70th Anniversary Celebrations for Jazz At The Phil at Cadogan Hall

On Sunday 14^th September at 3.30 pm The JazzRepertory Company is presenting another afternoon concert in its series at London’s Cadogan Hall, situated in Sloane Terrace, just a minute’s walk from Sloane Square tube.  This year is the 70th anniversary of the firstever Jazz At The Philharmonic.  

In 1944 jazz impresario Norman Granz hired the Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles and booked a dozen or so jazz luminaries  such as Nat “King” Cole, Les Paul, Illinois Jacquet and Buddy Rich.  The debut was a great success and for the next 40 years Granz took his entourage around the world whilst also selling millions of live and studio recordings featuring many of his star performers including LesterYoung, Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson, Gene Krupa, Ben Webster, Benny Carter, Stan Getz and Dizzy Gillespie. 

The Famous Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich Drum Battle

Around 18 months ago Pete Long and I, unbeknownst to each other, started up our own gigs based on the Jazz At The Philharmonic concept (his in an upstairs room of a Croydon boozer and mine at Boisdale Canary Wharf).   The concept’s quite simple – get a bunch of young turks, pitch the trumpet players against each other, likewise with the saxes, limit the number of choruses they can all take to two or three maximum and get them to generate as much excitement as they can.  We were both surprised by the fact that we’d been doing the same thing at opposite ends of London and amazed at the great reaction it got from the audiences.  So we teamed up to bring it to Cadogan Hall.

Jazz At The Philharmonic 1953

Granz booked tremendous virtuosos and showmen – JATP was no place for shrinking violets.  We’ve brought along some marvellous talents (young and not so young) to our Sunday afternoon tribute – including saxophonists Ray Gelato and Dean Masser, young trumpet demons Tommy Walsh and George Hogg, the great guitarist Nigel Price, piano maestro Nick Dawson and Buddy Rich disciple Elliot Henshaw on drums.

We’re following the JATP format of small bands in the first half and featuring singers Georgina Jackson and Nicola Emmanuelle in the respective roles of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.  

Nicola Emmanuelle with the Nick Dawson Trio

In the second half it’s the JATP inspired jam session and cutting contest.  Should be great fun – hope you can make it.  Click here for more details and here for tickets

The Cynic's ABC

Spending Sunday in the office not catching up with the backload of work.  Came across The Cynic’s ABC penned by Ron Rubin and the late, lamented Campbell Burnap.  Here’s a selection.

Banjo  - The mother in law of the jazz family.

Busy – Having a much better technique than oneself.

Commercial – making more money than we are.

Diatonic – What Fat’s Waller should have put in his gin.

Fats Waller - Ain't Misbehavin' - Stormy Weather (1943)

Jazz  - Originally a four letter word.  Still a four letter word.

Lively – Something you get asked to play just after you’ve played “Tiger Rag”.

Repercussions – What happens when you tell the drummer he’s racing.

Drummer de jour - Richard Pite

Residency – a bed-sitter where a musician waits for the phone to ring.

Zweiunddreissigstel – German for Demisemiquaver.  The shortest note with the longest name.

Louis Armstrong - 'Tiger Rag' (1932)

Bungling in front of Elvis

Most musicians like to forget their cock ups as soon as possible.  Oddly, about 10 years ago I asked Nils Solberg to capture a classic Pitey cock up in the style of H.M. Bateman.  

The gig was with Suspiciously Elvis and all went fantastically well until the last number when I got two bars out and stopped before the rest of the band.  A memorable finale and the picture lives at the top of the stairs at Pite Towers to remind me to bloody concentrate in future.

Nils Solberg after H.M. Bateman