Dan Barrett, Becky Kilgore and Eddie Erickson take five to relax in the garden of their Norwich hotel.

Norwich Party Celebrates
A Vintage Year for Jazz

Text and Photos by Clarrie Henley

There is a growing trend among promoters of major jazz events to dedicate sets to the memory of famous musicians who were born 100 years ago. Well, 1908 must have been a bumper vintage, for the list of honorees at the second Norwich (UK) Jazz Party was so long that many stars had to be remembered by just one tune after special sets had been set aside for some of the major figures.

These were collated in a slot entitled "Centurions," and it was one of many sets that made the event such a storming success, easily surpassing the high standard of the inaugural party last year. A big cast was assembled for this, and, directed by pianist Keith Ingham in time-honored Condon style, we were joyously reminded of the major contributions to our music by Max Kaminsky, Bunny Berigan, Louis Jordan, Hot Lips Page, Condon himself and Lee Wiley who, rightfully, was accredited with two numbers. Among the centenarians who didn't even get one number were Manny Klein, Russell Procope, Stephane Grappelli, Kid Howard, Jabbo Smith, Billy Banks, Warren Smith, Sammy Price, Clarence Hutchenrider and Nat Gonella.

Held at the Holiday Inn, adjacent to Norwich Airport, the party featured top stars from the U.S.A. and the U.K. plus an Italian, a Greek and an Australian, performing in various combinations and often working on sets decided by the musicians themselves.

The brave souls who undertook to run the event were jazz-lovers Jerry and Ann Brown, record dealers of repute, and Brian Peerless, a former university lecturer who has organized more U.K. tours for visiting Americans than anyone. With even this experience, the task is formidable, and work on the following year's party is started before the current event takes place.

The afternoon of Saturday, May 5, saw Jim Galloway stomp off the opening number in a set featuring "The Norwich Newcomers," a group made up of those who missed the event last year. From then on, tributes flew thick and fast. The recent deaths of two of England's most famous jazzmen overshadowed all else, and the entire event was dedicated to the memory of ace drummer Allan Ganley and trumpet star Humphrey Lyttelton. There was a set with Humph in mind, and two for Ganley, the first led by his leader for many years, John Dankworth, and the second, a daring challenge to assemble a 17-piece band to play some of Ganley's compositions and arrangements for big band and tentette. His widow and daughter were present and the smiles on their faces suggested their tears of remembrance were mixed with tears of pleasure.

Ken Peplowski was behind the set that re-created some of Benny Carter's scores, while Rico Tomasso had the audience spellbound with his reworking of John Kirby's Sextet. He also scored in the Berigan tribute in which Randy Reinhart hit the famous last note on "I Can't Get Started" only to hear Tomasso going higher and louder. Reinhart's clean, melodic style won the hearts of many, and so did Randy Sandke, who never puts together a set that is less than superb. His contributions included a slot dedicated to the compositions of Harry Warren with the unlikely lineup of four brass and rhythm, and the inevitable salute to Davenport's wayward genius in which Howard Alden made his seven-string amplified guitar sound sometimes like a banjo and, at other times, reminiscent of Eddie Lang with chords, lead-in runs and arpeggio fills. The star, however, was undoubtedly the leader, who somehow managed to turn his trumpet's broad tone into the ringing crystal clarity of a cornet. Sandke's salute to Bix is now well known, but this time some lesser-known numbers were included, notably "Cloudy," a composition claimed to be by Beiderbecke.

Other tribute sets included Keith Ingham's mesmerizing reprise of some Hoagy Carmichael classics, Jim Galloway's nod to "The Rabbit" and Eddie Erickson's side-splitting appreciation of the swingin' minstrel, Clancy Hayes, who would have been astonished at the selections from "Oklahoma" for solo banjo delivered as a finale. This brilliant, bravura tour de force astonished the audience, too, who also enjoyed the warm, Clancy-style vocals. The surprise tribute was a premiere presented by Dan Barrett entitled "Red and Spike," who proved to be Red Allen and Spike Hughes. Barrett expressed his admiration for these men and how their 78rpm records influenced him. Hughes's creations were represented by the mood pieces "Pastorale" and "Nocturne," while Red Allen (seen and heard by most of the audience on his various tours of Britain) was represented by "Saratoga Shout," "I'm On My Way From You" and "Good Old New York," which he recorded with Jelly. The connection was that Allen recorded with Hughes' All-American Band along with Coleman Hawkins, Chu Berry, Dicky Wells and Sid Catlett.

In between the tributes, there were sets led by Rossano Sportiello, Ben Aranov, Scott Hamilton, Scott Robinson, Chris Flory, Alan Barnes, BEND (Becky Kilgore, Eddie Erickson, Nicki Parrott and Dan Barrett) and the current pride of England -- the rising saxophone stars Katie Brown (alto) and Karen Sharp (tenor and baritone).

The final set was the show-stopper and, as last year, it saw Ken Peplowski directing a 13-piece band through some Benny Goodman charts which included "Big John Special," "Three Little Words," "Swingtime In The Rockies," "Poor Butterfly" and a hauntingly beautiful "Moonglow," which featured the two clarinets of Dan Block and Scott Robinson. The band comprised Ken Peplowski (clarinet and leader); Randy Reinhart, Randy Sandke, Dan Barrett (trumpets); Jim Fryer, George Masso (trombones); Alan Barnes, Katie Brown, Dan Block, Scott Robinson (reeds); Ben Aranov (piano); Howard Alden (guitar); Nicki Parrott (bass) and Butch Miles (drums). This set was so heavily applauded that the leader then brought band members to their feet to applaud the audience!

The outstanding musicianship on display was highlighted by the way all the arrangements were performed with little or no rehearsal. The various groups never sounded less than a regular band. It seems to me that in some ways the jazzmen of today have a more difficult task than their counterparts of yore, even the great style-setters. For instance, when jazz was young and growing, Muggsy Spanier had nothing to do but play like Muggsy Spanier. Lester Young played like Lester Young and no one else. Similarly, Jess Stacy, Chu Berry, Wingy Manone, Sidney Bechet and, yes, Louis Armstrong...they all played one way. Today's stars have to cover the full century of jazz history and all the styles that subsequently developed. They also have to be brilliant readers, possess oodles of confidence and learn how to snatch a nap on a plane or at an airport and smile and scintillate on stage through bouts of jet lag.

I salute the whole cast of Norwich and would also mention those whose names have so far escaped reference -- Giorgos Antoniou (the talented left-handed Greek bassist), Ian Bateman (the English trombone star currently with Acker Bilk), Alec Dankworth (bassist son of an illustrious father), Steve Brown (England's wire brush wizard), Dave Green (England's bassist for all seasons), John Pearce (English pianist who hid for too long in the orchestra of James Last) and Chuck Riggs (who needs no introduction).

It would be hard to find a genuine criticism of the event, but there is one serious problem -- the audience was too small. Happy and enthusiastic as it was, and BIG as it was, yet even more fans are needed to make an event such as this become a financial viability. Rossano Sportiello's heartfelt plea for everyone to twist arms and bring someone else next year may have little effect, for I suspect that people have already done just that. In my own circle of friends, four people who booked had to cancel through surgery or serious illness.

Years ago we started to talk of jazz's graying and dwindling audience, but now the problem is biting deeply. Events such as this and the Swinging Jazz Party at Blackpool are the best things to happen for years in the U.K. And part of their success is that with everything being under one roof, the jazz party is ideal for older people. And yet, there is still not enough support. This year, the Brighton Jazz Party has fallen by the wayside.

Fortunately, Norwich is committed to a party next year, but the future hangs in the balance. Events such as this are too good to lose.

Husband and wife stars find time for tea as befits an English couple. Katie Brown played alto in a variety of settings while husband Steve drove many a set from behind the tubs. They have two children -- a son called Harry James Brown and a daughter called Jasmine.

June 2008 issue | © 2008 The Mississippi Rag

P.O. Box 19068, Minneapolis, MN 55419.