Back in my cycling days, jazz was never far from my mind. In my very early days as a teenager, on club runs, we used to sprint for signs. As we went hell for leather to be the first into Morpeth I'd be pedalling to the tune of High Society. I always came, at best, second, maybe future track champion Vince Burns was hearing Scrapple From the Apple.
The reason for this, seemingly unlikely post, springs from a Twitter (Tweet?) by Paul Edis promising to deliver an article on the relationship between music and exercise - in Paul's case jogging - as well as a book by someone else on the relationship between jazz and cricket.
The latter subject was looked at by Vic Lewis in his book Music and Maiden Overs - a book that, incidentally, was referred to somewhat disparagingly by Jim Godbolt back in the day when he edited the Jazz At Ronnie Scott's (JARS) mag.
In the 1930s/40s the swing bands would often meet up and play baseball when their paths crossed.
I once turned up a couple of minutes late for an interview with Joe Temperley at Sage Gateshead only to find he'd left to watch Scotland playing a World Cup game on TV back at his hotel.
Boxing has always rubbed shoulders with jazz. Possibly, because of the two often performing in clubs and mafia run venues, it was inevitable. The famous pre-fight quote by Joe Frazier that he'd booked Duke Ellington's band to play at his victory party after he'd beaten Ali was countered by Ali replying that he'd booked the Basie band for his victory party (it may have been vice versa!)
Sebastian Coe recently revealed his love of jazz - maybe he too was listening to Scrapple when he won those Olympic titles!
Getting back to cycling, Pete Deuchar (Duker) is a name to conjure with and, as NYC, opens its doors and gates, our favourite singer, Daryl Sherman, has been reported as having enhanced Central Park with some velocipedic action.
So, what do musicians do when they're not gigging or practising or doing whatever musicians do when they're not gigging or practising? Lance
1 comment :
When I go out for a health-giving perambulation I walk in slow-foxtrot tempo - approx 120 beats per minute - with a tune or tunes to fit going through my mind. Oddly, melodies rather than improvisations. On occasion I go into 3/4 time but at the same tempo, which makes for rather quick waltzes - or Carlisle tempos as a West Cumbrian baritone player of my acquaintance used to call them.
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