INTRO CONTACTS QUOTES RECORDINGS DIARY LINKS
HIGH SOCIETY
sound samples available soon !
TRACKS MUSICIANS
1 That's a Plenty Roger Marks (tbn/ldr) 2 Lonesome Road John Shillito (tpt/vocs) 3 Dream Pete Allen (clt)
tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 10, 134 Canal Street Blues 5 High Society Ken Rennison (ten/alto/sop)
tracks 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12, 136 Carry Me Back To Old Virginia 7 Sweet Georgia Brown John Whitlock (bjo/gtr) 8 Don't Let Your Love Go Wrong Bob Jarvis (e.bs) 9 Travelling Blues Denny Hutchinson (dms) 10 Magnolia's Wedding Day 11 When My Dreamboat Comes Home 12 Lead Me 13 Old Miss Rag
In 1977 I gave up my day job as a Building Inspector with Plymouth City Council to play trombone professionally with the Rod Mason Band. At precisely the same time a young Pete Allen gave up his job as a policeman in the Wiltshire Constabulary to join the band on clarinet. Appropriately enough Rod soon christened us the 'bookends', propping up each end of his front line.
We became firm friends, and room-mates, and enjoyed the band's busy touring schedule abroad and all the experiences that went with it during what, it is fair to say, was a significant part of our musically formative years.
Since those early days Pete has gone on to achieve a great deal in his own right as a musician and as leader of his own very successful band, and I for my part have likewise pursued my own objectives with the Armada. All the while our friendship has endured and strengthened and it is entirely appropriate that the first guest musician to appear on any Armada album - and this is our fourteenth - should be my old mate Pete Allen.
The tunes -
It has always been a musical objective of mine to look for new avenues, to be eclectic and all-embracing, so that it pleases me that we have become known for a distinctive and unusual repertoire, in a style that is, hopefully, not too easy to pigeon-hole. However in our concerted efforts to be 'different' we may have neglected some very good jazz standards along the way, simply because they seem too popular or commonplace.
Perhaps this album redresses the balance somewhat, with a fair proportion of 'good old good uns' as Louis Armstrong liked to call them.
Not only that, the fact remains that they are great tunes to play - and it would be a pity if you couldn't play the likes of That's A Plenty and High Society and other numbers definitive to the history of jazz just because the world and his dog got there first!
I guess the challenge lies in making them sound fresh and exciting and in this regard I am confident that on this occasion we have succeeded.
Roger Marks
22nd October 2001
High Society - Roger Marks Armada Jazz Band - RSCD744
Recorded live at the Three Horseshoes, Branscombe, Devon 22nd September 2001
Thanks to Jan and John Moore and everyone at the Three Horseshoes
Recorded and produced by Raymer Sound (+44 (0)1823-662160)
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INTRO CONTACTS QUOTES DIARY LINKS