Vocalion CDNJT 5315
The producer Denis Preston was responsible for most of the British Traditional Jazz Revival recordings, and he created two of the most significant series: the „Jazz Today Series“ for Pye and „The Lansdowne Jazz Series“ for Columbia. In early 1962 Radio Luxembourg, a commercial radio station based in Luxembourg and broadcasting on 208 meters, began a 13-week series of 30-minute programmes entitled „The 208 Rhythm Club“. The series served as a showcase for Lansdowne’s productions, which offered the opportunity each week for the featured band to present their recent recordings.
(Source: Vocalion Records / Lake Records)
Vocalion Records have now started with the release of a new series of „The 208 Rhytm Club“ featuring British Jazzbands from the sixties. Volume One features the Bands of Chris Barber, Ken Colyer and Mike Cotton. All titles have were recorded in 1961 at the Lansdowne Studios, Holland Park, London, in 1961. However, we have no exact recording dates. Even Gerard Bielderman, who produced the Chris Barber Discography together with the late Julian Purser, has no further details.
The 12 tracks of the Chris Barber Jazz Band represent the band’s repertoire of that time. Some of the titles haven been released in other versions on LP’s and CD’s. Vocalion reports that these sessions were recorded for radio broadcast and, as such, not issued commercially and they present all titles on CD for the first time, remastered from the original tapes. The Chris Barber Band at that time features the „classical-lineup“, but with Ian Wheeler on clarinet and alto instead of Monty Sunshine, who had left the band in 1960.
The CD information (see below) shows all titles and the personnel of the bands. To me, „Room Rent Blues“, has – as far as I know – never been released before by the Chris Barber Jazz Band. Ian plays the alto sax and the tune is played in a very swinging mood. It’s great to find songs that have never been issued before and I am pleased to add this title to my collection.
Ottilie Patterson is featured with 3 songs: „I’m crazy about my baby“, „Basin Street Blues“ and „It ain’t what you do“. Nothing new, but very good versions.
One of my personal favourite is „Stevedore Stomp“. The Chris Barber Band recorded and played this title many times. It was featured on „my“ first Chris Barber recording, the Decca EP „New Orleans Blues“ from 1954. Chris played (and recorded) it regularely till the end of the „Jazz & Blues Band Period“ (and the beginning of the „Big Chris Barber Band“).
The next 7 titles are played by the Ken Colyer Jazzmen in 1961. My personal archive does not cover all the recordings of Ken (and of the Mike Cotton Band), so I assume that these titles are well-known to collectors, but have never been previousely issued commercially. I personally like „Postman’s Lament“ and „Too Busy“ (2 takes), a title that is also on the first recording with the Ken Colyer Jazzmen in 1953. So, it’s quite interesting to compare the 1953 recording with this one.
The remaining 4 titles are played by the Mike Cotton Jazzmen. I like their fresh and swinging sound and here I like especially „Savoy Blues“ and „High Society“.
This CD series is a very good documentation of the British Jazz Scene in the early sixties and I hope that there are more CD’s to come. On the CD booklet is mentioned Vol. 2 with the bands of Humphrey Lyttelton, and the Al Fairweather and Sandy Brown All Stars.
Andreas Wandfluh / Dec. 2012
Music:
Chris Barber: Till we meet again || Room Rent Blues ||
Ken Colyer: Postman’s Lament ||
Mike Cotton: Savoy Blues ||