Heard in the Break
Written by Andrew Liddle for the July 2017 edition of Just Jazz magazine
John Hallam
Reproduced by kind permission of Andrew Liddle & Just Jazz Magazine

Talk to people about the great reedmen on the circuit and John Hallam's name quickly crops up, and those in the know always say the same things. They give glowing testaments to his professionalism, adaptability, modesty and, not least, his bravura talent on clarinet and tenor. One of the hardest working musicians, judging from the number of times he crops up at festivals and gigs of all types, he has the ability to lift bands and crowds the moment he takes his first solo.

Tell me about your classical training as a clarinettist.

Although I was classically trained for five years, unfortunately I was unable to go to Music College because at that time you had to play piano as a second study. We didn't even have a piano!

At what point did you have a change of direction towards Jazz?  Was this a sudden conversion or a series of stages?

A chance meeting with Mickey Cooke and a few friends led us to start a jazz band. Mickey had various traditional jazz records and he knew how to get things going. It was obvious then he would go onto greater things - and was later to play with Terry Lightfoot, Acker Bilk and latterly with the Alex Welsh Band.  One of the first  LPs I ever bought was Clarinet Jamboree (now out on CD with Lake Records). It was various rhythm sections featuring the clarinets of Acker Bilk, Terry Lightfoot, Archie Semple and Sandy Brown. What blew me away was that though they were all playing the same instrument, they all sounded completely different. So having been brought up to make what was termed 'the correct sound on clarinet', it was a complete mystery but also a new insight  into a whole new world called Jazz.

Who were your first Jazz influences and who did you want to play like?

Jazz influences on clarinet ? I suppose it's fair to say that I wanted to play like all of them. Sandy Brown's big tone,  Acker's Swing, Archie Semple's exciting phrasing and Terry's precise delivery. It's very difficult to choose one.  I also very much liked Dave Jones with the Kenny Ball Band. In my opinion he had everything and was a very underrated player.

So what was your first band and what kind of music was it playing?

The first band I played with was The Blue Lotus Jazz Band with Mickey Cooke and four other local lads, playing traditional jazz. Apart from Mickey, we were all terrible but we were never embarrassed by our efforts, so we struggled on together and it seemed to work out all right.

Tell me about subsequent bands and what you are doing presently.

At the time I did some work with a local dance band and a military band which kept my reading up to scratch. The big chance for me was in 1968 when Sheila Collier asked me to join the Smoky City Jazz Band which I jumped at and stayed for 21 very enjoyable years playing clarinet, alto and baritone sax. For the last 28 years I have been guesting with bands and working with various rhythm sections around the country. Since 2010, Barbara and I have been organizing Jazz Weekends in the Lake District.

When did you first become a freelance player as opposed to a member of various bands?

In 1989 I went freelance, but prior to that I had some lessons with Randy Coleville. He took me down to the MSG in Manchester to - as he put it - listen to a real band. This was the Alex Welsh Band,  with Roy Williams, John Barnes, Jim Douglas, Fred Hunt, Ron Matthewson and Lenny Hastings. I never thought at the time that one day I would be playing with some of them.

When did you take up the tenor and did doing so bring about significant changes?

It was during that time various Americans joined the Band on tour. The MSG then paraded all these stars, one being Eddie Miller on tenor sax. He really fascinated me and drew me to the instrument, changing my perception forever. I got to talk to him and, in true modest style, he told me to listen to the records of Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster etc.

Who would be your idea of the greatest tenor player and what is the greatest ever tenor solo?

The greatest tenor player?  It's difficult to say as there are so many. Solo-wise it has to be Coleman Hawkins playing Body and Soul which set the benchmark.

How much is it a case of the instrument  - either clarinet or tenor - imposing its style on what you play; or you imposing  your  style on the instrument? 

Style-wise I tend to pick the piece that brings out the best of each instrument. Possibly it's how I hear it in my head, but difficult to pin down any formula.

You play an extremely wide spectrum of Jazz.  Can you say a little about how this has come about and why you enjoy the challenge?

I'm very fortunate that I enjoy many styles of jazz and would always play any piece of music that captures my imagination.

When you are booked to appear somewhere - a festival perhaps - do you like to know in advance quite clearly what you are going to be playing or do you like the challenge of not knowing?

When booked on festivals, it's nice to know who you're working with, if only to prepare yourself, but it can be exciting to be thrown into something new as it does sharpen things up.

How much 'reading' do you do these days? 

A fair amount but not as much as I would like to do. You can lose it if you don't use it!

What unfulfilled ambitions do you still have?

Definitely to play my instruments to the best I'm ever going to be capable of, and to sit down and play the piano and enjoy it!

If there is one band you would have liked to have played with - whose would it have been?

That's a tough choice, but in this country it would be between Alex Welsh or Humphrey Lyttelton's  bands. If in America, it would be the Woody Herman Band and to follow in Joe Temperley's footsteps as it never did him any harm!

Andrew Liddle