[Dixielandjazz] Re: Ken Colyer

[john petters]

Charlie said
> Very informative summary and nice sound clips, John. I especially liked
> the mutual attentiveness of the front line's ensemble playing.

Thank you Charlie. The mutual attentiveness was due to a large degree to the
clarinettist, Dave Bailey. He listens and reacts all the time to what is
going on around him. When he works with Ken Sims, who is also a listening
musician, there are very often fireworks. Ken will play a phrase, which Dave
hears, embellishes and throws back at him. He in turn repeats the phrase and
one chases the other, gradually building the heat up to a frenzy. 
Too often jazz musicians go on the stand and just blow without taking any
notice what is going on around him. Or for that matter, blow without taking
any risks.
Have a good weekend

John Petters
Amateur Radio Station G3YPZ
www.traditional-jazz.com

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Charles Suhor [mailto:csuhor at zebra.net]
> Sent: 10 June 2005 17:26
> To: john petters
> Cc: 'DJML'
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Re: Ken Colyer
> 
> 
> On Jun 10, 2005, at 3:32 AM, john petters wrote:
> 
> > Judy said
> > I have to state my bias, I heard him play frequently in
> >> the late 70s/early 80s in London and couldn't understand what all the
> >> fuss
> >> was about but hell what does a singer know?
> >
> > The whole Ken Colyer cult in the UK is strange indeed. Buy the
> > late'70s and
> > early '80s his bands had passed their best. In the late '50s however,
> > along
> > with Acker Bilk's band of the period, he got closer than most to pulse
> > and
> > rhythm of New Orleans jazz. This was helped in no small measure by his
> > drummer, Colin Bowden, who studied Baby Dodds. He had a good frontline
> > team
> > in Ian Wheeler, clarinet and the late Mac Duncan, trombone. This was
> > not a
> > Brit trad band. It was an honest attempt to play New Orleans Jazz by a
> > group
> > of young men separated by race culture and distance. It was an ensemble
> > music.
> > When Bowden left, the band sound changed and lost its urgency. I heard
> > Ken's
> > allstars in the early '70s with Colin back on drums, Ray Smith, piano,
> > and
> > the wonderful Annie Hawkins on slapped acoustic bass. The magic was
> > there.
> > In '85 I booked Ken as a guest at the jazz club I ran in Harlow. At
> > that
> > time I had decided that I wanted to be a swing drummer and all this
> > mouldy
> > fig stuff was old hat.
> >
> > I debated booking another drummer for the session, thing I would not
> > enjoy
> > it. The need for money prevailed over artistic considerations and I
> > did the
> > gig. Nervously, I asked him what style of drums he wanted me to play.
> > His
> > reply, in few words, "swinging drums,man!"
> >
> > Contrary to my expectations, the gig was most enjoyable. It was
> > recorded and
> > some of it is on my "New Orleans Revisited" CD and a clip can be heard
> > at
> > http://www.traditional-jazz.com/pge_cd11.htm
> > Listening back, it failed to capture the raw energy of the '50s band.
> >
> > Ken had a melodic and lyrical approach to playing. His models were
> > Bunk and
> > Mutt Carey, but as he got older the influences were less obvious. When
> > we
> > recorded the session on the CD, he had been ill for sometime. He
> > succumbed
> > to cancer in 1988. Significantly, his passing was mentioned in
> > Parliament!
> >
> > The Ken Colyer Trust emerged soon after his death. A Band of ex Colyer
> > sidemen was formed. This, over the years has been good and bad,
> > depending on
> > the personnel. Many of the fans have a rather narrow view of the music,
> > which Ken never had. He apparently liked Roy Eldridge. There are a
> > number of
> > festivals and events staged by the Trust which conform to a very narrow
> > musical policy, ie, New Orleans Revival. I have no problem with that,
> > but
> > having been brought in to put some life into one of these festivals at
> > Blackpool some years ago, (I organised a more musical varied festival
> > in
> > another hall) I found the music on offer about as interesting as
> > watching
> > paint dry. But that is personal taste. It does however say something
> > that
> > Ken Colyer is still revered nearly two decades after his death. He did
> > leave
> > behind some of the most memorable recordings of British Traditional
> > jazz, as
> > opposed to 'Trad'.
> > John Petters
> > Amateur Radio Station G3YPZ
> > www.traditional-jazz.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
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