Humphrey Lyttelton

I was listening to Radiohead "Amnesiac" and on the last track "Life in a glasshouse" Lyttelton puts in a wicked performance.

Is this a reasonable indication of what to expect from him? He's at the Brecon Jazz festival and if I make it along there, I shall have to check him out!

 

He's fun, but he don't play nuthin very modern. Very trad, make sure you wear a blazer and straw boater!

-- Ian

 

Ian, have you heard the radiohead tune? Sounds improvised over a slow marching radiohead beat.

 

I listened to it once, before throwing the album out of the window. It was the best tune on the album, though.

Mostly Humph plays trad stuff from the early days of jazz (1920s and 30s). It's all good, clean syncopated fun, but I'm guessing Radiohead won't be on stage with him.

-- Ian

 

I suggest you follow it out the window and give it another try! I've not given this album as much notice as their others until now. It's pretty damn good though!

 

I find trad jazz great fun to listen to and watch live, but I find it a bit boring after a while on record (it's like Swiss traditional doodleoodleoodleoodle music in that respect).

One trad LP I like very much is "When the swing comes marching in", done by the Dutch Swing College Band backed by the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy. A mixture of trad jazz tunes and swung Sousa marches. The Marine Band sounds like a big jazz band at times.

 

...Which shouldn't come as a surprise, as marching bands where one of the major formative sources of... jazz music.
You might try the Dirty Dozen Brass Band outta Noo Orleenz. But be warned, they can swing so hard you're straw boater will fall off after the first bar.
Dirty Doz site