Leeds jazz in the 60's

Cropper · Post by **Cropper** » Sat 20 Jun, 2009 9:13 am

Hi Andy, Thanks for the offer, I would like the one of Boland changing his reed, which has a very young me in the black polo neck.My email address is [email protected] inadvertantly posted this as a new thread, it may confuse some people.RegardsMartin

Mark Peers · Post by **Mark Peers** » Fri 30 Jul, 2010 8:01 am

stevief wrote: dsco wrote: PS I can't imagine any sort of music being played in the Haddon Hall these days - a bright, sterile and generally awful place. They might stretch to a bit of 'Pop Idol: The Best of The Rest'.dsco It's a shame.I've seen some great bands in the Haddon.It used to be one of the premier music venue pubs of Leeds.It's my nearest pub but it'll never be my local. Jazz at the Guilford stated in the early 70's with the Leeds Jazz Club which met every Sunday with a visiting big name each week. Stephane Grapelli made his first ever appearance in Leeds at the Leeds Jazz Club playing with the Diz Disley trio. Among many others were visits from Ken Colyer, Alex Welsh, Max Colley, Art Farmer, Bill Cole, Bob Wilber, Bud Freeman, Yank Lawson & Bob Haggart and the Worlds Greatest Jazzband with Maxine Sullivan, the Dutch Swing College, Ronnie Scott, Ruby Braff, and even Bob Kerr's Whoopee Band (ex Bonzo Dog Do Dah band members) Most of the good local bands from Yorkshire also featured regularly and sometimes provided backing to visiting soloists. Onne of our finest local musicians Dickie Hawdon being a regular.The Leeds Jazz Club had various other venues until 1978 including: The Star & Garter, The Wellesley, The Draganara and The Astoria.Mark

Wyatt · Post by **Wyatt** » Mon 25 Oct, 2010 11:26 pm

I have just found this site via my ex wife Chris Hill. Many of the photos I have seen on it have me squirred away in the background playing the Bass. It strikes me I must have made an impact as knowbody knows me inspite of playing for years at all the venues named starting with the Corporation on Camp Road. I started Leeds Art College September 1958 and a year later I was established in Edd's Band. Billy Bowskill was the encumbent Bass Player but he moved to the White Eagles. On an information point I can fill in many of the gaps in this amazing thread. Sadly since those times we have lost many of the musicians and possibly many of the " Team " as the Band followers were called.Put a date on the Liverpool to Isle of Man floating festival of Jazz and I know I was well established by then. There is a post relating to the Altringham gig. This was a classic but how we got there and back escapes me. Sadly I have no photos of that period in my life save for a Black and White from Mike Chapmans ' website taken at the Esquire Club LEEDS. Mike on Guitar..Berni Wilde on Drums and me on Bass.One man never mentioned in the whole thread is Ferd. He was Ed's Banjo player. He is on one of the photos taken outside the Corporation.I will keep in touch. Mick Hill ( Wyatt)

Bert · Post by **Bert** » Tue 26 Oct, 2010 10:29 am

You are remembered Wyatt - see Homer's posts above. In fact you were famous not just for your bass playing but for being the man with no surname (or was it no Christian name - not sure) - at least not one known to any of us.

Brandy · Post by **Brandy** » Tue 26 Oct, 2010 12:52 pm

Warm welcome to the site Wyatt.

Bert · Post by **Bert** » Tue 26 Oct, 2010 4:21 pm

PS WyattI remember Ferd too. Superb banjo player with a very distinctive action - sort of throwing his right shoulder forward with each stroke. You and he were Ed's regular bass and banjo players at the Tramsheds when I used to play there with Homer in Al Crossland's interval band.

jazzbob · Post by **jazzbob** » Wed 09 Mar, 2011 6:42 pm

Well glory be can you believe this. What a stunning website. Brian Goldyblobs gave me the nickname, by the way, in the late sixties and i'ts the first time i've had occasion to use it. Just this morning, I got to thinking about when you pinched that photo of me taken at the Tramsheds, Dave (Homer) -never could get into the habit of calling you Homer. We all had individual photos taken on stage by some pro. I've got yours and you took mine. Wouldn't give me it back.It was a great photo. Then I got to thinking, 'wonder if I can pick up anything on Google about Leeds jazz, maybe some of the musers will be blogging and lo ! there it was 'Secret Leeds' and all the postings. Hell where do I start.Me you and Dave (Bert) Cockerham practised in the lounge above dads greengrocers in Whitkirk inabout '59. Then we found Al Crossland and decided to name the band after him 'cos he was the oldest. Then Geof Sowden on sousaphone, but we wanted a string bass so we used Wyatt, or Ricky Cartwright or Dick or Mick Chapman whoever was available. We never had a regular. Then John Beacroft on trombone. Do you remember when we bought the snake in Queens Arcade and took it back to Cross Gates in a cardboard box on the Whitkirk bus and it was hissing and banging in the box and the 'oke in the next seat was petrified and the 110 kg 60 year old landlady at the Blooming Rose where we practised/ gigged and you insisted that you were going to have an affair with her. I remember when you won the dusting comp. in Whitby. Dave (Bert) ,do you remember when we lived in the flat in West Hampstead and you got a posting to Saigon in '66 and I said you must be out of your mind and you said 'well they dont bomb near the British Embassy' and I said 'Yeah, right.Then we lost touch. I think Crossland fired me 'cos I objected to wearing that bloody stupid straw hat and bow tie arrangement. Something like that. I was always getting fired. I joined Boland with the White Eagles for a year or too then went to London. Dave (Homer), I know exactly how you feel about playing that year with Ed O, you remember he offered me the job when Bernie went to London and you tried to persuade me, and I dithered and procrastinated 'cos I was doing finals in Engineering at Leeds Tech, then Ed gotfed up of waiting and hired Danny the Wap.Thats one of my regrets. But I did play quite a few gigs with them when Bernie was off. Made up for it as well in a way. Got back from London in '67 and Dave Lewis and me talked about breaking away from trad jazz and playing Adderley numbers and be bop. Dave went to see a Geordie pub owner in Lincoln Green estate and asked him if he was interested in having a Sunday lunchtime jazz venue, he said he could give it a try, so we got Foxy ( my hero of heroes, I actually named my youngest son after him), Ed Websdale on piano (yes!), John James on trumpet and Dick Wright on bass and the Cherry Tree was born. The personnel shifted quickly. Websdale went to trumpet, Dave Bailey came on piano ( from Leeds Mecca) and we got a West Indian electric bass called Bones, and Dave called us the Cherry Tree All Stars. The place took off like a 747 and it was packed out every Sunday luchtime. Dave Lewis , if you there, remember when we moved house for Goldyblobs from Beeston in my Yellow submarine, and we were all on the front bench seat with Brian in the middle holding the goldfish bowl shouting at me to take it easy and watch the bumps and a cat hared across the road in front, so I veered and Brian screamed at me about his goldfish and the cat got it. I said to you'did the cat make it' and you said 'it got to the other side on its front legs dragging the rest of itself behind' . I didnt look back.Dave (Homer) get in touch and let me know if you still have the photo and can I have it. I,m in Joburg. Been here since ,73, except for a stint in Hamburg. 4 kids and 9th grandchild on the way. Doing garden maintenance. Springboks rule . Jazzbob Richardson'

Bert · Post by **Bert** » Wed 09 Mar, 2011 7:38 pm

Well did you ever Bob; what a swell party we could have if we all got together, to misquote Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.I survived Saigon as you will have surmised, although we did have a few scary moments there. Still married to the same wonderful woman. Two sons; three grandsons. Spent most of our life since Saigon in Japan (both kids born there), with shorter spells in the USA and India. Actually got a trad band going for a while in Tokyo - the Yedo City Jazz Band. Nearest I ever got to Jo'burg was two days in Durban when the ship we sailed to Yokohama on from Hull called there for bunkers (had to go that way 'cos Suez was still closed in those days).I remember your folks' greengrocers shop in Whitkirk well. I also remember your boiling huge vats of cabbage seven days a week in our pad in West Hampstead 'cos your Mum had warned you you'd get scurvy or something if you didn't eat enough greens - the place stank of it. Often wondered if she just peddled that line out of self interest as a greengrocer's wife!

jazzbob · Post by **jazzbob** » Thu 10 Mar, 2011 6:38 pm

You are still married to the same wonderful woman,that would be Min if my memory serves. My wife is still married to the same wonderful husband she married 43 years ago. Are you in contact with Homer ? Bye the way, that wasn,t cabbage, it was spring greens. I lived off that and rump steak for the whole time I was down there.

jazzbob · Post by **jazzbob** » Thu 10 Mar, 2011 6:39 pm

You are still married to the same wonderful woman,that would be Min if my memory serves. My wife is still married to the same wonderful husband she married 43 years ago. Are you in contact with Homer ? Bye the way, that wasn,t cabbage, it was spring greens. I lived off that and rump steak for the whole time I was down there.