What Jimmy means to me |
Jimmy Mesene is one of the "characters" from the English dance band world, and besides his undoubted vocal ability he used his guitar skills and good stage presence to ably support both Nat Gonella and Al Bowlly in the theatre. Jimmy is remembered by those whose lives he touched as an irreprssible bon viveur, full of good humour and as a good friend... As a very young aspiring musician in about 1940/41 I wrote to Jimmy offering myself as a pianist in his band which was playing in a night club. I did not succeed in getting the job, (I was far too inexperienced), but found Jimmy to be a thoroughly nice, kind man as was his friend/(?business partner) whose name, I believe, was Jimmy(?Don) Wilson. He was Director of the Cinephonic Music Co. I corresponded with Jimmy a couple of times after that and he always responded in a courteous friendly way. A good man! Ken Overton, former piano player with Carl Barriteau and Harry Parry. (Ken later contacted us to say that in November, 1943 he received a letter headed "Jimmy Mesene and his Quintet" who were then resident at The Bristol Grill in Cork Street, London W1. The letter was signed by Don Wilson as Jimmy's personal manager from 100 Charing Cross Road, WC2). We do not know how long Jimmy and the Quintet were at The Bristol Grill or who the other musicians were but it does give a hint of what Jimmy was doing in the war years. Jimmy Mesene is surely the benchmark by which all other singers must be judged. Some singers can sing and then whistle, others can throw in a bit of yodelling, some may even be able to pour their hearts out with some emotional talking during a quiet bit of the song. Not many, if any, can do all of this – in a single song – and still manage to pull off a sensational big finish. Jimmy could. If you don’t believe me you need only listen to “You Made Me Care”. If you need further proof, look no further than the beautiful “Sweetest Sweetheart of All” and “The Greatest Mistake of My Life” – both songs have such powerful climaxes that it’s difficult to believe it was achieved without the use of an extra lung. And incidentally, both songs were also written by Jimmy. Multi talented doesn’t even begin to sum him up. There was humour in his singing too; it’s impossible to listen to him sing, in his lilting exotic accent, a lyric such as “I’m jealous of the birdies in the trees” (from “Jealous”) without smiling. Or the little vocal flourishes of “la de dee de dee dee” used to mask where he forgot the lyrics. If my earlier mention of yodelling excited you then you simply must listen to his duet with Al Bowlly “Make Believe Island/The Woodpecker Song”. Not only will you be rewarded with hearing Jimmy sing the couplet, “To serenade your lady/Just find a tree that’s shady” but you will also hear counterpoint stylised yodelling and some pretty bizarre humming trumpet noises provided by both men. If singing gets any better than that, I certainly haven’t come across it. What does Jimmy mean to me? Top notch entertainment. Samantha, fan The first track I ever heard was “You Made Me Care” – this has everything: a beautiful waltz tempo and Jimmy singing and whistling – I feel as if he is singing this just to me! His masterpiece, “The Greatest Mistake of My Life” is sung with such great feeling; this was brought home to me more when I heard the same track sung and ruined by another artist. Jimmy, for me, has to be a solo artist – I am not keen in his duets. Bebe, fan My aunt.......remembers him as being extremely good looking with a deep booming voice that constantly burst out into song. He was also rather fond of the occasional drink! Fred, Jimmy's nephew Like Al (Bowlly), he was a very excitable fellow. He used to sing with my band, and I remember him drinking a bottle of whisky in the dressing room before going on stage. Then he’d forget the words of his song, and he’d have to finish it in scat – ba de de dee da ba da da! But you had to get on with Jimmy Mesene, he was a very funny guy – he’d kiss you every moment if he could. Nat Gonella, bandleader I had worked a few times with Nat (Gonella) and therefore knew the lovable character Messini – and when I say ‘character’ I really mean it – there was only one JM! Noel Webb, musician Jimmy is a unique listening experience. In my youth my family had a lot of old 78's featuring the bands and singers from the 30's and 40's and many of the labels would just name the song title, the band and the words 'with vocal refrain'. Most of these 'vocal refrains' were very bland. Jimmy was far more than just a 'vocal refrain'. His song renditions often turned into truly memorable performances and were unlike any other version of the same song. I do not remember him from my early years but was introduced to him a few years ago and have enjoyed his singing ever since. From what I have learned, he was a larger than life character with a talent for writing and singing melancholy songs about lost love, that remind me of the era of palais dancing, now long gone. An admirer |
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