[Dixielandjazz] George Webb

[pj.ladd]

Hi,
any one interested in the British Jazz Revival in the `40`s may be interested in this.

In the Red Barn in Barnehurst there is a plaque recording that `George Webb and his Dixielanders came together here to play an almost forgotten form of Jazz¬.
George  will be 90 this month.

He says that he always preferred cricket. "I was a better leg break bowler than a piano player. He played cricket for the Vickers Armstrong factory team.
George became interested in Jazz from hearing American records. He formed the band, with George picking up a few chords and reluctantlt becoming the pianist. He never wanted to be the pianist saying that `you can`t lead a band from the front unless you are Duke Ellington`
Humph. Lyttleton turned up having just left the army.; He stayed a few months and then left, taking most of the band with him, so George packed up.
After a few months Humph , who had never run a band before rang George asking him to join the band.
George changed the line up and stayed 3 years.`We mad e alot of records and got a flat £5 a week,I used to catch the train home after the Saturday gig to play cricket on Sunday.
George left the factory in `56 and started promoting concerts and jazz carnivlas . `I packed up playing` he said` I wasn`t very good. It came easily to me but I couldn`t read music and played mostly chords.
When Rock and Roll killed the jazz scene he became an agent for Rod Stewart. Long John Baldry. He had a contract to bring Elvis to the UK but the promoter let him down.
In `73 he signed contracts to bring Ellington and Woody Herman to the UK. The event was sold out but then the venue burned down. "I had to refund £250,000. Ellington was very good and arranged to visit later but died the fiollowing year.
George quit the business and ran a pub. `Best time of my life `he says

he soon started organising Jazz weekends and did it for 6 years.
His wife died 7 years ago so he started playing again, once a month with George Webb`s band of Brothers" I`m OK as long as they shout out what key they want to play in.

Everybody`s dropping off` he says. Only Wally Fawkes and Owen Bryce(The Dixielanders first trumpeter) are still around

Cheers

Pat