Words of Thanks from David Fisher

As long established members of Leicester Music Society expected, Roger’s talk was not only up to his usual high standard, but excelled even that. Roger’s scope, immense knowledge, humour and intense insight into his subject proved as exceptional as ever.

Not being particularly knowledgeable about jazz, I (like most of the folks at the talk) learned so much; his narrative and the chronology of the superb recordings was encyclopaedic and proved all the more enjoyable for it. Roger brought along an interesting selection of records, books, and programmes—many with autographs of jazz giants of the past whom Roger had met—and these provided more evidence of his remarkable knowledge. There seemed to be no facets of the topic left untouched. I thank him most sincerely for the time and trouble that he took to prepare such an entertaining presentation for us.

Appreciation by George West

I first met Roger three weeks ago in St Mary de Castro church after a Sunday service. I heard his accent and possibly annoyed him by asking “You from Brum?”, which he isn’t. Roger is proudly Black Country, an area I grew to love when transferred from Woking to an office in West Bromwich in 1974. I worked in those days for a large engineering company where it was claimed you could sail into any port in the world and find its products. In management, I was responsible for sales in all the West Midlands having arrived at the tail end of the industrial might of the Black Country

Roger, politely correcting my assumption, went on to discuss memories of those rimes living and working in that area, that is until he mentioned the word “jazz” each of us not knowing of our interest. Roger’s interest started around 1953 when attending college. For me, my interest commenced 76 years ago at the age of 12 listening to jazz on radio, especially on short wave from AFN (American Forces Network) broadcast from Germany. That led to my father buying me on my first 78rpm jazz record by the Sid Philips Band the tune entitled “Birmingham Bounce”—a tune now better forgotten.

The moment Roger mentioned that he was due to give a talk mainly on British jazz in the Keene Room of Christchurch , Clarendon Park Road starting 7.30pm Tuesday 9th January, I knew I had to attend giving Roger a promise I would not interrupt whatever he had to say during the evening. What is so rare is that both of us enjoy listening to all styles of jazz when most people focus only on one or none.

On arrival with my wife Sheila we were given a very warm welcome with a much needed hot cup of tea in hand on a cold evening. Exhibited on a table were a variety of jazz books and concert programmes from Roger’s past with some of the concerts such as the Count Basie Orchestra we had both attended when the band toured the UK as well as concerts featuring other legendary American musicians and vocalists such as Ella Fitzgerald

Expecting the talk to last one hour with Roger to talk non-stop, which was not the case, an interval was reached for refreshment to mingle before continuing for an another hour. On arrival I had noticed a pile of CDs next to a player and high clarity sound amplifier, the majority CDs played as examples of the many different styles of jazz which had evolved for more than 100 years, out of New Orleans after the abolition of slavery, to traverse the world to become an international language, being the greatest art form to come from America.

At the start we heard the signature tune of the Ted Heath Orchestra and many examples ranging from Charlie Parker, an originator of be-bop, to Chris Barber of the “trad” boom. Then vocalists such as Jeanie Lambe to the most recent Ezra Collective, an exciting group unknown to me. All of the tracks had been very carefully selected by Roger, who also recounted memories and anecdotes including an occasion of meeting Stan Tracey, possibly one of the greatest of composers, an opinion Roger and I share, Stan’s most renowned recording became a jazz classic: Dylan Thomas’s “Under Milk Wood”, with its haunting melody “Starless and Bible Black”.

In church on Sunday 14th January Roger asked if I had enjoyed the evening. I could only reply sincerely “yes, yes and yes”.

From my teenage nights of jazz in Soho, usually arriving home at 7.30am to my mother’s dismay at the hour, I became a director of Jazz Centre London and after moving to the midlands founded Birmingham Jazz from around my dining room table with six friends to promote concerts by national and international musicians and orchestras, firstly at the Grand Hotel Birmingham (which I never thought would last 40 weeks let alone the forty years it survived), moving from the Grand Hotel to Adrian Boult Hall, Cannon Hill Arts Centre, the Triangle at Aston University and into Brirmingam theatres with financial assistance from West Midland Arts and Contemporary Music Network. Leaving to work and live in the north east I staged concerts in Alnwick Theatre and White Swan Hotel before coming to Leicester to join Leicester Jazz House committee for my last 10 years of voluntarily promoting jazz which had included solo piano recitals on a magnificent Bosendorfer concert grand piano at the Birmingham & Midlands Institute. Roger recounted to me how he had met and talked with Stan Tracey during a solo performance by Stan at the Grand Hotel in Birmingham.

Hand on heart I have to say that meeting Roger and listening to his talk will long be remembered and enjoyed. Should he be invited by Leicester Music Society to deliver another talk on jazz I will want to be the first to buy a ticket, for I feel sure that there is so much more in Roger’s memories to be thoroughly enjoyed. Jazz plays such an important, emotionally fulfilling part in my life and Roger’s and always will.

With music so subjective, the Contemporary Music Network staged a UK joint tour by avant-guard pianist Cecil Taylor and classical pianist Roger Woodward. I sat bored during the classical rendition and enlivened by Cecil’s performance. As I left afterwards two men were walkng and talking in front of me. One said to the other “There was only one pianist there tonight”, “Too right”, I thought, only to realise they meant Roger Woodward!