April 6th 1993 from Les Evans

Dear Ron,

That was very kind of you to write, and to offer your condolences.Yes, that was a great shame, and George was a very fine musician.Although he had stomach cancer, diagnosed in early December, and he died on Feb.16th, we were thankful that he went very peacefully, and without the pain usually associated with this type of cancer.

We have had a lot of calls and letters, including contact with about a dozen of the original 10 saxes, 5 tpts band, 1946/47, and a few from George's later band, 8 brass, 6 saxes, 1949 onwards.

You are right about Don Rendell being in the first band for a short time, hut I don't recollect Albert ever being with us. Maybe with a later Band of George's? Don Rendell did the early gigs in 1946, and the 3 month stint at Hammersmith Palais, but when George went into sanatorium in the September, at the end of the Palais period, and I took over to go out on the road, Don left the band. The 1946 personnel was; Rhythm section.Eric Jupp, pno.Malcolm Mitchell, gtr. Don Raine Young, bass, and Duggie Cooper, drums.Eric Jupp also left after a further couple of months or so, and wasreplaced by Arthur Greenslade.I have heard from all those. Eric and Arthur are both in Australia,

Tpts. Ricky Derges, Ted Hunt, Bill Jackson, Graham Smith and Frank Pritchard.Frank was later replaced by Hank Shaw, and Graham, by Denis Shirley.

Altos.Charlie Paine, Frank Rogers, Roy Ringrose, Charles Chapman and Freddie Syer. Charles Chapman later replaced by Ronnie Chandler.

Tenors. Erik Maxwell, Dennis Hughes, Syd Dowel (and bass sax) Don Rendell, Kenny Kaye on baritone.When Don left, Kenny moved up to tenor, and Jimmy Paul came in on baritone. Also Shirley Gray vocalist.

That was a good band. George led the band in 1946 from about May to September. I went on the road (George asked me to give up all my teaching which naturally I did gladly)from September until Feb. 1947.That was a terrible winter, and it was no surprise when we had to fold up.

You ask about recordings.Prior to that, George formed that same combination to record on Decca, in 1944. He used all session players, according to who was available at the time..

There were several sessions to cut 10 sides. George was still in the Welsh Guards at the time, and there was a banon playing or working with Civvy bands, so George thought it best to use my name. I had come out of the R.A.F in March 1944. The first 4 sides were actually released on Decca 78's, and called The George Fvans Orchestra, directed by Leslie Evans. I did play on those 4 sides in fact, but I didn't direct;

Some of the guys on the various sessions were Jock Cummings, or Jack Parnell on drums, Pat Dodd, piano, Jack Llewellyn gtr. Kenny Baker, Billy Riddick, Cliff Haines. George Shearing also did a couple of takes. Then there was Poggy Pogson, Aubrey Frank, Izzy Duman, Bill Apps, probably Jimmy Durrant, George, myself.I just can't remember all those guys. The 4 sides released at that time, were Great Day, The Toy Trumpet, Sweet and Lovely, and The Lone Prairie. The 6 not released (but I hear that very recently some of them haee been included in L.P.'s sort of Big Bands of the Past, or whatever 1were Rockabye Basie, Temptation, Out of Space a feature solo for Leslie Gilbert)Grasshoppers Dance, Early one Morning, and The Song is You.

You may well have played some of those, and many others, at the rehearsals with my so-called Student Band.... of which I ran several, and a load of good lads came through.I remember you coming along with Kenny Clare, but I had known Kenny for a long time before that.Apart from playing for a long time with the "big band" before that he played with another of my student bands, called Saxes 'n Sevens. 3 altos, 4 tenors, 4 rhythm. Using mainly George's Embassy Club arrangements, and quite a few of my own., always rehearsing at Mac's.

In fact, I was looking at a load of old Melody Maker contest programmes the other day, tucked away in the loft, and I came across the All Britain Final of 1948, at Belle Vue, Manchester, and the Saxes 'n Sevens group took part.Tony Arnopp (later lead alto with the B.B.C. Radio Orchestra) and Tony Symes were a couple of the altos, and Pete King (later Ronnie Scott's partner) was one of the tenors.Kenny Clare was on drums. I was one of the Judges, but they still didn't win; From 1945 through to 1958, I judged well over 200 M.M. contests. Then skiffle, rock and roll, and then "pop"took over, and the contests finished late in 1958. I also saw the programme for the 1946 All Britain Finals held at the Winter Gardens Blackpool, and the two "house-bands" were us, the George Evans Orchestra, and the Teddy Foster band. I also Judged that one and I think we did our proper stint after the contest was over.

When George recovered after his op. for T.B. he did arrangements for one or two bands .. also went back with Geraldo as vocalist for a short time. Then he formed rehearsal bands, and from amongst them, in 1949, he formed the band that went out on the road, with 4 tpts. 4 trbs. 6 saxes, 4 rhythm and vocalist. I know Tony Symes and Jackie Sprague went with the hand, both my pupils, and Bill Geldard was on trombone, later Grade Cole, and they got married when the band was doing a spell &t Green's Playhouse, Glasgow. I had long talks with Bill and with Grade Just before, and again after George died.

The band was on the road for 2 years, then George got the residency at the Oxford Galleries, Newcastle, and was there 1951 until 1957/58, when he retired, and didn't play anything or write anything for 25 years; Oh;except in early 1958, Decca persuaded him to come down to London, and they fixed a big session band for him ... large sax section, a smaller woodwind section, trumpets, and 5 rhythm. They did the session in the huge organ hall at the Alexandra Palace, in mono and in stereo.They were released on the Ace of Clubs label. As usual George wrote every arrangement specially.

He was married for 42 years, and Jane, his first wife, died in 1981.George began playing again, practised really hard, sat in with a couple of local Newcastle bands, and played jazz a couple of times a week at local pubs ... for interest, not for money, I hasten to add!Then a few months or so before his 70th birthday in 1985, he re-wrote a lot of his best scores to add in 5 trombones, and from local pros. and teachers, he formed an 11-sax band, 5 tpts. 5 trbs. 4 rhythm, vocalists, and on his birthday, he did a big Nostalgia Night Ball, at the Mayfair Ballroom, Newcastle(The Oxford had long ago turned into a Mecca Bingo Hall;)and there were 1400 dancers, most of them who had met, married and had kids, since they danced to George at the Oxford between 1951 and 1957. He did a second one a couple of weeks later, and got another 1100 in. He also did a concert at the People's Theatre up there, just after that. The big band, plus Carol Kidd and her trio from Glasgow, plus Tommy Whittle and Roy Williams, as guest artists from London. But again he did that for interest only, and wasn't keen to go on finding ather venues. The boys all wanted to go on rehearsing

anyway, because there isn't much chance of playingwith a big

25 piece band, with a guy like George writing and taking the band. But he wouldn't continue. He re-married to Helen in 1986, and at least they had 6 very happy years together.Helen was much younger than George ... in fact she will be 60 next month.

On March 1st, Alan Dell devoted one whole half-hour just to George. He has always been quite a fan of George's, and played various recordings over the many years, mostly of the period when George virtually governed everything the Geraldo band played. Alan recorded a couple of long conversations he had with me, on the phone, and used a lot of the material I gave him, during that broadcast. He also had a chat with Harry Hayes, and used his comments as well.It was a very well edited, and produced programme, thanks to Alan.

So you see, Ron, the George Evans scores have indeed been played again.I have a lot of the original parts, and I know where most of the scores are, but honestly, I wouldn't want to put the thing together again, at this stage.In any case, the costing to get anything recorded would be enormous. I see you are 65 this year, and will be getting your pension.Congatulations! I am 73, and George was 77.I have just stopped writing for Crescendo, as you probably know.I figured every issue since 1962, was quite long enough;But you keep up the good work. I always enjoy your contributions.

Sorry about the length of this one, but hope it may have been of some interest to you.

My very best wishes, Sincerely,