Any Jazz fans left in Sheffield?

[Texas 10]

Fleets, was it Art Ellefson, the tenor player? He was Canadian. And I'm sure there was a 'Spike', another Canuck who played tenor, back in the 60s. Can't get the surname though.

Getting back to 'pop'. I suppose everybody remembers 'Silver Doller', you know, 'You can roll a silver doller, down upon the ground, and it will roll, because it's round', etc;etc. Back in the day (late 40's), you heard it ALL the time. I would've put serious money on the singer being Kay Starr, but my everloving wife has begun to sow doubts in my mind. She says that it was somebody else.

This is from someone who thought the three tenors, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, and 'Big Pav', was actually Gene Ammons, Teddy Edwards and Dexter Gordon.

[Texas 10]

Actually the 'Spike' I was thinking of, was Spike Robinson, alto not tenor and Americano, not Canadian, good player though, like Zoot, Stan Getz, Brew Moore, type stuff.

[fleetwood 10]

Fleets, was it Art Ellefson, the tenor player? He was Canadian. And I'm sure there was a 'Spike', another Canuck who played tenor, back in the 60s. Can't get the surname though.

Getting back to 'pop'. I suppose everybody remembers 'Silver Doller', you know, 'You can roll a silver doller, down upon the ground, and it will roll, because it's round', etc;etc. Back in the day (late 40's), you heard it ALL the time. I would've put serious money on the singer being Kay Starr, but my everloving wife has begun to sow doubts in my mind. She says that it was somebody else.

This is from someone who thought the three tenors, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, and 'Big Pav', was actually Gene Ammons, Teddy Edwards and Dexter Gordon.

 

Hi Tex - I think you hit the nail on the head, Art Ellefson, I remember him from the early British band scene, if he his still around he would have to be in his eighty's I suppose. *** Google says your 'Silver Dollar' goes back to 1908, with a Bill Murray singing it or writing it, or both. In relatively modern times, it seems Teresa Brewer and Bobby Darin both recorded it. *** Another 'where are they now'? I'm going back a few years when I first saw or read anything about 'The Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts' in New York City, I noted that Britain's own 'Joe Temperley' is in the house jazz band, Wynton Marsalis who is the on staff music directer and conductor leads a pretty diverse group of musicians, but there's Joe firmly established in the tenor chair, even as late as this year. *** Joe might be a few years younger than the aforementioned 'Art' if at all, all I can say he must be tremendous musician!

Edited January 22, 2010 by fleetwood
Corrections

[fleetwood 10]

Hi everybody - It's me again, more about 'Joe Temperley', you have to Google and Wik his name. He is all of eighty years of age, possibly eighty one. What a resume', too numerous for me to even begin, makes for very interesting reading indeed!

[Texas 10]

I've done a bit of googling around on the subject of 'Silver Dollar', it seems the song I mean was done by a singer called Eve Young and the Homesteaders. She also did 'If I Knew You were Coming I'da' Baked a Cake'. How about that then guys and gals? Anyhow I've lost the bet with myself. Both songs were big hits for her in 1950, based on the sale of sheet music, because there wasn't an official 'hit parade' back then.

Enough of all this though, back to some good stuff. I was digging around in my tape collection a couple of days ago and came across one featuring a band that went to Guam in 1948 to play for the American troops stationed there. The band was full of boppers, Howard McGhee, Rudy Williams (remember him, brilliant musician?) Oscar Pettiford et al.

I can't remember where I got the tape, I must've done it years ago from some borrowed LP. It also features Billy Eckstine on trombone and Jimmy Heath on baritone, oh, and a singer called Marcel Daniels, where did HE go?

Anyhow, it starts out a mess, they play dixieland standards and they ain't interested, but they settle down and, well, it's really very good. To hear musicians like Eckstine and Rudy Williams is rare, and you also get JJ Johnson playing tailgate trombone as a bonus.

P.S. Fleets, did you really see the Inkspots down Attercliffe?

Edited January 22, 2010 by Texas

[fleetwood 10]

Hi Tex - Not the 'Palace Attercliffe', gods honest truth I saw the original 'Inkspots' at the Regent Theatre (everybody called it the 'Little Regent') on Upwell st in Grimesthorpe. *** There's a bit more info on this theatre on the Grimesthorpe thread. I believe the building is still there, I bet that place did'nt hold more than 200 people.

[carolynqk 10]

The Lescar Hotel (pub) has jazz night every Wednesday in the back room. It's usually very good. - Sharrow Vale Road, Nether Edge £2 in.

 

i wondered whether that was still going. i sang there myself a while back. a nice little venue.

[Texas 10]

A few posts back fleets mentioned Nellie Lucher, a favorite of mine. It inspired me to rummage through the collection again because I thought I'd got some of her stuff somewhere. Well, I found a tape, all her hits and a few I'd forgotten including a mid tempo blues with Nat Cole, interesting that. I read somewhere that he had an affair with her one time. All the usual tunes are on there, 'Fine Brown Frame', 'Walla, walla, Washington, 'Hurry on down' etc;etc. Of course I hadn't written any details of personel, being so organised, but on the one with Nat Cole there's a great tenor sax chorus, a bit like Illinois Jacquet and also the rest of, what is probably Mr Cole's trio or quartet, there being a drummer on there.

I read that bit about the the Regent Theatre featuring the Inkspots fleets, that is just the most surprising thing. What year would that've been?

[sweetdexter 10]

I read that bit about the the Regent Theatre featuring the Inkspots fleets, that is just the most surprising thing. What year would that've been?

 

That reminds me of when I first came to Canada in 66

In London Ontario there was a bar called the Iroquois ,probably the most expensive place in town at that time.

The Ink Spots were performing and I was there with my girl friend (later my wife) She was not much of a drinker and I was counting the pennies because I was saving up to get married.We were nursing our drinks waiting for the Ink Spots to perform when a waiter put a "Reserved" sign on our table,Because I would not be blackmailed into buying another drink we left before the Ink Spots came on.

I don't think they would be calling a group of black performers "The Ink Spots " today ;-)

[soft ayperth 11]

Sweetdexter, your posting reminds me of an experience that I had in 69 just after I came to Canada that just wouldn't happen today. I was at a night spot in Vancouver with a friend. The Platters, who modelled themselves on the Ink Spots, were on. Between numbers, one of the group members went to the mic, pointed at us and started to make a lot of homophobic innuendos. "Those two guys look like they belong together, don't you think everyone," as he flaps a limp hand at the audience. Riotous laughter all around as the spotlight shone on us. So, to prove ourselves otherwise, we started asking every girl in sight to dance with us. Nowadays, the innuendos would have been verboten as would any feeling on our part to respond to them. How times have changed. In this case, for the better.

[fleetwood 10]

Hi Tex - In answer to your query about the year I saw the 'Inkspots', i'm thinking it would have been approx '46 ( I would have been around 12yrs or so at that time). Whats amazing you can look up their old itineraries of where they played and who was on the same bill. In their heyday they played in all the big venues around. They recorded with other top stars including Ella Fitzgerald. Bill Kenney who was probably considered 'the most famous' retired and when he passed on was buried in Vancouver, Canada. For anybody that wants to check on some of the web sites related to the Inkspots, there's a Darnell (?), Sheffield connection of either them playing there or playing for some based organisation from there (sorry I can't be more specific).

Edited January 29, 2010 by fleetwood
Corrections

[Texas 10]

So, we meet again fleets. You were about 12 years old you say, I was about 13 then. What am I saying, I WAS 13. But anyway the Inkspots gig passed me by. I wouldn't have been interested in going to see them anyhow, back then, I was still into street football and acne. But the fact that they actually played an insignificant theatre like the one in question, is amazing. We were discussing, on this this thread, not so long ago, the guitar player Huey Long. He was their long standing side man. I like their stuff nowadays because it's nostalgia 'innit. I particularly like the sides they did with Ella Fitzgerald, specifically 'Into Each Life' (some rain must fall). The obligatos that EF sings in the background are a knockout.