June and Lew Smith: Article 2

2004 from June
Hi Ron from June…Great to hear from you. Thanks for all the info on yourself and other musos.
Lew and I are still together — over 52 years of married bliss!!!!!! four kids (two of each gender, and all professionals, but  not in music) and four grandsons. I haven't played trumpet for years, but enjoy singing and we still do the odd gig. We consider ourselves very lucky to work with some of the young players in Perth, most of whom are graduates from the Academy ofPerforming Arts (Jazz Studies).

Look out for a young trumpet player called Matthew Jodrell (he's gonna try to get a blow at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in July —do you get down there?) — he is a great player, very inventive, and good chops —also a very good piano player. He is also going to be doing some gigs in Europe with James Morrison All Stars.

By the way Ron, you are  older than us — by one year. We have just had our 74th birthdays—my God, Clacton seems a long time ago—oh to be sweet sixteen again!!  We hear from Bill Geldard and his wife, Gracie Cole occassionally. Lew keeps up a correspondence with Don Reeves — he is still playing — not sax any more, but keyboards. He and his wife, Eileen, came out to Australlia a few years ago and we caught up with them here in Perth.  I keep in touch with a couple of the Ivy Benson girls —and yes there are still a few around scattered all over the world.

Danny Moss and his family settled here in Perth a few years ago. He and his wife, singer Jeannie Lamb go back to Europe every year for about four months, gigging all over  the place with some American jazz players. When I am more competent on the computer I will visit your web site—until then,— All the best and great to hear from you.     

Lew again... June's interpolation mucked things up so I will continue by thanking you for putting us in touch with Jack Peberdy and Betty Smith, we were able to send belated birthday greetings for Betty and Jack was really pleased to hear from us. Derek Burn also, with whom  I had a long phone conversation. He played with Charles Amer's band in Redcar where I started my pro career, incidentally Bill Geldard, George Boocock (Bradley) and Charley Rolands were in that band. Charley later played with the Squads and eventually emigrated to Sydney but I dont know what happened to him.

We followed up the prompts that you gave us locating the Sampson reunion. The photosyou’re your description of the event reminded me of the time I was on holiday in London in 1988 and attended the John Dankworth Big band reunion concert at the Barbican on its 25th anniversary. It was hard to recognise some of the guys then, so no wonder you had trouble after 40 years........                incidentally John has written a autobiography which is quite worth reading but not as interesting as ''A Jazz Odyssey" by Oscar Peterson.

The  Eric Delaney 80th birthday bash sounded like a ball and it is pleasing to hear that there is a small colony of expat musos around Benidorm, I presume because of the climate and relaxed lifestyle. June and I did a cruise on the QE2 in 1998 and called in at Barcelona, and in 1999 visited Loule in the Algarve where June's brother has retired. We had a great time on both trips but have not been back since.

Our climate is very similar to yours in Spain and we enjoy the beach and swimming for most of the year.  June and I enjoyed reading your Author Author and were amazed at the range of your accomplishments. I was aware of some of your activities through the Crescendo magazine and thought that you had a flair for writing which could have rivalled Benny Green in that field.  Thus we were not surprised to read that you had written plays and lyrics, edited a German newsletter and had been a radio presenter. The hearing loss must have been a blow at the time (sitting too close to the drummer?) but obviously not as serious as your later dental mishap.

However it allowed you to develop your other talents, including piano and arranging which you were able to exploit in the excellent German context. Danny Moss has told me of the fine orchestras and groups he has played with over there. You certainly were able to mix with the very best European and visiting American jazzers.

I think that is enough for now and  I will fill you in about our activities over the past 40 years in future communications.

Hi Ron from Lew…June and I have had a few gigs doing our Fats Waller tribute and others, also I have a Benny Goodman tribute soon, so it is necessary to do some wood(y) shedding to get my clarinet technique in shape. We have also had some winter colds...(June here...I will not have another flu injection ever!...I am not supposed to get the flu after having these bloody injections....oh well shut up June, Lew wants to take over again.)

Our ways divided no matter dear, fate has decided, but never fear, love has provided a memory that keeps you closer to me.  True hearts grow fonder apart, they say, so do not worry how long the day while we're apart— just tell your heart—Au revoir— altho' we're apart  in the heart of me, here you are. Au revoir —as a song lingers on in the memory, so you are always dear to me, like a star forms afar you'll appear to me.  So my sweet, till we meet— Au revoir…

Er—they are the lyrics to J’Attendrai you asked for…I can just picture you crooning this sentimental tosh wearing a beret, with a Jean Sablon moustache and  playing a syruppy second chorus on trumpet a la Eddie Calvert. Don’t forget to send us the video.

I'm glad you enjoyed June's vocals despite the rough recordings. Our four grown up kids have been trying to get her to do a studio C.D. but she claims that she wouldn’t perform well without an audience.

I rang Derek Burn and thanked him for the Dankworth  band brochure. It brought back many memories as we had 2 weeks rehearsal before the band debuted at the Astoria Nottingham in May 1953. I was sorry to leave the band after 6 months but wanted to be a soloist as well as lead alto so went with Eric Winstone's more commercial outfit. I regretted the move as Dankworth had many fine players and great guys like Bill LeSage, Keith Christie, Derek Abbott and Bill Metcalf—all gone to the big band in the sky, I'm sad to say.

Sorry if Rex and I looked lugubrious in the picture of the sax section but our band jackets were a sickly yellow whilst the trumpet section had  bold red ones—enough to sadden the most cheerful comic.

Thanks for making enquiries about Charlie Rowlands—he is probably deceased by now, but did do some work for Billy Burton in the 60's. As far as I know Bill is still living in Sydney. I joined Charles Amer in April 1950 after demob from the RAF, auditioned by the guy we used to call The Ape. Charlie Rowlands  used to take the mickey out of him mercilessly with his wicked Welsh sense of humour. I only stayed a couple of months in the band before getting a call to join Geraldo's Navy on the Mauritania, plying between Southampton and New York. Amer was very sanguine about my wish for a sudden departure as I had helped to fill a tenor vacancy with a pal from the RAF band at Henlow— Cyril Reuben .This was also to benefit me later as Cyril helped me to return to the band later on.

Hi Ron, June here...Betty Smith and I were working with Blanche Coleman's girls band on the pier when that photo of us on the other page was taken in 1946...playing in the pit for the variety show and also doing a short stage show. Can't remember how we all met up, but I think I may have been going to Tommy McQuater from the Squads Band at Butlins Camp for some lessons...and by God I needed them...Blanch only took me on because I could sing, so it was a question of learning by trial and error...I was never as good a musician as Betty Smith, although I did try to emulate her by learning to smoke and drink... gave both up a few years ago, so you could say I've become a bit of a wowser!!!...although I really have taken up swearing since I’ve been in Australia (OZ)...you don't have to have such a good vocabulary when you can use all the choice swear words...You may give our email to the guy you mentioned re Ivy Benson..ta! Lew and I have enjoyed your notes, letters etc and hearing of your reunions with some notable players—long may they continue, as there is nothing more uplifting than having a blow/sing/listen to some good swinging jazz. 

Hi Ron from Lew ...I feel very guilty in being so dilatory in responding to your Epistles and Xmas  greetings but will try to make amends. June and I went over toSydney in November to visit our two daughters and three grandsons who live there.Katherine (49) is a nuclear phyisist and Sarah (44) is a Film and TV writer. Perthis a great place to live but for  certain professions you have to go to the bigger cities. Our eldest son Andrew (46) who was a TV and stage actor in Sydney recently returned to Perth and has taken a post in a University Arts Academy teaching in a film and TV course. He has an 18 month old son Sebastian, so June and I have spent a lot of time with the little chap, who is a right charmer.Our youngest son Cliff (39) is a High school music teacher in Perth, married but no children.

June and I enjoyed our visit as Sydney has a lot to offer as a tourist destination and I had a couple of blows, both with trumpet leaders in main stream mode Ron Henderson and Bruce Johnson. On our return I organised tributes to Count Basie, Stan Getz and Herbie Mann which take a lot of time in research, ehearsal, &etc., however all were well received and worth the effort. Jazz Fremantle, of which I am band booker and newsletter writer, is in recess till February but there has been quite a lot to do as we are moving venue this month.

I spent a lot of time sending Xmas cards as I usually write a few lines with each one to let our friends know what we have been up to through the year—I must start using the computer technology to save time....... We also had a few gigs including New Years’ Eve, which we don’t normally do but got talked into, and it was a bit of a chore.

I first met Don Reeves in the Teddy Foster band and we became good friends as we were neighbours in Streatham for a long time. Don told me that he sat in with the Mike Smith band and had a flat out in Spain for a while. He is still playing weekly with the New Delta Big band at the Lord Napier pub and recently recorded their 1st album featuring Don Weller and Ronnie Hughes.                

Don & Eileen Lusher paid us a visit out here a few years back and thoroughly enjoyedtheir stay in Australia. We called on them the last time we were in U.K. in 1999 and sat in for a couple of numbers with the Lord Napier crew. You asked in your last email how we ended up in Perth and I would need to spend quite a while to give you all the background ,so will do so at a later date if you are interested.  Will just mention thst we came here in 1974 from Melbourne and found a better climate and more relaxed lifestyle and a strong jazz following, mainly from expat Brits, which has continued ever since. Although we are remote many migrants from U.K. are still keen to settle here because of the language and similar customs (e.g. driving on the left side of theroad ). We have had many overseas jazz  stars visiting over the years such as Wynton Marsalis, The Philip Morris big band and many more including Ronnie Scott who was a regular visitor.

I retired from teaching instrumental music in 1996 and apart from my jazz activities I am a keen social tennis player and swim all the year round to keep fit.

Thanks a lot for the news from Bob Efford re Maynard Ferguson in L.A. and it was quite a coincidence as when we were over in Sydney I met an old friend who had just returned from San Francisco. He had booked into a hotel and on arrival found the Maynard Ferguson big band were playing there by chance —and he said it was one of the highlights of his trip.

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