MHJO ORIGINS:
ED HARVEY BIG BAND KEEPS THE MUSIC LIVE AND LIVELY!

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Trombonist Gordon Rushton, a former member of the Sid Phillips Band, takes a solo during one of the numbers played by the Ed Harvey Big Band at the concert at the Chancellor's School, Brookmans Park on Monday. Ed Harvey is on the left.

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Text by Bill Field

SINCE I spend a considerable amount of time each year listening to and reviewing recorded music of all kinds, perhaps I should make it clear that in my view, however good the music and however high the fidelity, discs and tapes can never be more than an inadequate substitute for a live performance.

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That may seem an unnecessary statement to make, yet we live in an age when we are constantly being persuaded to accept second-rate substitutes for reasons of expense or convenience. In the case of music, recordings fill a real need in home entertainment, but they should never be regarded as a replacement for a live concert, where the rapport between audience and musicians is so important. Beware the day when you can't be bothered to go for a country walk, opting instead to watch a film of rural scenes on your colour TV set!

Those passing thoughts were prompted by a concert by the Ed Harvey Big Band which I attended at Chancellor`s School, Brookmans Park on Monday evening. The band was formed in 1963 under the auspices of the Musicians' Union as part of the "Keep music live" campaign, a theme they were still plugging in Monday's concert programme and one which I heartily endorse. To say that is not to imply that an inferior live concert is better than, say, a recording by top musicians. But when musicians reach the high standards set by Ed Harvey's merry men, their concerts can give the extra dimensions of pleasure to their listeners which can never come from "canned entertainment."

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It is an unfortunate fact of life that there are very few full-time big bands left. The public may still want to hear them, but sheer economics have dictated their demise. But such is the enthusiasm among musicians for playing big band music that they get together to play without payment. So rehearsal bands in particular have been mushrooming all over the country, and this is, in fact, what the Ed Harvey outfit is - the Mid-Herts Branch of the Musicians` Union Rehearsal Orchestra to give it the more official title.

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Ed, formerly trombonist with the Johnny Dankworth Seven and now assistant master of music at Haileybury College, heads a line-up mainly of semi-professionals. but a number are ex-professionals, one is a full-time professional and another (apart from Ed) a music teacher. Some people seem to think the term semi-professionals means they must be only half as good as professionals, but any such thoughts must have been quickly dispelled as the band swung into their opening number. a typical Basie band swinger, " Basie Straight Ahead," written by Sammy Nestico.

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This band's work is marked by generally clean, crisp section work, excellent ensemble playing and, to be honest, a far higher standard of solo work than I had expected. Typical of their best work were several numbers from the Basie band book, like " Switch in Time," another Sammy Nestico opus; the gentle, beautifully controlled " Queen Bee "; and the Harburg-Duke tune, "April in Paris," which became forever Basie's via this excellent arrangement by Wild Bill Davis with the arresting " one more time " ending.

Other examples which spring quickly to mind were " Wade in the Water," which was a million selling hit for pianist Ramsey Lewis, who wrote it; and bassist Daryl Runswick's marvellous " Hip Flask," which was as bracing as you might expect with a title like that.

Swinging

A Quincy Jones arrangement of "Never on Sunday" was also enjoyable, although inevitably the original flavour of the film theme by Manos Hadjidakis gets lost in this big band treatment. And I liked a freely swinging piece called "Noddy in Jazzland," featuring a fine baritone sax duet between Phil Doggett and Pete Wright. This was part of a suite written by Humphrey Lyttelton and Ed Harvey in the 50's dealing with the life of musicians on the road; it was dedicated to transport cafés and sub-titled "Ten Thousand Flies Can't be Wrong." There are some first-rate brassmen in this band. John Cook, impressive on trumpet. switched to flugel for Ken Gibson's exotic and beautiful '°Perfumed Garden." displaying a lovely tone and giving a performance which was a real tour de force. There was also much to admire about the brilliant trumpet tone of Ron Simms on his solo item. "Della" I've heard many lovely treatments of Jim Webb's tune. "By the Time l Get to Phoenix," but l was really sold on this beautiful, burnished sounds in the band's arrangement by Bob Bennett. This was a showcase for the whole trombone section and particularly for the superb solo work of Gordon Rushton, who used to play with the Sid Phillips Band and who was also heard to advantage on several other numbers. But I found another Jim Webb tune, 'McArthur Park," less than satisfying.

Staying with the brass section, I must not forget to mention another fine trombonist, John Collinge, a teacher of music at Chancel1or's School, who wielded an impressive piece of B flat and F ironmongery to good effect while deputising for "Ory's Creole Trombone." This was one of three traditional jazz numbers played by a small group from the band which seemed extremely popular with the large audience. The late Tubby Hayes was a giant (musically speaking) among British tenor players and the band paid a nice tribute to him with his composition " The Serpent." This arrangement by Dick Walter gave us a chance to hear the strength of the saxes, with Tubby's solo arranged for the entire reed section. The band ventured into the iield of jazz rock with "Trip To Jerrusalem". by Gerry Smith and Ken Fraser, which featured a good solo from altoist Ben Turner.

The band's policy of keeping music not only alive but lively was emphasised in the final number, a swinging performance of Henry Mancini's "Cheers," a title which summed up the reaction of the audience to thé whole concert.

Tympani

The concert was the latest in a series the band has been giving for charitable purposes in Hertfordshire.
Proceeds from school concerts invariably go towards purchasing something the school needs - in the case of Chancellor's School a set of tympani. For this purpose Monday's concert raised just over £30. The band's services are given free with usually only one condition - that any proceeds must go to a good cause. Expenses are not sought, but when they are offered (as they often are), the money is put in the band's fund to help towards such things as administration costs and buying music. The musicians receive no payment and are, in fact, "out of pocket," but quite happily so because they are doing something they enjoy. On this basis the band is always prepared to give a concert within the bounds of Hertfordshire, and I for one hope it will not be too long before I can hear them again.

BILL FIELD.