I nearly fell off my seat when I came across this. Malcolm Saul is my dad and I have been trying for years to find out any info about him on the internet. I would be more than grateful if anyone knew him or has any old pics or any thing about to contact me at jes46@hotmail.co.uk. This is a real blessing for me. Thank you sooo much.
Janet Saul
I have many happy memories of the old days when Malcolm was a good friend to Mike and myself.
ReplyDeleteWill be in contact with Janet.
Hilary Gilby.
I almost grew up in the music business with Malcolm from our first pro job together with The Charles Aimer Band at the Coatham Hotel in Redcar. That would be in
ReplyDeleteabout 1956!
PS to Janet. I will Email you about
ReplyDeleteMalcom & dig out the one photo I
have of Malcom & myself taken all
those years ago in Redcar.
The first time I encountered Malcolm Saul was at Gateshead Town Hall in the mid '60s. Sonny Stitt was appearing with the Bill Le Sage Quartet. Sonny Stitt made it but the rest of the band's car broke down somewhere on the A1. The organisers - Jazz North-east of course - sent a panic message and managed to get the Malcolm Saul Trio who were, at the time, resident band at Billy Botto's club in Byker.
ReplyDeleteThey dashed over and - well the rest is history. Stitt was magnificent and Malcolm' Ronnie Pearson (dms) - I forget who the bass player was, probably Pete or Derek - were equally brilliant. It still remains in my memory as one of the best ever concerts due in no small part to Malcolm's sympathetic backing.
Thank you so much for all your comments and info concerning my great late dad...Keep it coming guy's..It's such a blessing to me,my kids and for my grandkids when they get a bit older.
ReplyDeleteJanet Saul X
As promised, a few bits n' pieces re-Malcolm Saul. He backed Americans from the late 70s to c.1983, 18 or so, I would say. The Malcolm Saul Trio as such backed Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis (twice), Al Grey & Buddy Tate (3 times), Al G. & Jimmy Forrest, Buddy Tate (without A.G.), Joe Newman, Sonny Stitt and Red Holloway, Al Cohn, Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson (twice), Nat Adderley, James Moody.
ReplyDeleteThe bits n' pieces I relayed to you at the gig last week were 'Lockjaw' always sticking rigidly to two 45 min sets from which he would never deviate, but with Malcolm, on one occasion, he was blazing away 75 mins later! Ernie Garside, 'Lockjaw's agent, was looking on in amazement - he'd never done this anywhere else. And 'Lockjaw' did a second set of 45 mins too that night - if only someone had recorded it all!
At the Alexandra Palace Festival, London, the Nigel Stanger Quartet did a set with Malcolm on piano. Later, at that festival, I found Malcolm listening intently to Pinetop Perkins, pianist with the Muddy Waters Blues Band. Perkins was no great technician but a hugely authoritative blues exponent. Malcolm had many times more technique but nevertheless he really appreciated the special qualities of the blues pianist. Not all jazz pianists would recognise that.
What year did Malcolm meet with the untimely fatal accident?
Thank you Chris for all the info on my dad...He died on 25/11/1990.
ReplyDeleteJanet Saul
I met Malcolm in 1982 at one of the Corner House Bank Holiday sessions.
ReplyDeleteSomehow or other we ended up in Breda [NL ] with Peter Gascoigne's Saratoga Jazzmen together with Scotty [Adair], drums and Tommy Moran [reeds], Roy Willis[ guitar] and Dave Murphy [bass].
A never to be forgotten experience.
Bless you Malcolm
Mike Carton