I've just been checking out your site and was fascinated to
see the poster (supplied by Colin Aitchison) and thread on my grandfather Peter
Fielding and his band. Link to previous post.
I
don't have too many direct memories of him other than at Christmas times as he
was working away from Newcastle by the time I
was born but I do remember regularly receiving birthday cards from exotic
places when he was the bandleader on the Canberra
Over the years many people have spoken to me of his days at
the Oxford Richmond (Surrey )
who had played in his band for twenty years and knew my grandmother and all her
six children, including my father, Tony. On my way to a Latin gig in Paris one evening I also heard a fascinating radio 4
interview with the trail-blazing female saxophonist Kathy Stobart who
related that during the war Peter Fielding gave her her first real gig - at the
Oxford
My father played the piano well in his youth, though he never worked with my grandfather. My uncle Peter played the trombone in the band. After suffering a heart attack he moved onto Bass and Piano. He produced the St. Jacome Trumpet method from my grandmother's kitchen cupboard and gave it to me when I took up the trumpet. I still have it in my work studio downstairs. Mike, another uncle, was a drummer and continued leading a band in the north east under his own name (Mike Fielding). I did a couple of deps in his band round the time I played in the Newcastle Big Band. You may well have come across him yourself at some time.
My father played the piano well in his youth, though he never worked with my grandfather. My uncle Peter played the trombone in the band. After suffering a heart attack he moved onto Bass and Piano. He produced the St. Jacome Trumpet method from my grandmother's kitchen cupboard and gave it to me when I took up the trumpet. I still have it in my work studio downstairs. Mike, another uncle, was a drummer and continued leading a band in the north east under his own name (Mike Fielding). I did a couple of deps in his band round the time I played in the Newcastle Big Band. You may well have come across him yourself at some time.
My grandmother Cath was a dancer in her young days and met my
grandfather when he was the MD on a review in which she worked. I met my own
wife when she was a dancer and singer in a show I worked on here in France
Keep up the good work on the web site.
Keep up the good work on the web site.
Peter Volpe. (Ed. photo of Peter Volpe taken from Peter's MySpace site.)
P.S. When you worked in Windows you were responsible for the choice of the first Jazz album I ever bought. It was a Lee Morgan record with Art Blakey. The second one you advised me to buy was by Clifford Brown.
P.S. When you worked in Windows you were responsible for the choice of the first Jazz album I ever bought. It was a Lee Morgan record with Art Blakey. The second one you advised me to buy was by Clifford Brown.
Good choices!
Thanks.
3 comments :
I worked with Mike Fielding when I first started playing..... A great drummer & a gentleman..... I learned so much from him !
Pleased you took my advice Peter - it soon showed in your playing!
I sold Sting bass strings, Paul Booth his first tenor and banjo strings to Brian Bennett.
Oh and Malcolm, I recall when you used to come into the shop with your dad and kick seven shades out of, was it a Lowery, or a Rhodes or a Roland? can't remember but you must have been all of 14 going on 40!
Perhaps I should be nicknamed "The Kingmaker"!
I'm sure my pianist friend Eddie Farrow worked for Peter Fielding in the early days at the Oxford Galleries.
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