[Dixielandjazz] Welcome Mike Durham

[Brian Towers]

Mike Durham wrote:
>Hi, everybody.
>I just joined the list, and guess I ought to introduce myself. I lead the
>West Jesmond Rhythm Kings, a six (sometimes seven) piece classic jazz band
>here in Newcastle upon Tyne, north east England. I play trumpet, and we do
>the usual Morton/Oliver/Armstrong/Bix/early Ellington stuff, but specialise
>in Clarence Williams. I also have a fondness for hot dance music. We have >
>been together for 19 years, and have played in many European countries as
.well making as one trip to the U.S.A. (Phil Pospychala's Bix event at
Racine
.in 2002. As a part of that trip, we visited Davenport where through the
good
offices of Rich Johnson we played in the former Bluebird Inn, Milan OH,
where Bix is known to have played in the 20's.
I played Davenport Blues on my 1924 Conn Victor - felt the hairs on the back
of the neck rise! Foolish romanticism, maybe, but.......

>I also collect vintage trumpets/cornets (200+ and a long-suffering wife)
>with special interest in the instruments of Harry B Jay of Chicago. I'm 61
years ols, and retired after a lifetime of marketing soap and other stuff
for he Procter & Gamble Co., a career that took me from England to
Cincinnati (where I had the great pleasure of meeting and playing with that
true gentleman, Frank Powers), then Sweden, Japan, Cincinnati again, Canada
and back to England. I have also organised the Whitley Bay International
Jazz Festival in July for the past 11 years. I also run a monthly concert
>Gas Jazz Band, Jeff Barnhart was here in September, and we look forward to
>the New Black Eagles in May.
>Mike Durham.


Hi Mike,

Welcome to the DJML.  While I am an ex-Brit I have not met you, being from
"dahn south"(Sussex) but I have heard tapes of your band - The West Jesmond
Rhythm Kings and I judge it to be a first rate classic jazz outfit playing
the sort of jazz I love, in the manner to which I can relate.
Hope you enjoy the postings.   Some of them you will find very interesting
and sometimes you will want to use your delete key or your "fast scroll"
Don't be fooled by the word "dixieland" which, as you probably know, is
often used in North America as an umbrella term for all types of classic,
traditional jazz, swing, ragtime, stride, hot dance, etc etc.   Our founder,
now deceased, named the list "The dixieland Jazz Mailing List" and we stick
to this title in his honoured memory.  We often refer to our jazz as OKOM -
"our kind of music" to avoid confusion over terminology and we all know what
we mean.
I share your love for the Clarence Williams approach to jazz and wish you
well in your endeavours.

Stick around and join in.  Do not hesitate to join in the debates and do
speak your mind boldly- we are all friends here.

Brian Towers,
Hot Five Jazzmakers,
Toronto, Canada

http://hotfivejazz.tripod.com