Accrington Web - Jazz Club

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It was Jazz on a Sunday and Folk on Wednesdays John
We used to pelt it back from Ingleton after a weekends caving and fraternising with the enemy (white rose wenches) for the Sunday sessions. Susie's ex bf was one of us too.

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Originally Posted by DtheP47 (Post 1082852)

Never missed a Sunday Dave, only went on Wednesday if a big name was playing, anybody remember a pianist playing called Ron Gesig (not sure of the spelling) a great Jazz pianist, a man with flying fingers:D think he was with a band called The Original Downtown Syncopators, they played at the Mayors Ball at Accy Con when Burt Taylor was the Mayor

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Originally Posted by jaysay (Post 1083043)

mmm.. I can't recall if the acts were ever advertised in the Observer?
Next time I am in the Library I'll take a trip down memory lane and see.

There was one memorable night at the Folk Club when the "artiste" was so drunk that he started arguing with the audience and ended up falling off the stage ( a real pxxx artist). We all got our money back.

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Originally Posted by DtheP47 (Post 1083132)

mmm.. I can't recall if the acts were ever advertised in the Observer?
Next time I am in the Library I'll take a trip down memory lane and see.

Don't think they needed to advertise Dave, it was chocker bloc every Sunday, word of mouth was a great way of communication, they just put a notice on the board as to how was coming to the club and that was sufficient

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Originally Posted by jaysay (Post 1083182)

You are probably right John... remember hearing Paul Simon sing his "Sound of Silence" unaccompanied (obviously) long before the Bachelors sang it and being blown away by the poignance in the lyrics post the assassination of JFK.

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Originally Posted by jaysay (Post 524780)

Think you've got that wrong beechy, Fossy was the bass guitar when the group was first formed and the lead was not Rod Hill it was a lad called John Hill he live in a little shop on Higher Antley Street, Rod Hill was always a Lead Guitar, he used to live on Hornby Street Ossy he might still be there, I know he used to give lessons as well. The reason Im so sur on these facts was that I was at all thei practice sessions and all their gigs in the early years. Tony and Ian Alveston were my mates, I went right through school with Tony rom St. Mary' Ossy when we were 5 year old until we left Holy Family at sixteen, in this time we were in the same class apart from 3 months at Holy Family

Hello there Id like a chat if I may re The Warriors days. I am doing a project. Dave

Dave, it all depends on who you want to chat with. I believe that Jaysay has passed on mate.

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Originally Posted by Mog (Post 1137007)

Dave, it all depends on who you want to chat with. I believe that Jaysay has passed on mate.

True me owd mucker passed away last year.:(

Hello Cashy! ON STANLEY ON!
I started Secondary 'Schoow' at Rhyddings in 1963 and left in 1968, being born in Feb 1952! My big brother was there three years before me when it was still the Boys Tech school......Philip Mitchell. He has lived in South Carolina for donkeys years but he is coming over to visit in early September. He will be at the Exeter Home Match on the 19th Sep all being well. Did you know him Cashy? My missus was in the same class as me at Rhyddings and earlier at Peel Park! We got wed in 1976. Got two daughters and two grandsons. Youngest daughter is a long standing Stanley supporter since she was 6 years old, Now she's 31 ! We still go on the Clayton End blowing our plastic horns!!

I started going up The Jazz Club when I was 16 and still at the 'Owd Tech'. Six pints and sloshed was the usual every night up there! I remember 'Sounds 18' as a regular group at Jazz nights and recall seeing a great trumpet player called Nat Ginella aged 77 who was amazing! He had the biggest 'cheeks' I have ever seen....cheeks on his face not BUMCHEEKS! I also used to go to the Folk Nights on wednesdays (or fridays?) and saw some great acts there too. Ralph Smith used to live on Ambleside Close near me on the council estate in Huncoat in those days and yes he ran the Folk and Heavy Rock nights at Bold Street too. I remember some of the girls that I fancied used to drink Cherry 'B' and Cider! I remember too that all the girls seemed to be 'beautiful' with their long hair and mini skirts! Blew me away though when HOT PANTS came out in about 68/69! I used to be a regular in the Peel Park pub then and we used to climb over the fences, (in our Burton's suits) surrounding the old Stanley ground to go back and forth from the pub to the club! Luckily we were in the pub on the night that the club was raided and subsequently closed! I remember the talk at the time was that there were about 120 people in the club when it was raided and that 108 were 'under age' and that several got done for possessing 'drugs'!
When I was 18 we started going to Bold Street for the Folk nights and the Heavy Rock nights there and a couple of us even got onto the 'Committee' as they wanted some younger representatives! This also meant some very late nights 'locked in' after clearing the tables! The Steward called Jack used to wash out the pumps on Sunday nights and put pint after pint onto to the bar until soapy water came through. Me and a few others used to sup 'em for free until we couldn't cope with the suds! I used to get home as late as 4 am and still get to work for 7.30 !!! Good job I was on a 'Drawing board' and not down on the shop floor operating machinery!
We saw som great acts down there;
Folk; Mike Harding (many times) Bob Williamson and The 'Y' Fronts regularly, Jasper Carrot, The Oldham Tinkers, the Taverners (with lead singer 'Tiny'). I particularly remember seeing, about three or four times, a superb group called 'Magna Carta' who made a stunning album titled "Seasons" which blew me away. There was also a group called Mr Fox with a well fit blonde girl singer who played an electric fiddle!
Heavy rock groups;
The best acts were 'Strife' from Liverpool and a band called "Gravy Train" and their best song was 'A ballad of a peaceful man'. One sunday night/'monday morning' I was walking home to Huncoat singing the 'Ballad of a peaceful man' out loud, meandering drunkenly up Burnley Road with my hands buried in my pockets and my head banging from side to side when I decided to cross the road! Well I finished up going head over heels' still with my hands in my pockets' and knocked myself out and dislocated my collar bone!..... I also remember well, 'Sassafras' and 'Wild Turkey' as superb groups. The Lakeland lounge was packed on Sunday nights and I recall having to go for pee's downstairs and as you walked by the snooker table looking up at the ceiling and it used to bounce up and down a good six inches. I was amazed that it never collapsed. I remember my favourite drink there was a Pint glass filled with two half bottles, one of 'Newcy Brown' topped up with a bottle of 'Double Century' brewed by Duttons in Burnley I think! Strong stuff!
Last week the Missus and I went to see The Pendle Folk group doing a fund raiser in Burnley. Roger Westbrook was their main front man who we saw many times in the old days! It was a good night of memories but sadly they were all well past it as far as the singing went! Roger has had their original LP recorded onto CD so we have ordered one for a fiver!
Come and find me on the Clayton End Cashy and we will have good chat! Just follow the noise to the Horn Blowers!
Happy days eh.....
Bob Mitchell, alias 'Choirboy'

Oh happy days, Choirboy. We're more or less contemporaries in age, so must have been in the Jazz Club and Bold St together at some time. The act I remember from the Jazz Club was The Rodway Leyland Duo. Don't recall that they were good or bad, just that always seemed to be playing there.
Also remember seeing The Strawbs at Bold Street. Didn't they also have live music in The Derby? I've a foggy memory of seeing a young Mike Harding in there before he made it as a name.
But my earliest musical memory was getting changed in St.Augustine's hall before/after playing against Huncoat in the Boys' League and The Warriors were practicing in another room. Their old Commer(?) van with the cow horns was parked outside.

The Rodway Leyland Duo...there's a name I'd forgotten all about, but like you, Exile, I can't remember a thing about them. I can remember the Riverside Jazzmen however..."I scream, you scream, everybody loves ice cream...", great music for getting ratted to!

My most memorable night up there was sometime in 1968/69, when Champion Jack Dupree hit the keyboards and turned a little part of Lancashire into a French Quarter bordello (well, almost!).

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Originally Posted by Exile on Spencer St (Post 1148590)

Yes, as you say now I do remember the cow horns on the Warriors van!
I think that they, (The Warriors that is, not the cow horns!) appeared on Thank Your Lucky Stars with Brian Matthews around then.
I think Tom Lee used to run the Huncoat teams in the Boys League back then. He lived on Ambleside Close. I used to play for Ossy Rovers then.

Hey Choirboy,your brother Philip is married to my wife`s sister.

And I used to play for Haslingden Olympic who used to marmalise Ossie Rovers,

Oh and to keep this post on thread,the Jazz Club was a regular haunt for me..

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Originally Posted by Exile on Spencer St (Post 1148590)

Yeh exile the Blues Room at the back of the Derby, was yon many a time, but always under the influence of summat or other lol, so very hard to recall who i saw yon.:eek: The jazz club was summat else though,not fer public discussion.:D

The Blue Room was a nice little concert room...can't remember any proper gigs when Ian was running the Derby, though...just the occasional jam session with Florrie, Ian Alveston, Ernie Lee and the usual suspects.

Ian was the landlord, but would dispute he ran the Derby.:D

Was looking for info on the death of Ian Alveston and saw a reference to Accy Jazz Club on this forum.
Spent my formative years there. Wednesday folk Saturday Rock and Sunday Jazz. On Sunday couples danced hands together like they were arm wresting. All the top jazz bands appeared, Kenny Ball, Acker Bilk Chris Barber. Monty Sunshine, Ken Collier, and the local Riverside. I think the promoter was Ralf Smith. When the club closed he moved to Bold Street Working Men's Club. By then jazz was dead. Can't remember many Saturday bands (duttons 2bob a pint) but Up Town Go Go Band were great and a fab modern jazz duo from M/c called Roway Leyand. Folk as well as Paul Simon who I missed there were Martin Cathy, Hamish Imlack, the Taverners, spinners, Pendle Folk with Roger Westbrook, Mike Harding, Bernard Wrigley, Bob Whatmore, Tony Capstick, the great Jake Thackery

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Originally Posted by cashman (Post 279904)

blame margaret for this lol she's got me reminising again. i remember going to the jazz club on friday nights ( in peel park) the old stanley ground had some brilliant nights in that little hut,it was situated behind the new stand(the white elephant)made me wonder who actually owned it? think accrington council owned the ground? did they also own the jazz club? was some great jazz/folk/blues acts appeared in that little place, anyone any info/memories?:) also who remembers what year it closed? it was going after the sad demise of stanley.

Only used to go on Sunday nights but it was a great place. Met my wife there on 21st May 1967 and we are celebrating our 53rd wedding anniversary tomorrow