Here’s how I became a jazz lover. I was born in 1946 so my teenage/young adult years were across the ‘swinging sixties’. I had liked The Shadows (learned some of their material on guitar) also Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly. But when the Stones emerged I was drawn to their earthy R&B based early album songs. This led me to the original artists they were influenced by, such as Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley.
When I started my Newcastle office job I discovered a colleague could play good blues and boogie woogie piano (Honky Tonk Train Blues, etc.). I loved that. His name was Bobby Hogg.
Also I went to Club A’Gogo in Percy Street and was knocked out by Steve Winwood with Spencer Davis Group and also I liked Alex Harvey Soul Band.
My work pal then played me Oscar Peterson’s ‘Night Train’ album and that was the eureka moment. I bought some Peterson vinyl albums (at JG Windows of course) and started going to jazz gigs, the New Orleans Club for example. I had stopped playing guitar but wanted to learn jazz piano. I went to Newlands Furniture Store in Northumberland Street where they had rows and rows of old pianos in the basement. Most were rubbish but I found a decent one, a Squire and my grandmother was kind enough to let me keep it at her house. I set about trying to learn blues piano but made limited progress. Eventually when I heard guitarist George Barnes (with Ruby Braff) I loved his playing, went out and bought a cheap guitar (at Barratt’s on Newgate Street) and brought it home and started playing along with the Barnes/Braff albums.
I still think back to those Club A'Gogo days. Steve Winwood was amazing. For anyone not familiar I recommend listen to him playing Georgia on my Mind aged about 17 I think (see YouTube clip above). You could hear a pin drop when he sang that. Roly
2 comments :
Interesting to read Roly's early inspiration was Spencer Davis. Spencer was a big fan of Barney Kessel. In 1971, whilst in Hollywood, he asked his producer Jay Spenter to ask Barney if he would play on a new recording with him and Peter Jameson The result was the LP release -Spencer-Davis-And-Peter-Jameson-'Its-Been-So-Long'United Artists Records – UAS 29177. Barney was a leading member of Phil Spector's 'Wrecking Crew' and played on many #1 popular hits by the likes of Tina Turner, Sonny and Cher, Tha Righteous Brothers, The Ronettes, the Crystals, The Beach Boy and more.
Some years after Spencer Davis, Steve Winwood appeared at Newcastle City Hall. Great voice, all night long playing piano until nearing the end of the concert, Winwood picked up a guitar (Gibson SG?).Nothing flashy, simply superb guitar playing. There is, of course, something of a connection with Blaydon Jazz Club (this year celebrating its 40th anniversary) in as much as one of Winwood's long-serving band members appeared at the Black Bull in his early teens - local hero Paul Booth.
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