June and Lew Married bliss |
|
Ability
to swing Married bliss |
|
2004 from
June Look out for a
young trumpet player called Matthew Jodrell (he's gonna try to get
a blow at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in July —do you get down there?)
— he is a great player, very inventive, and good chops —also
a very good piano player. He is also going to be doing some gigs
in By the way Ron,
you are older than us — by one year. We have
just had our 74th birthdays—my God, Danny Moss and
his family settled here in Lew again... June's interpolation
mucked things up so I will continue by thanking you for putting us in
touch with Jack Peberdy and Betty Smith, we were able to send belated
birthday greetings for Betty and Jack was really pleased to hear from
us. Derek Burn also, with whom I had a
long phone conversation. He played with Charles Amer's band in We followed up the prompts that you gave us locating the Sampson reunion. The photosyou’re your description of the event reminded me of the time I was on holiday in London in 1988 and attended the John Dankworth Big band reunion concert at the Barbican on its 25th anniversary. It was hard to recognise some of the guys then, so no wonder you had trouble after 40 years........ incidentally John has written a autobiography which is quite worth reading but not as interesting as ''A Jazz Odyssey" by Oscar Peterson. The Eric Delaney 80th birthday bash sounded like a ball and it is pleasing to hear that there is a small colony of expat musos around Benidorm, I presume because of the climate and relaxed lifestyle. June and I did a cruise on the QE2 in 1998 and called in at Barcelona, and in 1999 visited Loule in the Algarve where June's brother has retired. We had a great time on both trips but have not been back since. Our climate is very similar to yours in Spain and we enjoy the beach and swimming for most of the year. June and I enjoyed reading your Author Author and were amazed at the range of your accomplishments. I was aware of some of your activities through the Crescendo magazine and thought that you had a flair for writing which could have rivalled Benny Green in that field. Thus we were not surprised to read that you had written plays and lyrics, edited a German newsletter and had been a radio presenter. The hearing loss must have been a blow at the time (sitting too close to the drummer?) but obviously not as serious as your later dental mishap. However it allowed you to develop your other talents, including piano and arranging which you were able to exploit in the excellent German context. Danny Moss has told me of the fine orchestras and groups he has played with over there. You certainly were able to mix with the very best European and visiting American jazzers. I think that is enough for now and I will fill you in about our activities over the past 40 years in future communications. Hi Ron from Lew…June and I have had a few gigs doing our Fats Waller tribute and others, also I have a Benny Goodman tribute soon, so it is necessary to do some wood(y) shedding to get my clarinet technique in shape. We have also had some winter colds...(June here...I will not have another flu injection ever!...I am not supposed to get the flu after having these bloody injections....oh well shut up June, Lew wants to take over again.) Our ways divided no matter dear, fate has decided, but never fear, love has provided a memory that keeps you closer to me. True hearts grow fonder apart, they say, so do not worry how long the day while we're apart— just tell your heart—Au revoir— altho' we're apart in the heart of me, here you are. Au revoir —as a song lingers on in the memory, so you are always dear to me, like a star forms afar you'll appear to me. So my sweet, till we meet— Au revoir… Er—they are the lyrics to J’Attendrai you asked for…I can just picture you crooning this sentimental tosh wearing a beret, with a Jean Sablon moustache and playing a syruppy second chorus on trumpet a la Eddie Calvert. Don’t forget to send us the video. I'm glad you enjoyed June's vocals despite the rough recordings. Our four grown up kids have been trying to get her to do a studio C.D. but she claims that she wouldn’t perform well without an audience. I rang Derek Burn and thanked him for the Dankworth band brochure. It brought back many memories as we had 2 weeks rehearsal before the band debuted at the Astoria Nottingham in May 1953. I was sorry to leave the band after 6 months but wanted to be a soloist as well as lead alto so went with Eric Winstone's more commercial outfit. I regretted the move as Dankworth had many fine players and great guys like Bill LeSage, Keith Christie, Derek Abbott and Bill Metcalf—all gone to the big band in the sky, I'm sad to say. Sorry if Rex and I looked lugubrious in the picture of the sax section but our band jackets were a sickly yellow whilst the trumpet section had bold red ones—enough to sadden the most cheerful comic. Thanks for making enquiries
about Charlie Rowlands—he is probably deceased by now, but did do some
work for Billy Burton in the 60's. As far as I know Bill is still living
in Hi Ron, June here...Betty Smith and I were working with Blanche Coleman's girls band on the pier when that photo of us on the other page was taken in 1946...playing in the pit for the variety show and also doing a short stage show. Can't remember how we all met up, but I think I may have been going to Tommy McQuater from the Squads Band at Butlins Camp for some lessons...and by God I needed them...Blanch only took me on because I could sing, so it was a question of learning by trial and error...I was never as good a musician as Betty Smith, although I did try to emulate her by learning to smoke and drink... gave both up a few years ago, so you could say I've become a bit of a wowser!!!...although I really have taken up swearing since I’ve been in Australia (OZ)...you don't have to have such a good vocabulary when you can use all the choice swear words...You may give our email to the guy you mentioned re Ivy Benson..ta! Lew and I have enjoyed your notes, letters etc and hearing of your reunions with some notable players—long may they continue, as there is nothing more uplifting than having a blow/sing/listen to some good swinging jazz. Hi Ron from Lew ...I feel
very guilty in being so dilatory in responding to your Epistles and Xmas greetings
but will try to make amends. June and I went over to June and I enjoyed our visit as Sydney has a lot to offer as a tourist destination and I had a couple of blows, both with trumpet leaders in main stream mode Ron Henderson and Bruce Johnson. On our return I organised tributes to Count Basie, Stan Getz and Herbie Mann which take a lot of time in research, ehearsal, &etc., however all were well received and worth the effort. Jazz Fremantle, of which I am band booker and newsletter writer, is in recess till February but there has been quite a lot to do as we are moving venue this month. I spent a lot of time sending Xmas cards as I usually write a few lines with each one to let our friends know what we have been up to through the year—I must start using the computer technology to save time....... We also had a few gigs including New Years’ Eve, which we don’t normally do but got talked into, and it was a bit of a chore. I first met Don Reeves in the
Teddy Foster band and we became good friends as we were neighbours
in Streatham for a long time. Don told me that he sat in with the Mike
Smith band and had a flat out in Don & Eileen Lusher paid
us a visit out here a few years back and thoroughly enjoyedtheir stay
in I retired from teaching instrumental music in 1996 and apart from my jazz activities I am a keen social tennis player and swim all the year round to keep fit. Thanks a lot for the news from Bob Efford re Maynard Ferguson in L.A. and it was quite a coincidence as when we were over in Sydney I met an old friend who had just returned from San Francisco. He had booked into a hotel and on arrival found the Maynard Ferguson big band were playing there by chance —and he said it was one of the highlights of his trip. Copyright © 2005, Jazz Professional. All Rights Reserved |