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The Melody Maker readers polls - 4...
For 74 years the Melody Maker was the weekly 'trade paper' for the dance band and jazz musician as well as all those interested in the modern music scene. One of it's continuing features and talking points were the annual Readers Polls where readers voted under different categories for individual musicians, singers, big bands and a host of other categories.

Roger Farbey writes: "The Melody Maker was the premier popular music newspaper of the 20th Century. Its annual Jazz Polls were a major event in the Jazz world but were also an important historical record of the state of British Jazz through the years."
The polls preserve some of the historical perspective on British Jazz, which the Melody Maker dutifully reflected for many years.
This fourth page of the Readers Polls covers the period 1970 to 1973. The results from the later 1960s can be seen on a separate page link... and the first half of the 1960s are on another page link...

The 1960s were noticeable for the dominance of Tubby Hayes but his dominance faded as the 1970s progressed. Ill health followed by his early death in 1973 were, of course, the reasons for this.


Year 1970 - Results published on March 6th, 1971
Top musician:
Trumpet:
Trombone:
Clarinet:
Flute:
Alto sax:
Tenor sax:
Baritone sax:
Vibes:
Piano:
Organ:
Guitar:
Bass:
Drums:
Arranger:
Composer:
Big band:
Small group:
New star:
Male singer:
Female singer:
Blues artist:
Miscellaneous:
LP of the year:
John Surman
Kenny Wheeler
Paul Rutherford
Sandy Brown
Harold McNair
Mike Osborne
Alan Skidmore
John Surman
Frank Ricotti
Keith Tippett
Mike Ratledge
John McLaughlin
Dave Holland
Tony Oxley
Mike Gibbs
Mike Gibbs
Mike Westbrook
Nucleus
Mike Gibbs
Georgie Fame
Norma Winstone
John Mayall
John Surman
The Trio
Four names featured prominently this year: Mike Gibbs, John Surman, Mike Westbrook and Mike Osborne. In addition to his three top spots listed on the left Mike Gibbs finished in second place in three other sections of the poll - Top musician, Big band and LP of the year. John Surman had three first places and Mike Westbrook besides winning the Big band poll was in second place in the Composer and Arranger sections. Besides his Alto sax win Mike Osborne came second in the Clarinet section and third iin the New star category.

This year only the first three names in each poll were disclosed which made it difficult to keep in touch with some of the older names. After his success through the 1960s Tubby Hayes could only muster two third places in the Tenor sax and Vibes section. Other names from the past who made it into the top three in their instrumental sections were Tony Coe (Clarinet), Bill Le Sage (Vibes) and Ronnie Ross (Baritone sax).

Traditional jazz musicians had by now virtually disappeared from the listings. Sandy Brown hung onto the Clarinet top ranking although he was no longer playing 'trad' but Alex Welsh was the third most popular Small group.
New section winners included Norma Winstone, Paul Rutherford, Alan Skidmore, Keith Tippett, Mike Ratledge and Dave Holland.
Besides topping the Drums section Tony Oxley was voted into third place in the Composer section and his LP titled "Four Compositions" was voted third most popular LP of the year. full poll results...


Year 1971 - Results published on February 26th, 1972
Top musician:
Trumpet:
Trombone:
Clarinet:
Flute:
Alto sax:
Soprano sax:
Tenor sax:
Baritone sax:
Vibes:
Piano:
Organ:
Guitar:
Bass:
Violin:
Drums:
Arranger:
Composer:
Big band:
Small group:
New star:
Male singer:
Female singer:
Blues artist:
Miscellaneous:
LP of the year:
John Surman
Harry Beckett
Paul Rutherford
Mike Osborne
Bob Downes
Mike Osborne
John Surman
Alan Skidmore
John Surman
Frank Ricotti
Keith Tippett
Mike Ratledge
John McLaughlin
Jack Bruce
Henry Lowther
Tony Oxley
Mike Gibbs
Mike Gibbs
Centipede
Nucleus
Stan Sulzmann
Jack Bruce
Norma Winstone
John Mayall
Karl Jenkins
Centipede
As in the previous year only the top three musicians in each section were listed by the Melody Maker. Two new sections were added for this year, violin and soprano saxophone, instruments that many a veteran jazz listener would have recoiled in horror from. The soprano saxophone has always reminded me of somebody attempting to play jazz on the bagpipes and as for the violin as a jazz instrument how mnay jazz violinists have been popular?
The soprano saxophone section did bring Don Rendell back into the public eye with third place behind John Surman and Evan Parker. Other players from the 1950s and '60s to get into the top three included Tony Coe and Sandy Brown (Clarinet), Peter King (Alto), Ronnie Ross (Baritone), Ian Carr (Trumpet), Ronnie Scott (Tenor) and Bill Le Sage (vibes).
With three first places and a third in the Small group section with his Trio John Surman was the standout performer in the polls. For the third consecutive year he was chosen as Top musician. The Big band section took on a new look with Centipede topping the poll and Brotherhood of Breath voted into second place. In addition the Centipede LP 'Septober Energy' was chosen as LP of the year. Centipede were a jazz / progressive rock band led by Keith Tippett that had about fifty members and had close links with Nucleus and Soft Machine the first two names in the Small group poll. Brotherhood of Breath were a free jazz band that included many South African musicians in their ranks. Many British free jazz musicians worked with them from time to time including Evan Parker, Paul Rutherford, Harry Beckett, Alan Skidmore, Mike Osborne, Elton Dean and John Surman. The popularity of this kind of music and it's players is clearly seen by the poll results. full poll results...


Year 1972/3 - Results published on June 30th, 1973
Top musician:
Trumpet:
Trombone:
Clarinet:
Flute:
Alto sax:
Soprano sax:
Tenor sax:
Baritone sax:
Vibes:
Piano:
Organ:
Guitar:
Bass:
Violin:
Drums:
Arranger:
Composer:
Big band:
Small group:
New star:
Male singer:
Female singer:
Blues artist:
Miscellaneous:
LP of the year:
McLaughlin / Gibbs
Harry Beckett
Paul Rutherford
Mike Osborne
Bob Downes
Mike Osborne
John Surman
Alan Skidmore
John Surman
Frank Ricotti
Stan Tracey
Mike Ratledge
John McLaughlin
Dave Holland
Henry Lowther
John Marshall
Mike Gibbs
Mike Gibbs
Mike Gibbs
Nucleus
Alan Holdsworth
George Melly
Norma Winstone
John Mayall
Karl Jenkins
Soft Machine
For the first time the top musician spot had joint winners. Guitarist John McLaughlin shared the award with band leader Mike Gibbs with previous winner John Surman in third place.
This was the year when the 'proper' jazz musicians started to fight back after several years of playing second fiddle to the so called 'free jazz' and 'jazz / progressive rock' groups. This year the Melody Maker listed the top five or six under each heading and it was clear that that the wheel was turning.
The Top musician poll included Stan Tracey and Johnny Dankworth, The Clarinet list included Tony Coe, Sandy Brown and Acker Bilk. Peter King and Bruce Turner were among the Alto sax leaders, Ronnie Ross was second in the Baritone sax poll and Stan Tracey was voted top pianist. Bill Le Sage and Tubby Hayes were second and third in the vibes section and Dankworth and Tracey were among the top arrangers. Dankworth's big band were fifth in the Big band section and George Melly won the Male singer competition. The Tenor sax section included Ronnie Scott, Tubby Hayes and Don Rendell in the top six and George Chisholm and Roy Williams appeared in the trombone top five. Tubby Hayes made another appearance in the Flute section which all seemed to indicate that the ascendency of the 'avant-garde' might be coming to an end.
Mike Gibbs had four number one spots, John Surman had two with places in three other sections, and guitarist John McLaughlin had two number ones. The LP of the year poll produced a surprise with the 'Phil Seamen Story' voted into third place. The LP was released after drummer Seamen's death in 1972 and one side of it was Seamen talking about his early days in the music business. full poll results...


Year 1974 - Results published on June 29th, 1974
Top musician:
Trumpet:
Trombone:
Clarinet:
Flute:
Alto sax:
Soprano sax:
Tenor sax:
Baritone sax:
Vibes:
Piano:
Organ:
Guitar:
Bass:
Violin:
Drums:
Arranger:
Composer:
Big band:
Small group:
New star:
Male singer:
Female singer:
Blues artist:
Miscellaneous:
LP of the year:
Mike Gibbs
Kenny Wheeler
Paul Rutherford
Sandy Brown
Bob Downes
Mike Osborne
John Surman
Alan Skidmore
John Surman
Frank Ricotti
Stan Tracey
Mike Ratledge
John McLaughlin
(see note 1)
Henry Lowther
John Marshall
Mike Gibbs
Mike Gibbs
Mike Gibbs
Soft Machine
Gary Boyle
George Melly
Cleo Laine
John Mayall
Karl Jenkins
Mike Gibbs
(Bass poll result note 1 - top place in the Bass poll was shared between Roy Babbington and Ron Mathewson)
In many ways a re-run of the previous year with most of last years winners retaining their top places and more veterans from the 1950s and '60s coming back into contention. One surprise was former traditional jazz clarinettist Sandy Brown coming back to take the Clarinet top spot. continuing the ex-trad theme Freddy Randall's band took second place in the Small group section and Freddy was placed fourth in the Trumpet section. George Melly again won the Male singer award and came second in the Blues artist poll. Diz Disley made it into fifth place in the Guitar section.

There was a comeback by John Dankworth whose band came in second in the Big band section, and he himself came second in the Composer, Arranger and Top musician polls and third in the Alto sax section. John's wife Cleo Laine returned as top Female singer.

Modern jazz musicians featured in the sax polls. Among them Tony Coe (clarinet), Peter King and Bruce Turner (alto), Danny Moss, Ronnie Scott and Don Rendell (tenor) and Ronnie Ross (baritone). Brian Lemon won a surprise second place behind Stan Tracey in the Piano section with Gordon Beck in fifth place.

Last year's top man Mike Gibbs had four number one places. This year he retained those four and added another to make five in total. His LP 'In the Public Interest' was voted the top LP of the year. full poll results...

For the second half of the 1960s click here...


This page was last updated during February, 2014.
Any comments welcomed, please click on email below...