Many Americans born in the 1950s like to think of London in 1961 as a set from My Fair Lady. Lots of rosy-cheeked Julie Andrews types, coal fireplaces, afternoon tea and men rushing about in forest-green tweed. In these cinematic imaginations, teenage guys look like the brooding Beatles during their Hamburg, Germany, period, while teenage girls are bubbly and confident, and look like Helen Shapiro or Shirley Bassey.
We don't tend to think of London as having a thriving jazz scene akin to New York, Chicago or San Francisco. But in 1961, the city's Soho section was thriving with jazz clubs and coffee bars. Which brings us to another myth: that much of the jazz played in London back then was traditional Dixieland. There certainly was plenty of "trad" to go around, but a majority of the young jazz artists there were modernists influenced by the New York hard bop scene. Great London jazz musicians included Joe Harriott, Dick Morrissey, Harold McNair, Wilton Gaynair, Don Rendell, Shake Keane, Harry South, Tubby Hayes, Ronnie Scott, Alex Welsh among many others.
Most of these British jazz musicians aren't household names here today because many didn't tour in the States nor were their recordings released widely in the U.S. Even today, these musicians go unrecognized or unheard by fans outside of the U.K. But they were every bit as innovative and skilled as their American idols, as evidenced on RnB Records latest set available in the U.S.: Soho Scene '61: Jazz Goes Mod.
Last time I wrote about the Jazz Goes Mod series from the U.K.'s RnB Records was back in October 2016, when the label released Soho Scene '62 (go here). Like the last set, the new two-CD package is loaded with accomplished British jazz artists and groups who may be new to you. The set comes with a 24-page booklet of terrific notes by DJ and author Paul "Smiler" Anderson, and it's packed with glossy color and black-and-white photos.
Once again, the set's first CD features British jazz artists while the second features tracks by influential American jazz and soul-jazz artists. This group includes the Montgomery Brothers, Grant Green, King Curtis, Sal Nistico, Freddie Hubbard and Red Holt, among others. The juxtaposition is fascinating. The American jazz CD provides audio references for the uptempo, harmony-rich British jazz you hear on the first CD. A bunch of the American tracks may not even be in your collection, including Harold Corbin's Soul Sister, Red Holt's Little Liza Jane, Chris Connor's Opportunity and Jimmy Drew's Baby Lou.
Among the many high points on the British-artist CD are the Harold McNair Quartet's Harry Flicks, the Bill McGuffie Quartet's Out of Cigarettes, the Tubby Hayes Quartet's R.T.H., the Joe Harriott Quintet's Tonal, the Harry South Big Band's Southern Horizons, the Shake Keane Quintet's Fidel, the Dick Morrissey Quartet's St. Thomas and the Ronnie Scott/Jimmy Deuchar Quintet's Haunted Jazzclub.
Of course, there's no harm in imagining London populated by Cockney flower girls, London Music Hall comics and Ian Fleming (above) shopping for after shave at Floris. Just know that before Swinging London in the late 1960s, London was already a swinging place in '61 with a serious modern jazz groove.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Soho Scene '61: Jazz Goes Mod (RnB) here.
Also, remember the Harry South Songbook box I posted about in July (go here)? It's now available in the States as a four-CD set (go here).
For more on RnB's offerings, go here.
JazzWax clips: Here's the Bill McGuffie Quartet, with McGuffie on piano, playing Out of Cigarettes...
Here's the Harold McNair Quartet, with McNair on flute, playing Harry Flicks...
And here's arranger-trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar and his group playing Heather Mist...
