JAZZ IN NEW YORK In the 1930s
“Ladies and gentlemen we now ask you to relax and enjoy the ride!” Our courteous but cool New York radio DJ set the scene for an extraordinary concert at Cadogan Hall, London when the audience was invited to embark on a journey Back to the Future of Jazz as first conceived in the Thundering Thirties.
We were asked to believe by compere and tour guide Kerry Shale that we were about to visit the clubs, recording studios and radio stations of 1930s New York City to hear some of the greatest names in American jazz history in action.
It was a dream come true when an assembly of superb singers and musicians gathered to recreate the sounds, songs and hit records by such groups as John Kirby’s Onyx Club Boys, Artie Shaw’s Gramercy Five together with bands led by Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington and guest performers Billie Holiday and Fats Waller.
Who would dare take on the challenge of devising such a project? Why Richard Pite, drummer and events organiser par excellance. In a way it was a shame this concert couldn’t have also been put on in Carnegie Hall as well as at Cadogan Hall (September 29, 2024). You could imagine it being broadcast on WNEW Radio and attended by critics from Downbeat and the New York Times shouting ‘Bravo’ before rushing to file their reviews.
But we Londoners, who caught two sets of magnificent performances, were unstinting in our praise. Applause broke out for individual solos and Vimala Rowe’s outstanding rendition of Billie Holiday’s ‘Strange Fruit’ was greeted with an ovation. Laughter also greeted Kerry Shale’s intermittent radio commercials, advertising period products of dubious value. (The BBC would never stoop so low).
Divided in two parts the show commenced with a tribute to John Kirby, a bass player who had started out in bands led by Fletcher Henderson and Chick Webb before forming his own distinctive sextet featuring trumpeter Charlie Shavers. Their sophisticated arrangements endeared audiences at the Onyx Club in 52nd Street and listeners to Kirby’s regular NBC radio series.
ROYAL GARDEN BLUES
Our boys opened with ‘Rehearsin’ For A Nervous Breakdown’ with Enrico Tomasso on trumpet and vocals who won shouts of approval just by stepping into the spotlight. Richard Pite gave a lesson on how to swing a band, whether with brushes or sticks and added to ‘Dawn In The Desert’ by creating an Arabian rhythm behind the masterful clarinet and saxophone playing of Michael McQuaid and Matthias Seuffert.
‘Royal Garden Blues’ provided more excitement and it all got pretty wild when Richard launched into one of his many explosive solos of the night. If recreating the music of the Onyx Club Boys was a demanding exercise, then reliving the sounds of Artie Shaw’s Gramercy Five was even more of a challenge.
Yet the Cadogan Hall boys cheerfully stomped through tunes like ‘Summit Ridge Drive’ and ‘Special Delivery Stomp’ with Martin Litton switching from piano to harpsichord, an innovative feature of Shaw’s pioneering group. As the various line ups progressed throughout the show praise must also be due to Tom Langham on guitar and vocals, and Dave Chamberlain on double bass and electric guitar.
Then came a sensation, when Vimala Rowe stepped on stage clad in a slinky long black dress and furs. Could she really sing like Billie Holiday?
The answer was a resounding ‘yes’ as she instantly captivated the audience with ‘When You’re Smiling’ and ‘Pennies From Heaven’ while ‘Strange Fruit’ had as much impact as it did when first bravely performed in public.
The last part of the show before the intermission was devoted to Satchmo himself, as Enrico Tomasso enthusiastically sang and played his tribute to Louis the Legend. “I Got Rhythm’ had Enrico hitting those good old high notes spurred on by explosive snare drumming from Mr. Pite the man who certainly does have rhythm. He also had an array of suitably small crash cymbals and hi-hats typical of the Swing era. ‘Tiger Rag’ was then chased around the stage with raunchy trombone solos from Ian Bateman and the pace hotted up with a daring double tempo finale.
AIN’T THE GRAVY GOOD
Duke Ellington at the Cotton Club opened Part 2 with a kinda Dukish Nick Dawson at the piano and vocals performing such rarely heard tunes as ‘Frolic Sam’ and the amusing ‘Ain’t The Gravy Good’ while ‘The Drummer’s Delight’ was just that.
Next came Raymond Scott whose clever, witty arrangements achieved great popularity when aired on CBS Radio in the early 1940s. His band included drummer Johnny Williams who was the father of film composer John Williams. ‘The Penguin,’ ‘In An 18th century Drawing Room’ and ‘War Dance of The Wooden Indians’ were all tackled with skill by his latter day followers, who might well have suffered nervous breakdowns at their rehearsals.
As the show drew to a climax Vimala Rowe returned to ‘Swing Brother Swing,’ and sang a heartfelt ‘Billie’s Blues’ while our very good friend the ultimate showman Fats Waller demonstrated not just his skill as a composer of timeless classics but his brilliance at the piano keyboard.
Nick Dawson stepped up the demanding role with commanding zeal when showcased on ‘Alligator Crawl’ betwixt ‘Lulu’s Back In Town’ and ‘It’s a Sin To Tell A Lie’.
Amidst roars of applause it was encore time, with a raucous ‘The Joint Is Jumpin’ and a trio of clarinettists running wild. Then Vimala returned to take a bow with ‘Crazy ’Bout My Baby.’ By then we were all crazy about the sound of New York Jazz whether it was aired in 1938 or 2024. All we need now is a London radio station to broadcast this kinda music, one more time. CHRIS WELCH