About this time forty years ago, for reasons that to this day I still can't fathom, I had assembled and begun rehearsing my very first big band. Probably an even more unusual activity for a nineteen year old back then than now.
Anyway, by early 1983 we had a few gigs in the diary, and here from those early days is a live recording of a no-nonsense, swinging John LaBarbera arrangement of Errol Garner's composition 'One Good Turn'.
In search of repertoire I had obtained American music catalogues that came with demo recordings of certain items, and this chart was among them. On hearing it I was almost certain that I had heard Buddy Rich's band play this on their UK tour in early 1982, and many years subsequently I found this to be correct.
I've always been intrigued by those charts that the great touring big bands played for a while but never got round to recording. I find playing these scores by some distance more rewarding than playing arrangements which are instantly recognisable (although that's absolutely fine too!). Over the years I've gathered together a great many scores that fall into this category, and one of these days I'll do something with them.
Similarly, the recording scheduled for early next year with Simon Spillett's great big band will run along similar lines, as it will feature big band arrangements by and associated with Tubby Hayes that were never recorded for commercial release.
To me there's a special kind of artistic merit derived from bringing lost music back to life. It's a whole different ball game from playing 'Splanky' for the millionth time, though let me reiterate once again that there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing this and it should be encouraged where and whenever possible. Also, as a side note, given the somewhat dubious and sometimes rather sinister lyrical content contained within certain strands of contemporary popular music, I'd lay a shade of odds that no one was ever moved to go out on to the street and stab someone fatally on account of having played 'The Atomic Mister Basie', but that's another discussion for another time and place.
Anyway, next year marks the fortieth anniversary of my first adolescent fumbling as a novice big band leader, and you can bet that this momentous occasion (for me, if not for you) will not pass unnoticed. I'm intending to include a sprinkling of 'autobiographical' music in our concert on July 14th at the Wigan Jazz Festival, as well as other dates currently under negotiation.
The band parts for 'One Good Turn' were lost many years ago when I foolishly loaned a pile of music to a friend and fellow musician who was running a community band. Happily I did recently unearth the full score, so with the help of a magnifying glass, lots of coffee and a similar amount of patience, I might just fire up Finale and do a re-write.
In case I don't, here's a recording from 1983.
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