Chattanooga Stomp; Goober Dance; Tuxedo Junction; Kansas City Stomp; Clarinet Rondo; Minuet Wobble; We Shall Walk Through The Streets Of The City; Bourbon St. Parade; Perdido St. Blues; Twelfth St. Rag; Dauphin St. Blues; Canal St Blues; Beale St. Blues; Blue Blood Blues; There'll Come A Day; Keyhole Blues; Don't Go Away Nobody; Melancholy Blues;
St. Phillips Street Breakdown.

Cy Laurie disappeared from the jazz scene just as I was getting into it. He formed his first band in 1948, had players such as: Alan Elsdon, Sonny Morris, Ken Sims, Colin Smith, John RT Davis, Graham Stewart, Pat Hawes, Vic Carter, and Ron MacKay in his line-ups, then in 1960 threw it all away and vanished. Despite my late entry into traditional jazz, I did know about many of the bands from the revival period of the late 40s and 50s, yet, for some reason, I never heard of Cy Laurie.
In 1969, just prior to coming to NZ, I was taping a Ken Colyer's Jazzmen session on the BBC's Jazz Club. I thought I might as well let the tape run for the next band, as I could always dub over it if I didn't like them. Humph Lyttelton said the leader was a Cy Laurie, who had been in India, studying meditation under the Maharishi since 'the Beatles were maggots'. I still have the tape and, indeed, still play it. Cy plays a fascinating clarinet. The CD's sleeve notes says that he acknowledges the influence of Johnny Dodds, whom I personally prefer to the more popular George Lewis. There is truth in this, but Cy has a style of his own and if you haven't heard it, then you must! No-one else in the world plays like this man. The sidemen are all of high quality and, although you are very aware of Cy, other than in the solo numbers, he doesn't dominate, allowing the band to swing along nicely.The recordings are not from the master tapes, but rather from discs. The recording dates are given as 1955, '57, and '96. I don't believe the '96, it must be a typo for '56. The quality is high, much more so than most recordings retrieved from this medium and say's a lot for the skill of Lake's engineer, Paul Adams. To hear Cy playing just as well in 1995 listen to LACD71, where he is one of the backing band for Beryl Bryden.

HUMPHREY LYTTLETON 1946-49, DELVING BACK WITH HUMPH
Lake LACD72 1997 21 tracks 70 min

The Thin Red Line, Melancholy Blues, Cakewalking Babies, If You See Me Comin', Panama, Working Man's Blues, Fidgety Feet, Weary Blues, Ole Miss rag, Vox Humana, Elizabeth, Blues For Waterloo, First Of Many, Blues For Two, High Society, Royal Garden Blues, Who'se Sorry Now, Humph Meets Trog, Bugle Call rag, That Da Da Strain, Sugar

My first taste of Humph was when Cow & Gate gave away a single sided thin vinyl record with one of it's products. It was before I was interested in jazz. We could only play 78s at the time, and, after trying it out on my young aunt's record player once to see if it worked, I kept it, only because I hated throwing it away as it was free. Years later, with jazz stirring my blood, I dug it out and played it till the thing inevitable wore out.
My mate had an aunt who was heavily into traditional jazz. If you mentioned Humphry Lyttelton in her company she would swear, and refuse to talk to you again for the rest of the night. We both liked her, so we didn't do it unless she had really upset us. Many traditional jazz fans still feel like that way, and the word 'traitor', and 'betrayal' are two words often cast at Humph to this day. I came to the jazz scene too late to have had my heart broken by Humph's defection to mainstream, but, after listening to this CD, one can but feel sad at the loss to traditional jazz. Humph was, and still is, one of the finest horn players to have come out of the UK. I have some CDs of his later efforts and, although I may skip some of the heavier tracks, I gain much pleasure in listening to him push, pump, and drag emotion from his trumpet.
These delightful 1948-49 tracks are masterpieces of cohesive and smooth jazz played in a style that moves from New Orleans with Humph's own band to Chicago with Carlo Krahmer's Chicagoans. The sound is oft flat, and very typical of the recording standards of the time, lacking the definition that modern multi tracking brings. The tracks are also typically short. The cover notes say that all the tracks were originally recorded on acetates and that there are, therefore, some imperfections. Well I don't care. This CD fascinates me. Humph, on cornet or trumpet, catches your ear and won't let go and clarinetist, Wally Fawkes, well known in the 50s and 60s for his 'Flook' cartoons in the Daily Mail, weaves a magic of his own. Add them to a balanced and co-ordinated band (albeit one of changing membership), and you have a CD that will quickly become a favourite. One surprise was finding Humph joining Fawkes on clarinet on, 'Blues For Two'. Almost as much a shock as finding out that, The Gov'nor, Ken Colyer, also played a sax!
Was Humph a traitor or guilty of betrayal? I leave that to others to decide.
A man involved in the Ken Colyer Trust can't be all bad, now can he. Whilst I may not share other's anger, I must admit to feeling down, for now I have been given the Devil's kiss and cannot claim innocence as to the knowledge of the deemed sin.

THE TEMPERANCE SEVEN PASADENA & THE LOST CYLINDERS
Lake LACD77, 1997 - 28 tracks 78 min

Charley My Boy, You're Driving Me Crazy, My Baby Just Cares For Me, Chilli Bom Bom, My Mama's In Town, Words, China Boy, Ukulele Lady, My Blue Heaven, Oh Baby, I Wonder What's Become Of Joe, Take Me Over, Carole, The Mooche, Vo Do Do De O, Seven & Eleven, East St Louis, Pleasant Moments, Pasadena, A Japanese Dream, Deep Henderson, Ain't She Sweet, The Tate & Lyle Suite(Sugar, Sugar, Sugar), From Russia With Love, Jimmy,
Thoroughly Modern Millie

My first jazz LP ever, was bought with birthday money in 1962. It was 'The Temperance Seven 1961'. My father, a jazz fan from way back, tried to persuade me not to get it, to rather buy a 'Trad Jazz' LP, for, as he said 'It is gimmicky, and you will soon get bored with it.'
Well some 36 years later I still play it, though the sound that it now issues forth defies the covers description of it being in 'High Fidelity'.
Imagine my joy when I heard that Lake were issuing 'Pasadena & The Lost Cylinders'. At last, I thought, I can retire my poor old album and listen once again to the stars of the Pasadena Cocoa Rooms, Balls Pond Road, London, in pristine sound! But I can't. You see, when I saw the titles I noticed that not all the tracks on the aforesaid LP were on the CD, and some tracks seemed to come from their subsequent 'The Temperance Seven Family Album', and there were also various singles. Oh well, never mind. Then, when I played the CD I found that the tracks were in fact different takes of the tunes than those earlier released.
Was I dissappointed? Nah. This CD gives you the Temp 7 at their very best.
Their earlier attempts at recording, such as the 1958 released 'One Over The Eight', lacked the smooth professionalism of the recordings made in the early 60s. Their later recordings, from the late 60s onwards, tend to very kish. One of the great things about the Temp 7 in their early configurations was not just the music, but the fact that these jokers played, acted, and lived as if they really had played their first gig in 1904 as they claimed. Watch as closely as you might, and their faces never cracked, nor their eyes wink to show that it was anything other than deadly serious. Later line-ups gave the joke away and hammed their image up for all it was worth, and lost something of the magic in the process.
Whilst the tracks are often different takes of tunes released before, they are quite different, and they don't appear to be studio rejects either (and there are a few of those floating around on cheap CDs of 60s pop groups I can tell you. Don't be fooled by the 'original recordings' tag either - original they may be, but the recordings that made the hit parade they ain't). Most are slightly different arrangements of the known tracks, but others are entirely different. An example is 'Ukulele Lady' being an early version, sung by Whispering Paul McDowell rather than the version sung by Allan Moody-Mitchell on the 'The Temperance Seven Family Album' LP. Another example is
Sugar (Meyer/Young) missing the vocal refrain.
Very interesting, and it helps explain the '...Missing Cylinders', album title. Several new tracks are on the CD, such as a very fine 'My Mammas in Town' and 'The Mooche'.
Well, a surprise, but a pleasant one. For it means that the unlost cylinders are sitting there waiting for someone to re-issue.
Please Lake Records, find them and publish them, for unlike Whispering Paul McDowell, I ain't got the 'Vo Do Do De O Blues'!

PAT HALCOX ALL STARS
Lake LACD84 1997 14 Tracks 71min

Flintstones, Blue & Sentimental, I'm Gonna Lock My Heart & Throw Away The Key, China Boy, I Want A Little Girl, What's That Racket?, Jeepers Creepers, You Took Advantage Of Me, Three Four The Blues, Dusk, 5 O'clock Drag, Fidgety Feet, Deed I Do, Dr Jazz

Confession time; I have several mainstream albums in my jazz collection! Ok, so most have been given to me by well meaning friends and relations, but some, this CD included, I have bought myself. What, Geoff, you ask; you buying a mainstream CD? I admit that most of those that I have bought in the mainstream idiom, have been obtained to ensure that I do not live my life in a strict traditional jazz straight-jacket. Mostly they get just an occasional airing; almost as one takes a tonic for the good of one's health; you may not like it too much, but it is good for you!
This CD is an exception - I like it! Not only that, but I knew I would before I bought it. If I wanted to get a mainstream CD then I knew that, if I put my hand into Pat Halcox's, he would be gentle with me, and I was right. The style the band plays in, very much shows the traditional background of the players, in especial the front-line: Pat Halcox on trumpet, that excellent reedsman John Crocker, and NZ's own Campbell Burnap on trombone. Jack Teagarden influenced Campbell, also provides the laid-back vocals, where he shows that it is not just in his trombone playing that he has picked up the Teagarden style.
Pat's All Star band was a touring band that allowed jazzmen to continue playing whilst their 'home' bands were on summer holiday. It also allowed them to explore different playing styles and enjoy themselves. The CD consists of tunes from a 1978 LP put out by the Plant Life label, coupled with others from live sessions from 1978 and '79. Some tunes stand out more than others, especially two slow numbers 'Blue and Sentimental' and Ellington's 'Dusk'. But, for me, the standout number is, 'I Want A Little Girl' with Burnap giving a very relaxed, and yet poignant, vocal. I hate to say it, but I will: this mainstream version of the song, is now my favourite! Oh God, having said that, I suppose I had now better go and wash my mouth out and give myself a quick flagellation; but it is true.
If, like me, you are a traditionalist, but like to spread your wings now and then, get this CD and let Pat Halcox teach you to fly.

THE MERSEYSIPPI JAZZ BAND MERSEY TUNNEL JAZZ
Lake LACD85 1997 20 tracks 76min

Jersey Lightning, Aunt Haggar's Blues, Black & Tan Fantasy, Emperor Norton's Hunch, Chicago Buz, Blues Doctor, West Coast Shout, Sidewalk Blues, Saturday Night Function, Ostrich Walk, Tres Moutarde, Weatherbird Rag, Kansas City Stomps, Bienville Blues, Duff Campbell's Revenge, My Journey To The Sky, Hop Frog, If I Had You, Cataract Rag, I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself a Letter

In 1962 a beat group from the capital of Ireland, Liverpool to the ignorant, caught the attention of the youth of Britain and by 1963 the Beatles had started their conquest of the world. Soon everyone knew of the Merseyside club where they and their like played; The Cavern. What wasn't common knowledge, though anyone reading history about the group should have known, was that The Cavern was originally a jazz dive and first the skiffle groups and then beat groups, played there during the intervals, until changing music tastes reversed the roles. Well this CD, a re-issue of the 1957 'Mersey Tunnel Jazz' and 1956 'West Coast Shout' LPs, plus some from an un-named EP, are by the resident band that were there when the Cavern opened in 1957 - The Merseysippi Jazz Band. It is now 1997, and the band is still around and issuing albums. Says something about durability of both the music and the band.
Featuring two trumpets a la Oliver/Armstrong, these recordings often show an enthusiasm and drive that is often lacking in many of today's bands. The recordings, taken from records in a collection, rather than from master tapes, lack the high fidelity that modern recording techniques produce, and the lack of higher registers that pick up the delicacy of much of traditional jazz drumming, is particularly noticeable. Forget the rather flat sound, enjoy the music, for it is special. In addition to well balanced New Orleans jazz, there is the bonus of rare, and, to me, unknown tunes.
As I said earlier, The Merseysippi Jazz Band, is still kicking up a storm. They are often invited to the world's largest traditional jazz festival held at Sacramento, USA. There, so I am told by a friend who went a couple of years back, they are not only teaching the locals how to play their own music, but how to seriously sup ale as well!

MICKY ASHMAN & HIS RAGTIME JAZZ BAND THROUGH DARKEST ASHMAN
Lake LACD86 1997 14 tracks 52min

Wedding of the Painted Doll*, In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree*, Who Were You With Last Night*, If Those Lips Could Only Speak*, Jungle Nights In Harlem, Ostrich Walk, Darkness On The Delta, Listen To The Mocking Bird, Under The Bamboo Tree, Humming Bird, Brownskin Mama, Snake Rag, Pagan Love Song, Green Cockatoo, Zambezi

This Album was originally an EP called 'Memories Are Made Of This' and an LP of the same title as the CD. The EP was released in 1958, whilst the LP 1961. I saw the LP sometime in 1963 on the wall of the record section in Arding and Hobbs, Clapham Junction, London. I knew of Micky Ashman and rather liked the variety of the tunes the LP contained. Unfortunately a restricted budget and the lure of first Acker Bilk, and then Ken Colyer stopped me from buying it, though it remained in Arding and Hobbs until the record section disappeared around 1966. I always regretted not buying it, especially as later, I came across some of the tracks on the two bargain priced Golden Guinea Jazz Britannia LPs and liked them. Since then those tracks, and some others, have appeared on compilation CDs put out by Castle.
Having waited so long to get my grubby little paws on 'Through Darkest Ashman', was it worth it? Yes, I think so. The music at times slides into slick Trad, but it is very pleasant none-the-less, and it does have its special moments such as 'Jungle Nights In Harlem', 'Darkness On The Delta' and 'Brownskin Mama'. My only regret is that Lake were unable to get hold of the other recordings that Micky Ashman's Ragtime Jazz Band made and which Castle have used elsewhere. I would have loved to have had all of the material by this swinging bass player and his merry men on one CD.Oh, by the way, any Nazi hunters out there still trying to trace Martin Boorman? Well he was playing banjo for Micky Ashman in 1961!

HUMPHREY LYTTELTON - DELVING BACK & FORTH WITH HUMPH
Lake LACD89 1997 17 tracks 57 min

Miss Otis Regrets, Working Man Blues, Salty Dog, South, Victory House Drag, High Society, Melancholy Blues, On Treasure Island*, Blues For An Unknown Gypsy/Suffolk Air*, Chattanooga Stomp*, Low Down Dirty Shame*, Hopfrog*, Randolph Turpin Stomp*, Vox Humana Blues*,
I Like To Go Back In The Evening*

The first nine tracks are from 1948, whilst the final eight are from a 1986* session. The cover notes tell the story that the earlier tracks are from a chance discovery of unissued recordings that were snapped up by the Stomp Off label. Not having enough material to make up a full album, a contemporary session to be played in the original style was commissioned and the remaining tracks are from that. Well, despite what many older traditional jazz fans may say, Humph still remembers his roots, and the '86 tracks show that he retains the feeling for the style that caused Louis Armstrong to once declare that he was 'the top trumpet man in England......'. If you have Humph's earlier Lake issue, 'Delving Back With Humph', you will notice some of the same numbers being performed. Rest assured, being the good jazzman that he is, Humph serves his tunes up hot, fresh and different. The '48 recordings are much clearer than those on the 'Delving Back With Humph' CD, possibly because, being unissued, they had not been subjected to the same use. The sound quality does vary a bit from track to track, and you really do notice the improvement when you get to the '86 tracks. Whilst the sound quality may vary, the music quality doesn't - it is excellent!
Both sessions are blessed with Wally 'Trogg' Fawkes on clarinet, and as per the earlier CD, have a track with Fawkes and Lyttelton playing a clarinet duet (Blues For An Unknown Gypsy/Suffolk Air). It is always a pleasure to listen to Trogg warbling a reed; he is one of the most underrated clarinetists around, and it is a joy to hear him again in a traditional jazz setting.
The album features many original, or little recorded tunes; many written by Humph himself. The '86 session features much that was part of the '48 band's repertoire. One tune that I don't think could have been, is Lyttelton's, 'Randolph Turpin Stomp'. Now I remember Randolph Turpin as a boxer of whom the British had much hope of becoming World Champion. Now, was the tune written in the hope of his victory, or memory of his title defeat by Rocky Marciano. That event was after 1948, as I remember it, and in '48 I was only a year old. So, was it written in the mainstream style Humph adopted and displayed to the world on, 'Humph at the Conway', and then retro-engineered? I shall have to keep playing this wonderful CD and try and make up my mind.
Buy it yourself and join me.

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