BillF

Eve Boswell Uri Caine Abel Gance

Today I saw Somers Town, a recent film in B&W by British director, Shane Meadows. 'Fraid it wasn't as good as Meadows' last offering, This Is England.

Benjamin Franklin Joe Benjamin Sarah Vaughan

Bebop Spoken Here from KBCS. Now playing: Charlie Parker & the Woody Herman Orchestra with Bird learning the middle eight of "Four Brothers" as he goes along!!!

Ford Prefect Austin Powers Morris Zapp

Osbert Lancaster Michael York Leonard Cheshire

King Kolax Prince Lasha Emperor Roscoe

Yes, Ephemera is a great album, which I have on vinyl, with back cover photo of Pepper in London's Soho, where it was recorded. Saw him with the Jones/Lewis orchestra (Hanna/Mraz/Lewis rhythm section) in Manchester in 1978, so they must have visited Britain more than once in the seventies. BillF. Ephemera was, I believe, recorded on tour with Thad and Mel in '73, so that was the year you would have seen the big band with that rhythm section. The pianist with the band in '78 was most likely Harold Danko and probably Bob Bowman on bass. It's easy for all the tours to kind of merge into one (especially 30+ years ago). Thanks for jogging the memory! It was certainly no earlier than 1977 and Richard Davis may have been the bassist.

Dave Burns Elmon Wright Lamar Wright (Gillespie trumpet section members)

Two great ones. Enjoy!

Peter Gunn Shelly Manne Shelley Berman

Robbin's Nest Sir Charles Thompson Sir Charles Chaplin

Yes, Ephemera is a great album, which I have on vinyl, with back cover photo of Pepper in London's Soho, where it was recorded. Saw him with the Jones/Lewis orchestra (Hanna/Mraz/Lewis rhythm section) in Manchester in 1978, so they must have visited Britain more than once in the seventies.

Oscar Rabin Stanley Black Geraldo (British dance band leaders)

Robert Vaughn Jules Verne Vern Friley

The Railway Children When we climbed the slopes of the cutting We were eye-level with the white cups Of the telegraph poles and the sizzling wires. Like lovely freehand they curved for miles East and miles west beyond us, sagging Under their burden of swallows. We were small and thought we knew nothing Worth knowing. We thought words travelled the wires In the shiny pouches of raindrops, Each one seeded full with the light Of the sky, the gleam of the lines, and ourselves So infinitesimally scaled We could stream through the eye of a needle. - Seamus Heaney

Shelly Manne and his Men, West Coast Jazz in England (Jazz Groove)

Lene Lovich Wreckless Eric Tenpole Tudor Rod Stewart Barbara Windsor Adolphe Sax (Coburg)

Danny Boyle Stephen Fry Stu Williamson

Joe Bananas Sharkey Bonano Nana Mouskouri

At one JJ gig in NYC I was so close to the man that his slide was going backwards and forwards right over my head. That was the fine group with Dan Faulk and Rene Rosnes. That occasion brought back fond memories yesterday whilst diggin' the 'Heroes' CD. Fortunately. his placement with the slide was immaculate ! A great opportunity to check out at close quarter the famous 'JJ' sound - right out of the bell. Wow! That must have been an experience! Many of the ones I saw were far from close up - buried in the ranks of the Ellington and Basie bands!

Thanks for posting that, Sidewinder. Perhaps I should look at the Telegraph more often! No problem. As it was, I found it just by chance ! I'm a Guardian reader and they certainly do their bit for jazz; e.g. a lengthy obituary of Lee Young yesterday.

Charlot Topolino Coco

Dougal Florence Zebedee

Got that recently on Candid CD. That latter-day Victor Feldman piano is really something - not to mention the leader!