[Dixielandjazz] UK Tours

[Ken Mathieson]

Hi Marek et al,

In his post on the above, Marek wrote "Don't forget Glasgow!" I'm afraid the Glasgow jazz scene in general has shrunk a lot in recent years. George Penman's Jazzmen still play a Saturday afternoon residency, but the few remaining other bands mainly play function work. There is no jazz club as such where you can hear a variety of bands. The modern jazz scene has also shrunk enormously, so I'm afraid Glasgow is no longer a place where good quality jazz can be found easily. 

It's certainly a changed place from the early 1960s, when I could count at least 36 trad bands working in and around the city. Of these, there were 5 full-time pro bands on the road across the UK with Glasgow as their home base, and of the rest, all semi-pros, there were 4 or 5 that played to pro standard. In addition, spread across the whole range of semi-pro bands there were some outstanding individuals, many of whom later went pro. Singer Carol Kidd and reedman Jim Galloway spring to mind, but others left town to settle elsewhere and go on to distinguished musical careers.

There are still some great players based in the city (guitarist Nigel Clark, saxophonists Konrad Wiszniewski & Paul Towndrow for instance), but they all have go on the road to make a living as there are few opportunities to earn sensible money playing jazz gigs in Glasgow any more.

Regards,

Ken Mathieson

www.classicjazzorchestra.org.uk