Chairmans Letter September / October 2022
Herewith, a fond recollection of our September do, and keen anticipation of our October bash.Lights! Camera! (Camra?) Action! As promised, Colin Moore led the main presentation with Jazz Amongst the Stars, the first part of a musical selection based on the cinematographic world, shooting beginning with The Varsity Drag, from the 1974 version of The Great Gatsby. ‘Lavish living, gaiety and decadence alongside the hardships of ‘20s and ‘30s Great Depression’ was cited; we get plenty enough of all that at home thank you, Mr Moore! George Olson and His Music swung this 1927 cut along quite nicely, featuring wonderfully witty lyrics.
From the same film, Adele and Fred Astaire declared that I’d Rather Charleston, though the LJAS crowd confined themselves to appreciative foot-tapping.
The score of 1961’s wonderful West Side Story has provided the inspiration for many a fine jazz interpretation, and here the Oscar Peterson Trio swung like crazy on Something’s Coming, propelled by a free ‘How to Play Jazz Brushes’ lesson by Ed Thigpen, and Ray Brown’s bass also mastering the rhythmic complexities for the faster passages that accompanied the reflective ones.Neville Dickie shocked and astounded many with his Spike Jones-like Chicago, that sounded very much like a recording of everything including the kitchen sink! Hit them pots ‘n pans!Disney films have surely provided not only a good few jazz songs and arrangements in soundtracks, but alsoinspiration for interpretationsthereof. My personal favourite Disney cartoon, The Aristocats, was featured here with fairly local lass Joanna Eden offering a great version of Everybody Wants to be a Cat. Jazz at the Movies is the appropriate name of her group, fondly recalled by some of LJAS for past performances in Letchworth.
The ever-delightful Peggy Lee offered There’s a Small Hotel from Pal Joey, before CUT! – most regrettably – was it, for this part of Colin’s Film Fun, since his CD stopped playing (or was it hair on the gate?), but rest assured,
picturegoers, Colin will be back on 25th October to resume these songs, and also to present Part Two of Jazz Amongst the Stars.
Meanwhile, thank you, Colin, for our pleasurable musical evening at the pictures!
One of the many delights of our LJAS get-togethers is to discover new music of which we would otherwise be unaware; such was Linda Plant’s presentation for her Secretary’s Choice on this evening, where we were
ntroduced to the immense musical skills of Terry Pollard, US jazz pianist and vibes player, most active in the1940s and ‘50s. ‘A major player who was inexplicably overlooked’ is a rightful description, though she was one
of the first female black jazz artistes to appear on the US Tonight show, and she performed with many of the biggest names in jazz, before later playing in her local Detroit with Tamla Motown acts including The Supremes.
Linda treated us to four sparkling pieces from ’55, backed by a tremendous quartet, and a bonus take from ’53.There’s a short, potted biography on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=358pIAKOdmo
nexplicable why she’s so little known, but thank you, Linda, for revealing this discovery – it’s what we’re here for!