[Dixielandjazz] Bio: Tony Davis

[Tony Davis]

I was born in 1937 in Worcestershire, England, but lived in a suburb of
Birmingham from the age of 2.  I was educated at a Church of England school
where I remember being taught the rudiments of music from big wall charts and
playing various percussion instruments - triangle, tambourine, side drum and
cymbals come to mind.

My father played violin - I don't know how well - and piano (entirely by ear,
and only in D flat).  His favourite pianist was Charlie Kunz (an early
influence on John Farrell, as you'll know if you've read his bio).  My mother
wanted me to take piano lessons, but I wasn't interested so she sold the
piano - my first big mistake in life.  I redeemed this to some extent by
teaching myself to read piano music on my aunt's piano, and my playing has
improved at a snail's pace over the intervening years, but I still haven't
achieved mediocrity.

I discovered jazz at school - about 1954, I think.  Music lessons were
sometimes varied by having a pupil talk about his favourite music and
illustrate his talk with  records.  One day Mick Buckley (may his name be
honoured evermore) turned up with a bunch of 78s that included some of the
1923 Olivers and some Hot Fives/Sevens.  When I heard them I was hooked for
life.

Traditional jazz was definitely fashionable among sixth-formers in those days.
Our bibles were 'Shining Trumpets' by Rudi Blesh, the Pelican 'Jazz' by Rex
Harris, 'Mr Jelly Roll' by Alan Lomax, Condon's 'We Called It Music',
Mezzrow's 'Really The Blues' and of course our own Humphrey Lyttelton's first
book, 'I Play As I Please'.

On half-days we got the bus into Birmingham and visited a wonderful specialist
record shop called 'The Diskery', conveniently situated over a pub called 'The
Turk's Head', or went to Dale Forte's in New Street and listened to 78s or the
wonderful newly-invented LPs - 'Satch Plays Fats' is one I remember - four or
five of us crammed into a cubicle thick with cigarette smoke.  A mis-spent
youth, maybe, but I don't regret a second of it.

In 1955 I bought - or rather my mother bought for me - a cheap trumpet (seven
pounds ten shillings in old money).  I taught myself to play by ear, following
Humph's example, and after about a year I was confident enough to audition for
a local band.  Like most amateur bands at that time it was rough but
enthusiastic.  We played once a week at a Community Centre, and attracted a
mostly teenage audience (for dancing rather than listening).  I remember only
too vividly the first number I ever played in public - it was "The Darktown
Strutters' Ball" in B flat, but I was so nervous I started in F and took half
a chorus to recover.  But they didn't fire me, and I stayed with the band
until 1958, when I went up to Oxford...

[Sorry, this is turning into a full-length memoir - I'll stop there and maybe
take up the story again later]

Cheers,

Tony

--
Tony Davis
Trumpet/Cornet, Zenith Hot Stompers
Aston, Oxfordshire, UK
www.tony-davis.co.uk