Odds and ends...

Kitty Grime / Tony Hall / Rik Gunnell / Bix Curtis '50s names... Kenny Graham suggests ways to learn to improvise... Melody Maker reader poll results 1950s - 1960s - 1970s... Recollections from the clubs of the '50s and '60s...Alan Bond Kenny Graham in retrospect...Britain's jazz original... Don Rendell remembers Denis Rose (late 1945-47)...interview Don Rendell on the London clubs... Don Rendell on the Johnny Dankworth Seven...interview Memories of Jimmy Deuchar...Ron Simmonds Denis Rose - after Club Eleven...Jazz Journal The new Tubby Hayes Quintet (1962)...heard live Dizzy Reece - An Introduction (1959)...Jazz Monthly Tommy Whittle - in conversation with Jazz Journal (1978) The humour of Ronnie Scott "these are the jokes"... Denis Rose in his own words interview Wally Wrightman on Cab Kaye and the Mandrake Club. Doug Dobell and the '77' record label British jazz history Ron Simmonds on the big bands...interview The London jazz clubs c1955...notes Ronnie Scott's - early days at 39 Gerrard Street Ronnie Scott's - the move to 47 Frith Street Tubby Hayes...interview Tony Kinsey reminisces...interview Memories of Basil Kirchin...Mike Senn Ronnie Scott in 1963...interview Don Rendell - Early days...Jazz Monthly Bill Eyden - drum master Phil Seamen story Jimmy Deuchar...talking in 1985 The story of the Feldman Swing Club

Research carried out at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland into the personalities of people who like different kinds of music, has discovered that jazz fans are "creative, outgoing, chilled out and have high self esteem". Professor Adrian North who led the study believes that fans of jazz and soul music "have the 'best' type of personality traits, showing all positive traits". "Jazz people transcend national boundaries, having more in common with another jazz fan in another continent than they would with a fan of a different musical style in their own country". According to Ronnie Scott the first jazz record shop opened in 1927. It was Levy's and was in Whitechapel Road in the east end of London. It was opened by a street market record seller in response to the increased interest in hot music. Scott remembers that in 1944 he, Tony Crombie and others recorded in a tiny studio there.

Many sources have been plundered in preparing this website and will continue to be revisited as it expands. Acknowledgements are due to the following: Tom Lord's Jazz Discography ; Jazz Monthly and Jazz Journal magazines ; The Decca Book of Jazz (published by Frederick Muller in 1960, specifically the essential chapter by Tony Hall on "The Growth Of Modern Jazz in Britain") ; Jazz: The Essential Companion (published by Collins in 1987) ; Melody Maker ; Who's Who of British Jazz by John Chilton (published by Continuum 2004) ; The many sleeve notes and booklets authored by Brian Davis, particularly the booklet accompanying the Charly Record's 4 CD set "bebop in Britain" issued in 1991 ; The National Jazz Archive at Loughton Central Library ; Tony Middleton for his kind permission to include extracts from his booklets on the Kirchin Band, Johnny Claes, Tommy Sampson and his Orchestra and the Jazz Couriers ; The Festival Hall East Kirkby - Band Call 1950 to 1963 by Trevor Lee ; Kitty Grime's book "Jazz at Ronnie Scott's" (published by Robert Hale Limited in 1979) ; Jazz musician and writer Simon Spillett ; Keith Greenhalf ; Richard Hazlewood ; John Gaylor ; Steve Bartlett ; Graham Wood ; Alan Bond ;

This page was last updated during August, 2022.
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