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REVIVALISM |
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The Revival in Britain
In 1943 George Webb, a keen student of jazz by way of American gramophone records, founded a Dixieland Group in the Red Barn Inn at Bexleyheath in Kent. From 1945 onwards the Webb band recorded and broadcast with great success.
Also in 1943, Graeme Bell founded a Dixieland band in Melbourne, Australia. After a number of successful Australian tours and recording sessions, Bell had the pluck to take one-way tickets to Europe for the band. His reception in Britain was at first lukewarm, but later at the Leicester Square Jazz Club, the band grew more and more popular, was booked for many successful recording sessions, and were soon able to afford the return ticket.
The Graeme Bell band went back to Australia in 1948, and also in that year the George Webb group broke up. The gap in the British jazz revival was filled by Old Etonian trumpeter Humphrey Lyttleton, who took over from Bell at the Leicester Square Jazz Club. Together with clarinettist Wally Fawkes, Lyttleton produced a band that played true traditional jazz with style and enthusiasm. In a short space of time, Lyttleton won a reputation for himself as one of the great jazzmen; as noteworthy as his playing was his energetic work in the jazz cause and his guidance and help of young jazz musicians.
The Chris Barber band was formed in 1949 and re-created the two-cornet Oliver-Armstrong style. Barber was associated with Lonnie Donegan who, in |
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