[Dixielandjazz] Dixieland movies

[John Farrell]

Many years ago in my bachelor days I occupied the piano chair in the Brian
Green band (Neville Dickie replaced me when I left). On one occasion we were
due to play a gig at the famed Eel Pie Island jazz club in Twickenham (a
suburb of London) and were asked to turn up in scruffy jeans and other
apparel to match.

When we arrived a large film crew from the J. Arthur Rank organisation was
waiting for us - they took numerous band shots from every conceivable angle
and were there for most of the night. How my ego swelled when they seemed to
take particular trouble over me.

When the movie was released - it was one in a series entitled "Look At
Life" - everyone in the band had been given a solo spot but when the camera
came to me all I got was a brief shot of me from the wrists down at the
keyboard. The final insult was that the sound track was playing a different
tune from the one I was actually playing.

I didn't call them, they didn't call me (shortly after that incident the Eel
Pie Island club burned to the ground).

John Farrell
stridepiano@tesco.net
http://homepages.tesco.net/~stridepiano/midifiles.htm