but I will scan it when it comes in for any relevant information.
Finlay Quaye was born in Edinburgh, and went to school there for a while... but spent most of his career in London. He now lives in Berlin. His formative years introduced him to jazz and his father and uncle were both well established black musicians.. but again not in Scotland ... Finlay's mother was Scottish (white)
I have also looked at quite a lot of archival jazz photographs and cannot see any evidence of any black musicians in any of the bands and nor can any 'current survivor's of the old Edinburgh Jazz scene recall any local black musicians playing in Edinburgh.
Via 'pub talk' a couple of names have come up: Aki Remally is a funk guitarist based in Edinburgh, he plays sessions with other musicians across the UK and beyond (Hendrix inspired) click here for details, click here for video. Also Jimmy Hebrews who has now passed away apparently played in Edinburgh in the 1980's - I have no details as yet.
I will keep this enquiry 'on file' though, in case something comes up or if one of my contacts can shine further light on the subject.'
This is intriguing! Can anyone give us any details of black Scottish jazz musicians? Contact us.
7.10
November 2010 - Dave Keir writes:
'Regarding the subject of Black musicians in Scotland -you might have a look at the subject of Carl Barriteau who, if my memory serves me, was born in Glasgow. One day, so the story goes, he was playing at the docks in Glasgow and on seeing a West Indian (Jamaican ?) banana boat being unloaded and seeing that all the sailors were like him, he decided to stow away on the boat and when he reached Jamaica he was adopted by a family there. Eventually he became a very fine jazz clarinettist coming to Britain as a member of the "Snake Hips" Johnson big band, When Johnson was killed during an air raid during the Blitz on London, Carl took over the leadership of the band and it became one of the leading big bands in Britain in the 40s. Latterly he had a residency at some ballroom in Edinburgh (I've forgetten the name) and the last I heard he had moved to Australia.'
Sorry Dave - other information suggests that Carl was born in Trinidad on 7th February 1914, although he did apparently play in Leith for a while. To read about Carl click here. ....unless of course someone with access to Glasgow's register of births can prove otherwise ......
Josh Sutton has written to say that his father Alan Sutton played washboard on the 1956 Decca recording of Alan Lomax and the Ramblers with Sandy Brown on clarinet. Josh would like to track down an original copy of the EP. Can anyone help?
7.10
Mike Walmsley is trying to track down a video of the Mike Daniels band reunion he thinks was taken at the Pizza Express in the 1980s. If anyone can help please contact us.
7.10
Wellington Choy writes from New Zealand: "I have been listening to Johnny Dankworth's 'Zodiac Variations' and am most impressed. One question that comes to mind is whether Dankworth's UK based musicians went to New York to play behind the US 'guest' artists (Clark Terry et. al.) or whether they dubbed the US solos over the London based band that recorded in London a few days later. The first alternative would be rather expensive, the second raises the question as to what rhythm section the US guys had - or were they listening to a 'rehearsal' date tape of the UK band. Does anyone know? (Contact us if you do).
7.09