FEET were tapping at the February meeting when Club Member Kevin Menzies illustrated the history of British Jazz.
The first part started with the Savoy Orpheans who were an early band after World War I playing for the Jazz Dance craze.
Other bands followed until the 1940s, often being a training ground for later band leaders.
Just before the interval we heard Jack Parnell playing a lively piece based on Mozart’s Rondo a la Turque!
The second half followed on from the 50s with the Trad Jazz bands of Barber, Ball and Bilk, but then Jazz had a more limited following often in Jazz Clubs inspired by Ronnie Scott.
The bigger, dance sounds of Lyttleton and Dankworth were matched by the ‘cooler’ approach of the later ‘free improvisers’, who were less likely to make you get up and dance!
More recent players like Jamie Cullum have brought rhythm back to improvisation.
A most enjoyable evening ended with a touch of nostalgia with Acker Bilk playing ‘Stranger on the Shore’.
The next Club meeting promises to be equally entertaining as we have the return of Paul Arden Taylor from Birmingham with reminiscences of the Midland Radio Orchestra.
Phone 01453 826676 for more details.
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