BillF

You're right, Clunky. This one used to be really major in my youth - hear of it rarely now. Really stellar line-up - Horace Silver, Monk, J J, Art Blakey IIRC.

Yes, around 1950 when I was 10 the BBC Light Programme (forerunner of Radio 2) churned out hours of that Shearing-type sound. There was a factory near my school full of young women operatives and that sound came out of the windows all day. (This was also the era of "Workers' Playtime".)

Calista Flockhart Archie Sheep Bobby Lamb

The BBC has just announced the death of George Shearing.

Cripple Clarence Lofton Tricky Lofton Tricky Dicky

King Curtis Monarch of the Glen Colin Stagg

Yes, Jeff, that's a nice one!

Greg Abate spends part of each summer in the UK, where, like Alan Barnes, he's very involved in jazz education. I saw them in a very entertaining gig at Wigan in 2009. I forgot to mention this additional aspect of Barnes' activities. He himself is a product of Leeds College Music's Jazz and Light Music course, the first jazz education course in the UK and I saw him doing his bit for today's students last year in Manchester when he led the Royal Northern College of Music's big band through a concert of Basie numbers after a weekend's tutoring.

I don't know Alan Barnes on record, but have heard him live more times than I can remember. Your commment on his style is interesting, Bev. I grew up expecting all altoists of a certain age to sound like Bird, and that certainly isn't Alan. Yes, there could be something of Phil Woods there, but equally something from Tab Smith, Louis Jordan or even Hodges. And, of course, there's his baritone and clarinet playing - and I've heard him on tenor, too. It all adds up to a musician of very high technical accomplishment and I guess his chameleon character is typical of our times, as well as his knowledge of, and influences from, jazz history. Did someone say postmodernism?

Fascinating interview! What's unsaid is as revealing as what's said - as laconic as his playing. Thanks, Chris.

Electra George Cables Bobby Short

Yes, nice show, even though I have #3,4,5,6,8 and 10 in my (admittedly small) record collection!

Rex Stewart Oedipus Rex Jocasta

"Blues for Moody: A Musical Remembrance" on Night Lights from WFIU

Footballaget Fart Walter the Farting Dog Paul Boomer

Clarence Profit Al Sears

Robbie the Robot R2D2 Marvin the Paranoid Android

Charles Dickens George Eliot Lily Savage

The Bard of Knotty Ash Javier Bardem The Bard

Harry Palmer Len Deighton Lady Day

Ciggy Elman Lesley Ash Crystal Tipps and Alastair

IIRC he's on lots of my Mulligan albums, in particular alternating with Jon Eardley in the Sextet and in the Concert Jazz Band, where he often played alongside Nick Travis, whom I associate with him. He's on two of my Konitz albums and has a very regular style of phrasing which I put down to Tristano influence.

Ozric Tentacles Paulie Walnuts Cracker

No. Bracknell's a bit far south for me!