Max Abrams
Max Abrams (original name Max Abramovitch, 11 August 1907 – 5 November 1995), was a British dance band and jazz drummer and an influential teacher of several generations of drummers. Early career Born in Glasgow, Abrams was largely self-taught in music, playing with the Boys' Brigade, Boys Brigade from the age of 14, and a year later winning the Glasgow Battalion Drumming Championship. He toured with Archie Pitt's Busby Boy's Band – a junior pit orchestra and revue band that often starred Gracie Fields, and which also gave Nat Gonella his professional start as a musician – and performed at local venues such as the Glasgow Locarno dance hall, which opened on Sauchiehall Street in 1926. He played there in 1928 with bands such as Chalmers Wood (brother of George Scott-Wood) and his Scottish Dance Orchestra. Soho jazz clubs and hotel ballrooms In 1930 Abrams toured South Africa with the saxophonist Vic Davis. Back in London in the early 1930s he was a regular player at the jazz ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom and the 27th-most-populous city in Europe, and comprises Wards of Glasgow, 23 wards which represent the areas of the city within Glasgow City Council. Glasgow is a leading city in Scotland for finance, shopping, industry, culture and fashion, and was commonly referred to as the "second city of the British Empire" for much of the Victorian era, Victorian and Edwardian eras. In , it had an estimated population as a defined locality of . More than 1,000,000 people live in the Greater Glasgow contiguous urban area, while the wider Glasgow City Region is home to more than 1,800,000 people (its defined functional urban area total was almost the same in 2020), around a third of Scotland's population. The city has a population density of 3,562 p ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Savoy Hotel
The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by Carte's family for over a century. The Savoy was the first hotel in Britain to introduce electric lights throughout the building, electric lifts, bathrooms in most of the lavishly furnished rooms, constant hot and cold running water and many other innovations. Carte hired César Ritz as manager and Auguste Escoffier as '' chef de cuisine''; they established an unprecedented standard of quality in hotel service, entertainment and elegant dining, attracting royalty and other rich and powerful guests and diners. The hotel became Carte's most successful venture. Its bands, Savoy Orpheans and the Savoy Havana Band, became famous, and other entertainers (who were also ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jack Parnell
John Russell Parnell (6 August 1923 – 8 August 2010) was an English musician and musical director. Biography Parnell was born into a theatrical family in London, England. His uncle was the theatrical impresario Val Parnell. During his military service in the 1940s he became a member of Buddy Featherstonhaugh’s Radio Rhythm Club Sextet and played drums with Vic Lewis and other servicemen who were keen on jazz. From 1944 to 1946 Parnell recorded with Lewis, and the Lewis-Parnell Jazzmen’s version of "Ugly Child". During the 1940s and 1950s, he was voted best drummer in the ''Melody Maker'' poll for seven years in succession. He was appointed as the musical director for ATV in 1956, a post he held until 1981, and was the "real" conductor for ''The Muppet Show'' orchestra for the series entire run and composed the score theme to ITC Entertainment. Throughout the 1960s, Parnell directed the pit orchestra for '' Sunday Night at the London Palladium''. He composed ma ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bill Eyden
William James Eyden (4 May 1930 – 15 October 2004) was an English jazz drummer. Biography The son of James Eyden and Ivy (née Tiller), his first professional gig was in 1952 with the Ivor and Basil Kirchin Band. He was soon working with Ray Kirkwood and Johnny Rogers, and appeared on TV in 1953 with the pianist Steve Race. In 1955 Eyden met Tubby Hayes, with whom he would play regularly for the next two decades, joining Hayes and Ronnie Scott in The Jazz Couriers. When the Couriers folded in 1959, he went on to play with the Vic Ash- Harry Klein Quintet, supporting Miles Davis on his first British tour in 1960. He was also a member of the Ray Ellington Quartet when it worked on ''The Goon Show'', appearing on the video of the reunion programme '' The Last Goon Show of All''. Eyden joined Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames in September 1964 and remained until December 1965. He joined the Dick Morrissey Quartet, replacing Phil Seamen, and did session work for various roc ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Eric Delaney
Eric Delaney (22 May 1924 – 14 July 2011) was an English drummer and bandleader, popular in the 1950s and early 1960s. Career Delaney was born in Acton, London, England. He studied drumming with Max Abrams. Aged 16, he won the Best Swing Drummer award and later joined the Bert Ambrose Octet which featured George Shearing on piano. During 1947–54 he appeared with the Geraldo Orchestra and filled his time with regular session work in recording studios and on film, TV and radio. In 1954 he formed his own band and later signed with the new Pye Records label. He made three Royal Variety Show appearances, the first in 1956. Delaney specialised in up-tempo dance hall music, often carrying a rock and roll label but closer in spirit to that of Geraldo and Joe Loss. As with many similar artists, the music he performed became less popular after the Beatles entered the musical scene. He remained active touring in the UK, notably in holiday resorts. Delaney was held in high regard by ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Paul Burwell
Paul Dean Burwell (24 April 1949 – 4 February 2007) was a British thaumaturge and percussionist, influential in the fields of free improvisation and experimental art. Born in Ruislip, he studied drums with Max Abrams, then at Ealing Art College and in the workshops organised by drummer John Stevens. Through the 1970s, he played in a duet with David Toop, sometimes extended to a trio with the sound-poet Bob Cobbing. He was also a founder member of the London Musicians Collective, holding membership card no 1, and wrote for the magazine '' Musics'' among others. Paul was also a member of the Resisters. The Resisters played gigs in London and Germany in the late 1970s. During the 1980s he formed the industrial performance group Bow Gamelan Ensemble with Anne Bean and Richard Wilson. In 2000, Burwell moved into the old Kingston Rowing Club in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, turning it into an experimental art space for both local and nationally recognised artists and musi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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James Holland (percussionist)
James Holland (12 February 1933 – January 2022) was an English orchestral and solo percussionist, principal percussionist at the BBC Symphony Orchestra from the 1970s until the 1990s. Born in Ilford, Holland first took up percussion as an Army cadet at the age of 13. He went on to study with Peter Allen (timpanist of the London Philharmonic Orchestra), Max Abrams (drum kit) and Charles Donaldson at Trinity College of Music. After three years of National Service in the RAF Central Band he joined the London Philharmonic in 1956, and then the London Symphony Orchestra in 1959. In 1962 he succeeded his teacher Charles Donaldson as principal percussionist at the LSO. He stayed with the orchestra until 1972, when he became principal percussionist at the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the recently appointed chief conductor Pierre Boulez. Holland was heavily involved in contemporary music. In the 1960s, with David Johnson, he was co-founder of the London Percussion Ensemble. He also playe ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Trinity Laban Conservatoire Of Music And Dance
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music, dance, and musical theatre conservatoire based in South East London. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. Trinity Laban provides training in all aspects of classical music, jazz, popular music, composition, musical theatre, contemporary dance, dance science, choreography, and music education. The conservatoire has undergraduate and postgraduate students based at three campuses in Greenwich, Deptford and New Cross. Trinity Laban also runs a Centre for Advanced Training programme for young dancers aged 12 to 17 and a junior music department (Junior Trinity), designed for young musicians aged 3 to 19. The conservatoire has formed academic partnerships with institutions including Beijing Dance Academy, KM Music Conservatory, and the University of Melbourne and industry partnerships include Trinity College London, Studio Wayne McGregor, and the Ph ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Workers' Playtime (radio Programme)
''Workers' Playtime'' was a British radio variety programme transmitted by the BBC between 1941 and 1964. Originally intended as a morale-booster for industrial workers in Britain during World War II, the programme was broadcast at lunchtime, three times a week, live from a factory canteen "somewhere in Britain". Presenter and former music hall artist Margery Manners used her experience of getting sailors to sing along with her choruses to cheer workers and listeners.Gifford, Dennis (30 April 1997)OBITUARY: Margery Manners". The Independent. Retrieved 16 December 2024. Initially, the show was broadcast simultaneously on both the BBC Home Service and Forces Programme, then from 1957 onwards solely on the Light Programme. For all its 23 years each show concluded with the words from the show's producer, Bill Gates: "Good luck, all workers!" The programme had the support of the government because the shows were seen as supporting the war effort on the home front. ''Workers' Play ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bert Weedon
Herbert Maurice William Weedon, OBE (10 May 1920 – 20 April 2012) was an English guitarist whose style of playing was popular and influential during the 1950s and 1960s. He was the first British guitarist to have a hit record in the UK singles chart, in 1959, and his best-selling tutorial, ''Play in a Day'', was a major influence on many leading British musicians, such as Eric Clapton, Brian May and Paul McCartney. He was awarded an OBE in 2001 for his "services to music". Biography Weedon was born in Burges Road, East Ham, Essex (now part of the London Borough of Newham). He began learning classical guitar at the age of 12, and decided to become a professional musician. In his teens during the 1930s, he led groups such as the Blue Cumberland Rhythm Boys, and Bert Weedon and His Harlem Hotshots, before making his first solo appearance at East Ham Town Hall in 1939. He worked with leading performers including Stephane Grappelli and George Shearing, and performe ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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James Moody (composer)
James Moody (1907–1995) (not to be confused with American saxophonist James Moody) was a Belfast-born pianist, arranger and composer best known for his music for classical harmonica, including twenty-two works for harmonica and piano, three works for harmonica and strings, eight works for harmonica and orchestra, and some two dozen other works for instrumental combinations such as harmonica and harp, harmonica and string quartet, and harmonica ensemble. He also arranged a lot of other music for harmonica, for example Irish, Scottish, English, and Norwegian folk melodies. Moody gained his first recognition as a pianist, and from the age of thirteen was earning a good living playing in cinemas for silent films in his native town Belfast. He also wrote arrangements for and played piano in the Belfast-based Philip Whiteway Ensemble. In 1938 Moody moved to England, joining BBC Bristol as a piano soloist, accompanist, and arranger. Over the next forty years he became a household nam ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stéphane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli (; 26 January 1908 – 1 December 1997) was a French jazz violinist. He is best known as a founder of the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands. He has been called "the grandfather of jazz violinists" and continued playing concerts around the world well into his eighties. For the first three decades of his career, he was billed using a gallicised spelling of his last name, ''Grappelly'', reverting to the Italian spelling ''Grappelli'' in 1969. The latter is used when referring to the violinist, including reissues of his early work. Biography Early years Grappelli was born at Hôpital Lariboisière in Paris, France. His father, Italian Ernesto Grappelli, was born in Alatri, Lazio, while his French mother, Anna Emilie Hanoque, was from St-Omer. Ernesto was a scholar who taught Italian, sold translations, and wrote articles for local journals. Grappelli's mother died when he was ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |