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11/06/2008

‘SITTING  IN’

Some reminiscences by a jazz musician

Looking back to another East Anglian event

 

Some reminiscences by Tony Jullings (pictured)

 

This summer will see the 50th anniversary of the National Jazz Band Contest of 1958.  You were not born then?  I’ll tell you about it.

 

In the early fifties there didn’t seem to be anyone in or around the Lowestoft area who was interested in jazz.  I used to receive Jazz Journal magazine by mail, so I wrote and  asked if   they  had any other  subscribers  in  East Anglia.  There was

only one, a guy named Sam Benjamin, who lived in Bury St. Edmunds.   I wrote to him and later went to meet him.  Sam was a real fan; he had a wardrobe full of 78 r.p.m. records, had named his little son Louis, and had a photograph of  himself in the company of  Lionel Hampton.

 

Some time later, Sam informed me that he was a member of a committee organising a National Jazz Band Contest sponsored by Bury St Edmunds Round Table and the International Jazz Club, to be held at - - - -

London? - - Birmingham? - - Manchester?  No. Bury St. Edmunds, of course. The previous year had seen a Round Table Skiffle Contest with forty-four groups taking part - the mind boggles.

 

The judges for the jazz event included Owen Bryce, described in the programme as “the jazz farmer from Kent, a bearded intellectual whose trumpet playing helped herald Europe’s jazz revival”.  Owen played in the pioneering George Webb’s Dixielanders, and is still active today.  Graham Boatfield was the other judge, a contributor to Jazz Journal, and a man of broad musical tastes.

 

I’ll quote from Graham’s account of the event - “Just how one compares sturdy New Orleans banjo players, ultra modern cymbal tappers, powerhouse mainstream Basie-ites and the remaining members of the ship’s orchestra of the Robert E Lee is a problem for the master minds of the critical high command.  By the use of some advanced mathematics and completely independent markings for jazz feeling, presentation, originality, and musicianship, it was possible to make some headway.  As expected, it rained.”

 

The winning band was the Collegians Jazz Band from Norwich; second, the Gus Galbraith Septet from Surrey, and third, the Honington Modern Jazz Quartet.

 

The Collegians had existed for ten years with quite a stable personnel, two of whom are still active, very much so in the persons of Pete Oxborough on clarinet, for whom the word ebullient was invented, and Colin Burleigh, extrovert vocalist and now drummer, stand-up comedian and Father Christmas at Jarrold’s Department Store.  Ian Bell, who died a few years ago, was the excellent trombonist, and Pete Webb was on trumpet in the contest, but could play just about any instrument.  He was a laconic chap and anyone who requested a tune he didn’t like would receive a two-word invitation to depart.

 

From the Gus Galbraith Septet the trumpet-playing leader went on to join the Johnny Dankworth Orchestra.  On alto sax was Peter King, yes, the Peter King.  The great Dick Morrissey was on clarinet.

 

Tom Collins from Colchester also had a band entered in the contest.  Tom died recently after a long illness.

 

At this time I was playing clarinet in the Tailgate Jazz Band from Bungay, along with Robin Burgess on sousaphone (he now plays with Red Beans ’n’ Rice) also Ginger and Barbara Greene, on trumpet and banjo respectively.  I think we came seventh - - - -

 

Graham Boatfield summed up, “The rest of the field spread out behind, but only five came below the half-mark line.  Most of the groups enjoyed their jazz, and that is the main thing.  The better ones could put a little light-and-shade into their music, although this is a pressing need among some of the also-rans. Curiously, both banjo-detesting judges were obliged to commend one banjo player for that very thing”  That banjo player was -  Barbara Greene, whose playing still enlivens the local scene.

 

And Sam Benjamin?  I don’t know - - - are you still out there Sam?

Tony Jullings, March 2008

 

SJF Steering Group tender their thanks to Tony for this short, but interesting, piece.  We hope he may have more at a later date.