23/10/20 -

Earlier this week I was lying on my back on a bed in the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital with a newly fitted defibrillator counting the ceiling tiles when Terry Birkinhead rang me. We chatted for a while exchanging stories about guest musicians with North West bands we had encountered over the years, some humorous some serious. When he rang off I got to thinking there is a vast store of untold stories about these events and time's getting short! There are already lots of reminiscencies on your site but very few are concerned with visiting guest musicians, especially international stars.

The North West played a key role in the post-war revival of jazz in Britain, spearheaded by The Merseysippi Jazz Band and The Saints Jazz Band who played at the famous NFJO Festival Hall Concert on 14 July 1951. You've no doubt heard the recording and I have played with some of the musicians who took part and recalled the occasion. A number of North West musicians also made it onto the national stage including Roy Williams, Ron McKay, Ken Sims, the Christie brothers, John Barnes, Derek Galloway, George Melly and Johnny Tucker. There has been a thriving jazz scene in the North West ever since George Webb kick-started the revival in GB in the 1940s and jazz musicians owe a great debt to the volunteers who organise jazz clubs, provide work for the bands and fund appearances by special guests. The Manchester Sports Guild was foremost in booking national and international stars between 1961 and 1973. Jazz festival organisers, jazz club organisers, fans and musicians are sitting on a gold mine of untold stories, anecdotes, etc.

It might help if I give you a couple of examples of the kinds of things I'm talking about which are specific to special guests appearing with local bands. Tony Davis organised jazz festivals on Merseyside for a number of years and booked special guests to play with the local bands. On one such occasion Beryl Bryden (who played washboard on the Lonnie Donegan recording of Rock Island Line which made it to No. 8 in the British Hit Parade in January 1956) was booked to play with The Savoy Jazzmen at a pub on the Wirral. Although washboard bands were popular in the USA in the 1920s and the washboard made a mini come-back in the UK during the skiffle era Beryl was the only washboard player I have known to be a featured artist with jazz bands both in the UK and on the continent. She was a larger-than-life lady with real joie de vivre. Beryl liked to "boss" the bands she appeared with. When she arrived at the gig she handed out cards to members of the band listing the numbers she was going to sing, their keys, etc. and briefed the band. When she thought Ken Horton's attention was wandering she jabbed him in the chest like a naughty schoolboy and told him to pay attention! The gig went down a storm. Beryl was a consummate artist/cartoonist and produced marvellous calendars featuring jazz musicians which she sold on gigs. Her drawing of Johnny Dodds is a particular favourite of mine. I mentioned the Beryl gig to Sid Pye, a drummer from North Wales who spent years gigging around London. He told me that London jazzers would gather at Teddington Lock on a summer's day before an evening gig and one day Beryl appeared wearing an incredible '20s style swimsuit. She dived in and the water dived out!.

When Bruce Turner appeared with The Savoy Jazzmen at the Hesketh Arms jazz club in Southport he stayed at my house. When he emerged from Southport Railway Station I thought it was Spike Milligan! We chatted long into the night and it was fascinating to hear his opinions on famous reed players over the years (mainly American). He told me that he was suffering with severe arthritis of the hands and found it difficult to play the clarinet (which is very fiddly) so was tending to play more alto. We played to a packed house. Bruce was one of Britain's best improvisers. You could never second-guess what might emerge from the bell of his instrument next. He was totally unpredictable. Some wag in the audience shouted out the infamous "go home dirty bopper" call of the fifties. Bruce turned to me quizzically and asked what was going on. Today clarinet players who do not double on sax are almost unheard of - an almost extinct breed! Bruce had probably forgotten the earlier incident. He had a terrible memory for names and called everybody "dad" to avoid embarrassment. I have a signed copy of his autobiography Hot Air, Cool Music which I treasure.

I am aware that very many national and international jazz stars have guested with bands in the North West - players like Alvin Alcorn, Henry Red Allen, James Archey, Kenny Baker, John Barnes, Acker Bilk, Ruby Braff, Sandy Brown, Wendell Brunious, Campbell Burnap, Buck Clayton, Kid Sheikh Cola, Bill Coleman, Ken Colyer, Wild Bill Davison, Vic Dickenson, Al Fairweather, Pops Foster, Cie Frazier, Bud Freeman, Pat Halcox, Edmond Hall, Captain John Handy, Earl Hines, Anthony "Tuba Fats" Lacen, Cy Laurie, George Lewis, Wingy Manone, Barry Martyn, Phil Mason, Louis Nelson, Albert Nicholas, Emanuel Paul, Alex Revel, Sammy Rimington, Pee Wee Russell, Tommy Sancton, Ken Sims, Kid Thomas Valentine, George Webb and Roy Williams.

If you were a musician or in the audience at any of these occasions what do you remember about it? It would be great if you took photographs at the event and could share them with us.

Brian Legan

11/11/20 -

Peter Swensson writes, "What a great idea of Brian's.

At the end of Bruce Turners session with the Savoy at the Hesketh Arms I gave Bruce one of the Savoy's band cards. I said if you are ever up in the North West again give me a ring and I'll see if I can arrange another gig for you. He studied the card for a few moments and then said " These are a good idea, I must get some. Where do you get them from?" I couldn't believe having being a pro all his life never had cards.

Also that evening he was selling his autobiography. Ken Horton bought one and asked Bruce if he would sign it for him. He duly signed it. In the morning Ken discovered Bruce had put " To Bruce from Ken". Maybe a collectors item!!!!

During Beryl Brydon's session with the Savoy at the Grange Moreton, Beryl shared with the band that the washboard she was playing was the very one used on the Rock Island Line session. I've attached a photo of the session courtesy of Terry Birkinhead.