[Dixielandjazz] Bio'

[Brian Towers]

A bit late in the day but thought I should add my little bit, as an original DJML hand from way, way back.  I'll try and keep it brief but no promises!


I was born in Burbage, England at a very early age.  My parents were into Bing Crosby, Vera Lynn and "forties" dance music but my first record purchase as a teen ager, with Mum's money, was a 12 inch 78 - Tchaikovsky's 1st piano concerto, 1st movement.  My idea of rebellion, I guess.     Later I bought, with my own money,  78's by George Shearing, Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan, Stan Kenton etc.    My first EP disk purchase was the Modern Jazz Quartet -  "Django"  and my first LP was "Ellington 55".   Those of you under thirty (if any) wondering what on earth expressions like "78",  "EP" and "LP" mean, write me under separate cover for explanation.  No other strong musical influences were in the family though Mum loved to sing and play piano and grandmother taught violin.

At the age of 18 I was lucky enough to be conscripted for two years National Service in the British Army.  This changed my musical tastes quite drastically.   One day a friend, Bombardier Vigers (bless him!)  introduced me to the vitality of traditional jazz by playing me a "78" by Graham Bell (the Oz pianist/bandleader) I immediately succumbed to the musical message and I was firmly hooked forever.  

After demob I joined up with some friends from the Hastings Grammar school who were trying to form a jazz band - they still needed a trombone and string bass, before they could launch themselves on the path to fame and glory.   I saw a newspaper ad' for a trombone going for just five quid and thought "here is my chance"  and I bought it.  When it arrived, it turned out to be a bass trombone, with a handle to help extend the slide!    I was at a clear disadvantage with the two other trombone candidates, but it did help develop my lung power.  When I bought a regular tenor trombone (an elderly Reynolds) I was "in like Flynn" and the Dolphin Jazz Band could finally set off on  its quest for immortality and stardom.  We established the Hastings Traditional Jazz Club, which had its first session at the Glenroyde hotel in Hastings on Friday January 13th 1956 and had some great times.
We made our TV debut on March 9th 1957 on the BBC's "Six-Five Special" and shared the billing with such luminaries as "Big Bill Broonzy";  "Freddie Mills" (world cruiser-weight boxing champ) "Tommy Steele" (Britain's first rock matinee idol) "The Vipers Skiffle Group" and many others.   Fame was here, could fortune be far behind?  Well, as it happened, there were a multitude of enthusiastic groups doing the same as we were, many of them better than us too and some of them turned pro' (short-lived in many cases) while we hung on to our day jobs.  We recorded a few EP's for the Vintage Jazz Music label but failed to set the world of jazz on fire.  

In 1969 I left England to seek fame and fortune with a Canadian Company - The Bank of Nova Scotia, who had bravely hired me in London.   My work took me to the Caribbean for several years but I returned to Canada in 1974.   Took me a while to find the jazz scene but eventually I found Grossman's tavern on Spadina Avenue, where an band called the "Louisiana Joymakers" were playing Saturday matinees.   Ex-pat Englishmen like Bruce Bakewell (clarinet) were in the group and the late Cliff "Kid" Bastien (later to switch back to trumpet and lead the "Happy Pals" at the same venue) was on drums.  The group was led by trombonist Pete Savory, another Brit'.  I started sitting in and playing again at that time, they were a great bunch of guys and very encouraging to me .  Eventually, when Pete left to play in New Orleans, I inherited the Louisiana Joymakers, which had moved to a weekly Friday/Saturday residency at "Jakes Boathouse" in Brampton, Ontario.     After a while I changed the name to "Louisiana Jazzmakers" as I thought "Joymakers" suggested religious affinities.  Then , when we started visiting and playing in the jazz  in New Orleans, Louisiana, at jazz fest times, I changed the name again to the "Toronto Jazzmakers" for fairly obvious reasons.  Finally I changed it to the "Hot Five Jazzmakers" when personnel changes saw a reduction to a five piece.  We are now in our fifteenth year, usually a six or seven piece again (summers excepted) of a Saturday matinee residency at a superb but tiny club called "C'est What?" at 67 Front St East, in downtown Toronto.  My Canadian wife Janet Shaw plays the reeds, occasional piano and sings.  We have issued half a dozen limited edition CD's.   Favourite colours blue and red.  Dog - a yellow lab called Max

Still love jazz, as long as it:  
provokes movement in my foot or hand; 
has some sort of melodic and rhythmic content; 
has some fun it and is not too pretentious,
reminds me of the jazz played by those I consider the masters.

Well, did you make it to "here"?  I commend you for your patience!

Brian Towers,
Hot Five Jazzmakers,
Toronto