Post 495: THE SUN LANE LTD NEW ORLEANS BAND

The Sun Lane Ltd. New Orleans Jazz Band comprises seven pretty old boys based in Aaachen, Germany. Maybe you already know this band well. But for me they are a recent discovery - the result of a recommendation by one of my readers in Australia.

I have never seen the band in performance but there are good examples of their work on YouTube. I like them. The way they arrange their tunes is pretty much the same as in 95% of the bands operating all over Europe, Australasia and America - straightforward statements of the themes, followed by solo choruses until the out-chorus. But what I like particularly is the way they play tastefully and unpretentiously, with real delicacy and restraint (even in the rhythm section). The teamwork is good. After many years of working together, they have a very 'tight' sound. These chaps really listen to each other.

From its website, I learn this is a busy band, with plenty of bookings in Cologne. Also, surprisingly, The Sun Lane Ltd. New Orleans Jazz Band was founded as long ago as 1977, at The University of Aachen. Over the years, they have played at many festivals throughout Europe; and the band has been to New Orleans more than once - giving concerts there. Possibly the greatest moment came when they were booked to play the evening performance at Preservation Hall. That was on 30 April, 2002.

Not surprisingly, the band has built up a large repertoire and has made several CDs. You can buy them online.

In this video, watch them playing Bugle Boy March: CLICK HERE. Note the exemplary drumming.

Or try My Little Girl: CLICK HERE.

And here is Postman's Lament: CLICK HERE.

There are other videos of the band on YouTube if you would care to hear more.

As ever, we have to be grateful to the video-makers who bring such fine things to our computer screens. In this case: thank you, Uli van Royen.

Post 494: KEN COLYER

A few years after the Second World War, here in the UK and also in some other countries, the 'Trad Boom' began. Dozens of young men formed themselves into amateur bands and quite a few went on to have professional careers.

However, only ten years later the boom was over and not many fully professional bands were able to survive.

In England, a few of the band-leaders did well by making 'commercial' hit records. Think of Acker Bilk's Stranger on the Shore. The formula was to play a good, memorable, simple melody in a well-arranged manner, without exactly giving it a New Orleans Jazz style performance. Such records made it into the Top 10. In fact Stranger on the Shore, in which Acker Bilk is backed by the Leon Young String Chorale, was a No. 1 hit even in the U.S.A. Another example was Kenny Ball with Midnight in Moscow. Kenny and his trombonist Johnny Bennet in turn pumped out the haunting, minor-key 24-bar melody. It sold over a million copies.

However, of all those British bands, the one many consider the most important in terms of its place in the history of traditional jazz was that of the trumpet and cornet player Ken Colyer.

Much has been written about Ken's character, philosophy and life, so I will not go over all that again.

What matters is that he was admired for his integrity in sticking rigidly to what he considered authentic early-style New Orleans Jazz. He was not much interested in making recordings or in using his music to generate personal wealth.

It is sometimes said that he was quite a difficult musician to work with. I believe players occasionally left him because of a clash of philosophy or because they could not deliver in the way he wanted. He had his ideals and pursued them single-mindedly. Certainly, there were regular changes of personnel in the line-ups of his band over the few years during which they toured the clubs and played to enthusiastic fans who considered that Ken's was the only 'true' jazz.

Ken had a distinctive tone and he used vibrato very skilfully. But his playing was never showy or raucous, like that of so many jazz trumpeters. He stated the melodies in the decisive but delicate, uncomplicated manner much appreciated by clarinet players and trombonists whose job it is to add the decoration. And in ensembles, Ken provided pretty colouring phrases - always harmonically accurate. He believed great jazz needed great teamwork, so the emphasis was on ensemble playing, even though he happily employed some outstanding players who were very capable and creative soloists. Among them were Sammy Rimington, Monty Sunshine, Mac Duncan, Johnny Bastable, Ian Wheeler, Lonnie Donegan and Ray Foxley.

Sadly, Ken Colyer died in 1988 at the age of only 59. He had earlier suffered from stomach cancer.

In his day, it was not yet commonplace for videos to be made of almost every performance. So surviving videos of him playing, as far as I know, are only those filmed when he was growing weak and no longer had a band of his own. One such is this of Postman's Lament, where he sings and plays, but it is still a performance of considerable beauty:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL7FpOAOoMQ

However, Ken and his musicians did leave a number of sound recordings so we can still enjoy his music at its best. Try these three.

(1) Back in 1956, playing The Old Rugged Cross:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2Dec3fkUCo

(2) From 1960, with Sammy Rimington on clarinet, Maryland, My Maryland:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZTVOcUWdqg

(3) My favourite. This is a model for us all in how to lead and build up the excitement - Blame it On The Blues from 1956. Ian Wheeler, Mac Duncan and Johnny Bastable are in the band and the playing  is 100% ensemble throughout:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A79yvcDRzIw
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