[Dixielandjazz] Pre-rock popular music in England

[Marek Boym]

Well, while not born British, they made their careers there.  And Fred
Elizalde (I've never heard of the other one) made some very hot
recordings.

An in my original mail I forgot another British jazz great: Spikr Hughes!

Cheers

On 15/01/2010, Judy Eames <jude at judyeames.co.uk> wrote:
> Marek Boym wrote:
> > .
> > There are early (mid- and late twenties) recordings of British bands
> > that compare quite favourably to their American counterparts.  Fred
> > Elizalde, Ambrose, and others turned out numerous hot "swingers," in
> > addition to the lachrymose ballads.  A good part of Harry Roy's output
> > swings, and the band led by Nat Gonel
> >
> For some reason I'd assumed that the Elizalde brothers were
> Italian/Americans... not so according to this biography I just found....not
> British either
>
> Jude
>
>
>
>       Biography
>
>
>       Connections between the Philippines and the jazz scene are
>       slight — but here is one for sure, half of a pair of brothers
>       born into one of that island nation's wealthiest families. Both
>       Fred Elizalde and Manuel Elizalde led dance bands in London,
>       England, beginning in the second half of the '20s; they were
>       sent there to attend posh Cambridge, naturally. The Elizalde
>       brothers eventually dipped into the pool of brilliant New York
>       City recording session players to bolster the staff of their
>       band, certainly one reason that an ensuing Savoy Hotel stint was
>       such a smash.
>
> *Both brothers were shipped around to only the best schools — besides the
> aforementioned Cambridge there was Stanford University in California where,
> at only 16, Elizalde assumed leadership of the Stanford University Band for
> a Biltmore Hotel gig in Los Angeles. Moving from there to England only
> furthered his career as a bandleader and arranger: but his parents had meant
> otherwise, apparently horrified at their sons' interest in performing
> popular music. *
>
> *An ensemble bravely called the Quinquaginta Ramblers was the first group
> Fred Elizalde took over upon arrival in England. The noted bandleader Bert
> Ambrose, often credited under just his surname, took a liking to the
> Filipino lad's piano playing as well as his ideas for compositions, and was
> an early employer. Near the end of the '20s, Elizalde disbanded his
> British-American ensemble and moved elsewhere in Europe, studying classical
> music in Spain and working privately with Ravel in France. In the early '30s
> there were some further Elizalde recordings done in England, but in later
> years he would return there only for classical concerts, basically settling
> back in the Philippines where he ran his own radio stati*on.
>
>
>
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