drainpipe

hi Texas - Ralph Salt's been around for about 40 years - he's into Miles Davis and Bill Evans sort of stuff. He used to be a perpetrator of middle nines and 13 bar blues but he seems to have lost that now.Royston Davies plays bass with him.

1)re Nev Reaney - heard recently that he'd had a heart attack. 2) re Alex Wyatt - for many years he fronted the Jazz Preservation Society band at the Norfolk Arms Ringinglow on Friday nights. Last I heard of him was that he was very ill. Ralph Salt - remember him? - he still plays a t the Chequers Whiston on Wednesday nights.

Never took to Humphrey Lytellton but I really enjoyed the Chris Barber concerts. Best of all for me though from those trad concerts was when Acker Bilk was supporting band to Kid Ory's band. Acker and his lads got a storming reception and were the star attraction for me. Kid Ory seemed to be a bit of an anticlimax after that. Later on, I enjoyed the Dave Brubeck Quartet with the immortal Paul Desmond. Also, the Count Basie band. One of my regrets is that I never went to see Ted Heath's band on the many occasions they played in Sheffield.

There was some great jazz around Sheffield in the sixties - here's a few reminders: Stan Dawes band at Nether Edge Hall included Ronnie Chapman (tpt), Don Thompson (tnr), Stan Dawes (alt), Johnny Shaw (bar), Dave Howitt (pno & arranger). Win Lee's band at the grand Hotel - Ray Hollingsworth (tpt), Bunny Harrison (tnr), Tony Oxley (dms), Len Stewart (dblbass), I could go on...

I include classical amongst the many kinds of music I enjoy - particularly J.S.Bach and modern french organ music. Has anyone else discovered the very useful website http://www.musipedia.org This is an ingenious way to identify many (mainly classical but some pop too) tunes and themes by just being able to sing them.

Best get checked out for diabetes - dry moth can be one of the early symptoms.

Re Texas' last post - my memories of the Locarno were in the days of the Eric Baxter Band around 1963 ther were some real characters in that band too -Phil Gaunt, Brian Suthill, Tommy Grombeck, Haydn Cook Brian Pendleton (now of Syd Lawrence fame), Tony Bagwell, Alan Whitehead, Barry Sutcliffe, etc.

Hi Alanbro -see my PM to you.

I see Amberleigh House is running - it won the National last year at 16/1 and I had my only bet of the year on it. I might risk a fiver each way in gratitude.

Steam trains they were

I've never owned an anorak in my life but some of my happiest days in the early fifties were spent watching trains (mainly Eastern Region). Anyone got stories to tell of those days?

In the early sixties, the places for me (with the lads) were the Locarno on Wednesday nights and Nether Edge Hall on Saturday nights. I met my wife at the Locarno and "we,ve bin togevver nar for forty years...."

Here's some info. about the band at the grand in the 60'S: Piano and leader: Winston Lee Bass: maybe Len Stewart Drums: Tony Oxley Tenor sax: Bunny Harrison Trumpet: Ray Hollingsworth

Hi Magee, My owd granny used to tell me she'd been in service at Charnock Hall before she got married. Coincidentally(or are we somehow talking about the same person?), her name was Mary Rhodes and she had two sisters - Rebecca and Agnes. They came from Beighton.

I used to be a wheel-tapper's listener then I beacame a wringer-out for a one-armed window cleaner.