You know how it is, you read a book - well that's what you did in
my day - then put it on the shelf and forget about it. Alternatively, if you've
enjoyed it, you loan it to a friend and, in doing so, you lose both a book and
a friend. I know, I've been on both sides of the equation!
Fortunately, Swingtime in Tottenham remained in my personal library and today, short of reading matter, I pulled it down from the shelf where it had nestled since 1976.
The author, the late Benny Green, had a turn of phrase to die for. I had
only to read the first sentence to know it was going to be worth revisiting
- In 1942 I can remember one of the lowlives of the district, a young
man with Clark Gable ears and a salt-and-pepper double-breasted jacket ...
Writer, broadcaster and saxophonist in one of Ronnie Scott's early bands, Green doesn't mention these achievements, instead he gives a hilarious account of the years preceding them.
Any musician of a certain age who gigged at weddings, staff dances, masonic balls and other social gatherings with bands of great ineptitude playing for an indifferent group of three-legged dancers will be able to relate to the many events the author recalls in his laconic style.
Absolutely hilarious it is still kicking around on Amazon, eBay etc. Check it out. Lance
Benny Green: Swingtime in Tottenham (1976). Lemon Tree Press. ISBN-10 0904291111
1 comment :
Hi Lance
I have never read this book by Benny Green but have no doubt that it will be a most interesting book About twenty years ago I bought a Benny Green book entitled" Lets face the Music" In South Shields which he had signed for someone called Noel The subtitle is "The Golden Age of Popular Song "The book consists of ten chapters which are as follows George Gershwin,Jerome Kern,Cole Porter ,Noel Coward Schwartz and Deitch ,Lerner and Loewe,Frank Loesser, Irving Berlin ,Richard Rodgers and Ira Gershwin
Every Chapter contains a wealth of information much of which the general public will not be aware of .The whole is put out with much humour and quite a few words that I had to look up This is a favourite book which I keep dipping into.An essential book
Bill Gallon
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