I was tidying up some tapes, discs and files yesterday and came across something
I had forgotten all about.... the video of our trip to the Cork Jazz Festival in
1994.
It was an interesting trip to say the least (as anyone involved will confirm)
from the time we set off from Les Moore's house in Burnage in a coach which, as
we later discovered, left a trail of oil all the way to Anglesey. We stopped off
at the Gadlys Hotel to entertain the somewhat sparse public for a couple of
hours and left there at around midnight to catch the ferry.
Loaded with instrument cases, including a double bass and two drum kits, around
a dozen non-too-sober musicians and hangers-on plus one not-at-all sober leader,
the bus ground to a halt around midnight on a dark country lane surrounded by
fields of baa-ing sheep, some distance from the ferry terminal.
We eventually made it to Cork by hovercraft, trains and buses. One day I'll
write the story - annoying and frustrating at the time: memorable and hilarious
after 17 years.
The reconditioned old banger turned up in Cork the day before we were due to
come home. I flew back !!!
I've chopped out a few more musical snippets from the video and will put some of
them on YouTube but this is the first one - Hugh Gerrard, Gerry Owen, Eric
Brierley, Les Moore, Annie Hawkins and me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=1wA6rxANXU0 It's not very often that Hughie (or his long-suffering sidekick
Gerry for that matter) gets a viewing or a listen so this is a real treat.
Other reprobates on the trip and in the video clips include Copper, Gabe, Arthur
Williams, Ron Mckay, Jeff Roberts, Pete Whitehead & Stan.
Graham Martindale
Tiger Rag: Hugh Gerrard, Gerry Owen, Eric Brierley,
Les Moore, Annie Hawkins, Graham Martindale
I’ve put some more clips of the Cork Trip
on YouTube. They’re all under my “graydale2” name and all called “Jammin’ at
The Galdys”.
There are also a couple of French
Quarter Parade Band video and a couple of excerpts from a rather dark
(physical, not metaphysical) session by the French Quarter Band at the
Eagley Sports Club, one with a lovely Jack Jenkinson vocal.
Graham Martindale 17/07/11
Copper, John Brunton, Annie & Ron
Copper, John Brunton, Arthur Williams, Annie, Les &
Ron play the blues
Arthur & Hughie with Les, Ron & Annie play Ice Cream
New Orleans Express - Hughie, Gerrry, Eric, Les, Pete
& Graham play "Papa Dip" on our way to Cork 1994
You can see more of Graham
Martindale's videos
here