In 1956 the rumour circulated that Lady was going to appear at the Flamingo in London. In those days it was situated in the basement of the Mapleton Restaurant, Leicester Square and opened on Sunday nights at 7.00pm. The ridiculous union ban which prevented us seeing all the great American stars was on at the time and Lady wouldn't sing without her piano player, Carl Drinkard, so there was some doubt whether the rumour was kosher. I stood outside from 6.00pm and was first through the door and I laid siege to the spot right in front of the microphone (only one in those days). After about an hour of a little quartet playing the mc announced that a famous American piano player, Carl Drinkard, was going to entertain us and the place buzzed -- Lady would sing. I was close enough to her to touch her but wouldn't have dared, she was a goddess and she sang like an angel. My circle was complete; I saw Pres with the JATP in the Lord Mayor of London's Flood Relief Concert at the Gaumont State Theatre in Kilburn, in 1953 and now I had seen his twin, Billie Holiday. Forever, I knew that I could die in peace.
Miss Brown To You was one of my favourite Billie numbers. Only she could have made such an innocent little song into a masterpiece and, boy, didn't it swing? She was "loveable, huggable Emily Brown".
Norman Granz always had an ambition for his JATP to play London, something that the union ban would not allow. The devastating floods of 1952 gave him the opportunity to offer a concert in support of the Lord Mayor of London's appeal and his offer was accepted. He paid for everything. The band consisted of Charlie Shavers, tpt, Willie Smith, alt., Flip Phillips and Lester Young, tnrs., Oscar Peterson, pno., Barney Kessel, gtr., Ray Brown, bs., J C Heard, dms., and the great Gene Krupa, dms., all accompanying the immortal Ella Fitzgerald. Her set overran because the audience wouldn't let her go. Memory makes my other highlight of the night Willie Smith's performance in the Gene Krupa Trio set. His power bent the walls of that old theatre. Never to be forgotten, a blue plaque should be raised on the site commemorating that evening. God bless them all.
In 1956 the rumour circulated that Lady was going to appear at the Flamingo in London. In those days it was situated in the basement of the Mapleton Restaurant, Leicester Square and opened on Sunday nights at 7.00pm. The ridiculous union ban which prevented us seeing all the great American stars was on at the time and Lady wouldn't sing without her piano player, Carl Drinkard, so there was some doubt whether the rumour was kosher. I stood outside from 6.00pm and was first through the door and I laid siege to the spot right in front of the microphone (only one in those days). After about an hour of a little quartet playing the mc announced that a famous American piano player, Carl Drinkard, was going to entertain us and the place buzzed -- Lady would sing. I was close enough to her to touch her but wouldn't have dared, she was a goddess and she sang like an angel. My circle was complete; I saw Pres with the JATP in the Lord Mayor of London's Flood Relief Concert at the Gaumont State Theatre in Kilburn, in 1953 and now I had seen his twin, Billie Holiday. Forever, I knew that I could die in peace.
This is everything…
Miss Brown To You was one of my favourite Billie numbers. Only she could have made such an innocent little song into a masterpiece and, boy, didn't it swing? She was "loveable, huggable Emily Brown".
Norman Granz always had an ambition for his JATP to play London, something that the union ban would not allow. The devastating floods of 1952 gave him the opportunity to offer a concert in support of the Lord Mayor of London's appeal and his offer was accepted. He paid for everything. The band consisted of Charlie Shavers, tpt, Willie Smith, alt., Flip Phillips and Lester Young, tnrs., Oscar Peterson, pno., Barney Kessel, gtr., Ray Brown, bs., J C Heard, dms., and the great Gene Krupa, dms., all accompanying the immortal Ella Fitzgerald. Her set overran because the audience wouldn't let her go. Memory makes my other highlight of the night Willie Smith's performance in the Gene Krupa Trio set. His power bent the walls of that old theatre. Never to be forgotten, a blue plaque should be raised on the site commemorating that evening. God bless them all.