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4052 Jazz 1 – Big Band Jazz
In my teens, in common with almost all teenagers, I took up pop music. In terms of distinctly teenage pop, and specifically Roch & Roll, I was in the first generation of this. I well remember the revolution that came about with Rock & Roll, though my introduction to it was via Bill Haley’s ‘Rock Around the Clock’ rather than through Elvis – who I never liked. ‘Rock Around the Clock’ was featured in the film ‘The Blackboard Jungle’, which I never saw, but along with my classmates I knew all about it; and we even got out bicycle chains to bang on our desks and terrify one poor teacher.
But my real first love was the BBC Showband. This was a big band which was incredibly popular on the radio, which still dominated the broadcast media, and featured Bert Weedon playing electric guitar.
From there I graduated to Big Band Jazz:
Duke Ellington – at the time, 1958, Norman Granz brought a number of artists to tour the UK and I saw the Duke at the Odeon Cinema, Liverpool’s biggest venue. It was the band which had the fabulous saxophone line-up; including Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney and Paul Gonzalves – along with Cat Anderson on trumpet. Duke’s repertoire of standards, especially the ‘A Train’, ‘Mood Indigo’ and ‘Don’t Get Around Much Anymore’ was marvelous, but my favourite selection then (and now) was that from his ‘Such Sweet Thunder’ suite based on Shakespeare’s plays.
Count Basie, who I saw with Sarah Vaughan, was not, in my opinion, in the same league; but he played much the same range of big band numbers.
Of course I never saw Glenn Miller, but more recently I have seen the US band that carries on his tradition; and found it excellent. The National Youth Big Band is also very good on the old numbers. Johnny Dankworth also has a big band, but interestingly a dance band; so that, even at the Stables, a full size dance floor - full of members of the audience - is created for this!
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