Leonard "Lennie" Hastings (5 January 1927 – 14 July 1978) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

drummer.

Biography

Hastings started out playing in military bands during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in the 1940s, which included Micky Bryan's Rug Cutters in 1942. He then played with

Freddy Randall Frederick James 'Freddy' Randall (6 May 1921 – 18 May 1999) was an English jazz trumpeter and bandleader born in Clapton, London, Clapton, East London. Biography Born in Clapton, East London at the age of just 18 Randall led the St. Loui ...

(December 1950 – November 1953 and June – August 1954) and

Alex Welsh Alex Welsh (9 July 1929 – 25 June 1982) was a Scottish jazz musician who played cornet and trumpet and was also a bandleader and singer, Biography Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Welsh started playing in the teenage Leith Silver Band and wi ...

(December 1954 – January 1957). Following these engagements, Hastings played in local combos and led an ensemble in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

and then played with

Nat Gonella Nathaniel Charles Gonella (7 March 1908 – 6 August 1998) was an English jazz trumpeter, bandleader, vocalist, and mellophonist. He founded the big band The Georgians, during the British dance band era. Early life and career Gonella was bo ...

briefly before rejoining Welsh. He was Welsh's drummer for well over a decade, during which time he also recorded with

Earl Hines Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...

Rex Stewart Rex William Stewart Jr. (February 22, 1907 – September 7, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist who was a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra. Career As a boy he studied piano and violin; most of his career was spent on cornet. Stewart drop ...

, Eddie Davis,

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...

, and Bill Coleman. He was particularly popular in TV appearances with the

band, and was known as "Herr" Lennie Hastings dressed in his trademark lederhosen and orange wig with false monocle, and noted for ending numbers playing a drum break and waving his arms with a shout of "Oo yah Oo yah" whilst holding his drumsticks high above his head.

Recordings and television appearances

In 1961, a single was released on Columbia Records called "Auf Wiedersen, My Dear" b/w "One, Two, Drink Up" on Columbia 45-DB 4675. He made two appearances on the

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

television programme, ''

Jazz 625 ''Jazz 625'' is a BBC jazz programme featuring performances by British and American musicians, first broadcast between April 1964 and August 1966. It was created by Terry Henebery, a clarinetist recruited in 1963 as one of the new producers fo ...

'', both in 1964 playing drums alongside fellow musicians Kenny Baker, George Chisholm and

Tony Coe Anthony George Coe (born 29 November 1934) is an English jazz musician who plays clarinet, bass clarinet, flute as well as soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones. Career Born in Canterbury, Kent, England, Coe started out on clarinet and was self- ...

as well as

Later years and death

In 1972, he left Welsh's group due to failing health and formed his own ''Oo-Yah Band''. Personnel at the start were Nick Stevenson (trumpet), Ron Brown (trombone), Malcolm Everson (clarinet and baritone saxophone), a young 15-year-old Martin Taylor (guitar), Jamie Evans (piano) and Peter Skivington (bass). Due to his reputation, Hastings' band attracted guest appearances from musicians including George Chisholm on trombone,

Beryl Bryden Beryl Audley Bryden (11 May 1920 – 14 July 1998) was an English jazz singer, who played with Chris Barber and Lonnie Donegan. Ella Fitzgerald once said of Bryden that she was "Britain's queen of the blues". Life and career Bryden was bor ...

on washboard and

Betty Smith Betty Smith (born Elisabeth Lillian Wehner; December 15, 1896 – January 17, 1972) was an American playwright and novelist, who wrote the 1943 bestseller '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn''. Early years Smith was born Elisabeth Lillian Wehner on Dec ...

on vocals and saxophone. However, the effort of running a band proved too much for him and, despite an encouraging reception from audiences, the band petered out after eight or nine months. He recorded later in the decade with

Brian Lemon Brian Lemon (11 February 1937 – 11 October 2014) was a British jazz pianist and arranger. Biography Lemon was born in Nottingham, England. After leaving school in the 1950s, he began playing professionally at Nottingham's Palais de Danse and ...

Stan Greig Stanley Mackay Greig (12 August 1930 in Joppa – 18 November 2012 in London) was a Scottish pianist, drummer, and bandleader. Greig's father was a drummer and piano tuner. Greig played with Sandy Brown while still in high school in 1945, t ...

, Dave Shepherd, and Fred Hunt. He played at the Pizza Express Jazz Club, a London club, in his later years, and toured with

Wild Bill Davison William Edward Davison (January 5, 1906 – November 14, 1989), nicknamed "Wild Bill", was an American jazz cornetist. He emerged in the 1920s through his work playing alongside Muggsy Spanier and Frank Teschemacher in a cover band where they ...

and

Ruby Braff Reuben "Ruby" Braff (March 16, 1927 – February 9, 2003) was an American jazz trumpeter and cornetist. Jack Teagarden was once asked about him on the Garry Moore television show and described Ruby as "the Ivy League Louis Armstrong". Braff ...

. He led his own quartet shortly before his death in 1978, aged 51.

References

Other sources

*Henley/Kernfeld, "Lennie Hastings". '' Grove Jazz'' online. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hastings, Lennie 1927 births 1978 deaths English jazz drummers British male drummers 20th-century English musicians 20th-century drummers 20th-century British male musicians British male jazz musicians