[Dixielandjazz] Biog

[Brian Harvey]

Brian Harvey - Jazz biography
My introduction to jazz took place during my 1940s schooldays in Nottingham.
First through finding an interest in the neo-jazz of some radio bands like
Harry Parry’s Radio Rhythm Club Sextet and then through the good taste of
school friends like Paul Russell who introduced me to pioneer club and
record promoter Bill Kinnell. He in turn introduced me to the 78 rpm records
of people like Freddy Keppard, Louis Armstrong and King Oliver and to the
local jazz scene and club where I first heard the original Crane River band
with Ken Colyer and Sonny Morris. At that time I played piano and cornet and
later bought a Hammond organ.
I then ‘escaped’ from home to go to college in London but soon dropped out
and began a career in the jazz world which first saw me at Doug Dobell’s
record shop, helping to start the ‘77’ record label, writing for magazines
and the BBC and eventually leaving to join the National Jazz Federation.
There I worked at the London Jazz Centre where the Ken Colyer band was
resident on Sundays and wrote for the newspaper Jazz News and contributed to
Jazz Journal. Later I became Editor of Jazz News and wrote concert programme
notes for NJF sponsored tours of bands like that of George Lewis, Jack
Teagarden and many others. My involvement with the centre of the London jazz
world was pretty intense and I made many musician friends at that time but I
was head-hunted to join a new weekly record industry newspaper and from
there on for many years my work took me away from jazz. I edited weekly
national newspapers like Record Mirror and Music Echo, went on tour with
bands like the Rolling Stones, stood on stage with the Beatles and others
and eventually in my spare time took up motor racing.
Through that new hobby I joined the magazine Cars and Car Conversions where
over a period of years I became Managing Editor and part owner and raced
many types of cars. Also during that time I helped start two more motor
industry magazines.
Then thirty years ago - having had enough of working for others - I started
my own business Grand Prix Models (www.grandprixmodels.com) which is now the
world’s major specialist in high tech small scale automotive miniatures.
There of course we had our own magazine ‘Four Small Wheels’ which recently
celebrated its 30th anniversary.
During the years between Jazz News, driving race cars and Grand Prix Models
there wasn’t too much time for jazz but since retirement has arrived I’ve
had some spare time on my hands and have begun to fill in my record
collection (still only 800 odd CDs and around 400 78 rpms) and now hear as
much live jazz as possible. And of course I have started writing and
researching again and am just completing the biography of Avery ‘Kid’
Howard. There’s no hobby like jazz and one of the greatest thrills for me
since my ‘come-back’ has been to discover the DJML and the wealth of printed
material there now is on the subject. When I was last down this route there
were about two books and one magazine............... I am glad I returned!