Having known and played with Frank for 25
years (from 1996) I found him open to playing any type of gig going and
would do his level best to attend at a moment's notice - he so
welcomed a challenge.
Frank’s Mancunian accent and humour remained intact throughout his 83 years. We used to discuss classical music a lot and he recommended that I acquire Tchaikovsky’s Serenade For Strings which I duly did and found it a great source for learning about writing for smaller string ensembles.
We played a trio gig in 1998 with Peter Ind on bass at the Bell Inn in
Hampton. In the middle of one of Peter's lengthy solos he suddenly shouted
"Lay Out" at Frank,
presumably because he preferred no piano comping at that point. Frank dutifully
obeyed and got up from the keyboard and walked over and stood by me, chuckling
away and showing no signs of being insulted or cheesed off at Peter.
Another occasion was a last minute need for a pianist at a very
short-lived venue in Shepherds Bush called The Blue Jay in
2003. A trio with myself and a Sinatranic singer. Frank sailed through
winsomely, accompanying me on a variety of standards that we both knew.
His accompanying the singer was a bit more of a challenge as he
had never worked with him before as well as the singer doing a less than usual
repertoire. That, along with the singer making overly high demands on his
pianist (largely down to his own self-importance on stage) did not even begin to
flummox Frank, resulting in a top show for the punters and trio alike.
RIP,
dear Frank. Your unique musicianship and friendship will live
eternally.
Frank Griffith
1 comment :
Just seen the sad news about the death of Frank Toms who was an important part of the Manchester Jazz Scene and who I first met when I started work at a rubber factory in Salford many years ago. He really knew how to play bebop piano and I spent a lot of time at his house in Failsworth listening to all the latest modern jazz records and also going to the jam sessions at the Lower Turks Head.We also went to Paris a couple of times and visited many great jazz clubs that featured legends like Chet Baker. Kenny Clarke etc. One year we rented a car in Spain and went on a wild road trip to Morocco crossing deserts and mountains. He later moved to Penn in Berkshire and became much in demand in that area and on the London Jazz Scene. R.I.P Frank-You will be missed.
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