[Dixielandjazz] The Later Than I Thought Cy Laurie

[Marek Boym]

Cy worked with bands of his own as well as with other bands.  I, by the
way, did not like everything he did - too much "show" music (I don't mean
"showy," but rather music from musicals, with singers and all).
He definitely remained a Dodds man, but should that disqualify him?  He did
not copy Dodds - he played with a similar style, which I, for one, consider
very commendable, and sounded original (I can mention some British players
who do so even now, and do so extremely well; I am less conversant with
contemporary American scene).
Since you know how I feel about Getz (De Franco is more complicated), I
consider that part of your letter to be a provocation, and I refuse to be
provoked.
Cheers

On 25 June 2017 at 18:35, Steve Voce <stevevoce at virginmedia.com> wrote:

> Well, Maryk, I hope you enjoy today, for it is the first occasion that I
> remember having to give best to you!
> I had thought that Cy Laurie, who gave up playing jazz in 1960 when he
> went off to India to try and sort himself out, had died late in that
> decade. Looking him up today I find that he survived a lot longer. I knew
> that he came back,though he didn't seem to work as much, which is probably
> why I never heard of his later sporadic efforts (there was no reason why I
> would have been interested). Did he stop being a Dodds-copyist by that
> time? I cannot tell. But judging by the yardstick that he still worked with
> Beryl Bryden in the '90s, I imagine that he remained in his Dodds jump-suit.
> I look forward to being amazed when I find out that I am wrong and that he
> in fact became a disciple of Buddy De Franco and collector of Stan Getz
> records. No doubt you will disabuse me.
> The other thing I had forgotten was that I first met Fred Hunt when he
> shone like a pillar of fire in the night of the Cy Laurie Four - no doubt
> he was the reason I went to see it again.
> Steve Voce
>
> On 25/06/2017 14:08, Marek Boym wrote:
>
>
>
> On 25 June 2017 at 11:56, Steve Voce <stevevoce at virginmedia.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> I went to concerts in the early days when Cy Laurie had his 'Four'. One
>> of his four was Beryl Bryden and another was a rather good trumpet player,
>> whose name I can't remember (it was in the Fifties). I think it was Les.
>>
>> With regard to my being rude about Cy's clarinet work: I remember him as
>> a very docile but enthusiastic fellow. But I was unhappy with his playing
>> nothing  but the closest copy that he could get to Johnny Dodds. So I
>> didn't like his playing and implied so in my e-mail.
>>
> "Implied," Steve?
> The language you used was hardly that!
> So basically you have not heard Cy since the beginning of the '50's, you
> are not aware of his development, but you pass judgement, render a severe
> sentence, and call that "implying."
> Cheers
> The trumpeter, by the way, was Les Jowett.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>> I didn't like the singing of Vera Lynn or Bill Haley and the Comets. Or
>> Beryl Bryden, come to that. Henry VIII was regarded as a great king, but I
>> didn't like him.
>>
>> Am I not allowed to say so?
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Steve
>>
>> On 24/06/2017 23:00, Bill Haesler wrote:
>>
>> Steve Voce <stevevoce at virginmedia.com> wrote:
>>
>> You shouldn't leave out the great Archie Semple, and Acker Bilk was ten
>> times the jazz musician your pal Cy Laurie was! Not to mention any of the
>> fine modern clarinettists or the extremely skilled Sid Phillips. There are
>> many more in your field, of course, who it would pain to omit - Christie,
>> Turner, the ci-devant Danny Polo....
>>
>> Dear Steve,
>> Danny Polo?
>> Born in Clinton, Indiana, died in Chicago, Illinois (1901-1949) and
>> worked and recorded in England in the 1930s.
>> Why include him on a list of British jazz revival clarinettists?
>>
>> And why single out Cy Laurie for unnecessary insult?
>> ("Cy Laurie, on the other hand, was a nutter who genuinely believed that
>> he was the reincarnation of Johnny Dodds. He might have got away with that
>> if he had been as good as Johnny Dodds, but unfortunately he was only as
>> good as Cy Laurie.”)
>> Cy was a very popular Trad jazz pioneer who contributed to its success,
>> inspired and captivated by Johnny Dodds’ playing.
>> I found Cy to be a passionate and friendly jazzman, and felt privileged
>> to play with him and pianist Johnny Parker on several of my visits to
>> Pomgolia.
>>
>> But don't let us start making lists again. It's non-productive, like
>> stamp collecting.
>>
>> In that, I wholehearted agree with you.
>> Cheers,
>> Bill.
>>
>>
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