[Dixielandjazz] Drummers Unite

[Marek Boym]

Hello Ken,
I know it was a British band - so?  I have lots of Goodman, from all
periods, and that was teh best post-1950 BG band I have heard.  I have the
Stockholm double album when issued here (two LPs in one envelope rather
than the original, informative folder sleeve).  I was very excited about
the trumpet soloist whos name I didn't know until much later, when a friend
obtained the floder sleeve (empty, but he had the Israeli issue).
I saw Jphn McLeavy in Nice in either 1976 or 1977.
Cheers

On 31 October 2014 02:39, Ken Mathieson <ken at kenmath.free-online.co.uk>
wrote:

>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Marek Boym <marekboym at gmail.com>
> *To:* Ken Mathieson <ken at kenmath.free-online.co.uk>
> *Cc:* Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> *Sent:* Thursday, October 30, 2014 10:06 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [Dixielandjazz] Drummers Unite
>
>
>
>> Marek wrote (among other things):
>
>
>  John McLavy!  Do you bring back memories!
> John McLeavy soloed with the last GREAT band Benny Goodman too on the
> road.  I have the Stockholm recording (dounle album) - soujds like a dream,
> after hears and years of rather mediocre bands.
> I don't believe I have ever seen a trumpeter getting as red in the face as
> he did when he was turning out those magical solos!
>
> Hi Marek,
> John played in Goodman's "British" band composed of UK-based musicians and
> another tour with a band made up of US and UK players. He also worked with
> Goodman in small groups and was immensely proud of all his work with
> Goodman. The all-UK band had people like Bill McGuffie on piano, Bobby Orr
> (drums), Lenny Bush (bass -he was actually Canadian but had worked in UK
> for years), Bob Burns (alto - also Canadian), Duncan Lamont (tenor) and
> many other great players. Much later on, he did some work with the BBC
> Scottish Radio Orchestra and was the featured trumpet soloist in a superb
> concert with Ella Fitzgerald, who was completely knocked out by him.
>
> He had been a child trumpet star with George Elrick's pre-war stage show
> on the British Variety Theatres circuit at the age of 15 using the stage
> name of Johnny Hudson and appeared onstage in short trousers. I've got an
> ancient videotape of him from a BBC TV programme about the Music Halls and
> used to kid him mercilessly about the short trousers. Later on he played
> with Francisco Cavez's marvellous little latin band at
> (I think) the Savoy Hotel in London and there's an LP on which he plays
> excellent bebop trumpet. After that gig folded, he worked as a
> session musician for years but had major dental problems and eventually
> lost most of his teeth. After he was kitted out with false teeth, he got
> back into the business, but simplified his style and became heavily
> influenced by Clark Terry's approach, although he was always recognisably
> himself.
>
> In the 1970s and 80s he worked extensively with accordionist Jack Emblow
> in a marvellous duo: fiery, tasteful, wonderfully accomplished playing from
> both of them. That's when I got to know him and I worked frequently with
> him over a period of over ten years. He was a great stickler for "energy
> without volume" and I owe him a great deal for his advice and guidance over
> the years.
>
> His father had been a dance hall drummer in Dundee, Scotland, when John
> was a child and John used to tell me that his dad had great time, swung
> like mad and had played with Louis Armstrong. I always thought that this
> sounded like something a musician father might say to his son to impress
> him, but a few years after John's death a friend of mine, who had been
> doing some research involving the local Dundee newspapers of the 1930s,
> sent me a clipping reporting Armstrong's solo appearance in a Dundee dance
> hall with the resident band. It turns out John's dad had actually played
> with Louis.
>
> He was a good friend and I still miss him a lot. His close accomplice,
> Jack Emblow, is well into his eighties now, but is still active and will
> shortly be appearing in the Dundee Jazz Festival in a duo with guitarist
> Martin Taylor. Not to be missed!
>
> Cheers,
>
> Ken
>
>
>
>
>
>>
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