... Classic sound of Jelly Roll COMPILED BY PETER HEPPLE One cannot hope to adequately describe or even understand the process by which Artis Wodehouse transferred 75-year-old piano rolls to a nine-foot Yamaha Disklavier automatic piano, giving us the opportunity to hear Jellv Roll Morton olav as he really sounded back in the early twenties, and on what is probably a greatly superior instrument ...

... A pizza jazz Looking back through the years I cannot think of any single person who has been such a benefactor to British jazz as Peter Boizot. And not only jazz. To that enthusiasm you could add hockey, his native city Peterborough and the Liberal Democrat Party. Boizot will always be remembered as being the man who introduced the pizza to Britain, bringing the first authentic pizza oven ...

... Easy writer Bridget Metcalfe is unusual in the jazz singing field in that she writes a high proportion of her own material, in partner ship with saxophonist Mark Allaway, much of which can be heard on her new CD, In Your Eyes. Her style is easy and nat ural, her voice charming and unforced, her stage presence such that she has the potential to become as considerable an entertainer as she is a ...

... Devoted to the Duke The recent success of Pete Long's Echoes of Ellington orchestra is one of the more heart-warming stories in British jazz. So how has it come about? Meeting Long, it is clear that he is passionate about bllington s musical legacy and how it should be presented to today's audi ences in authentic style. To achieve this, he has had to locate capable aides to tran scribe ...

... Lee's girls can go all the way It must be hard enough trying to run any big band in today's musical climate but trying to run an all-girl big band must be an even harder task. But none of this has deterred bandleader Crissy Lee, who sees a bright future for her outfit. Recently, Lee's band was awarded a £63,000 Lottery grant for a tour bus and plans are already afoot for a busy period ahead ...

... In good hands It seems hard to believe that it was 30 years ago when Syd Lawrence first formed his orchestra in Manchester. It was originally intended to be just a 'rehearsal' band, playing one night a week and giving a chance for musicians to play the type of big band music they really enjoyed. After a couple of changes of venue, the band moved to an upstairs room in the Mersey Hotel. One ...

... History notes Two things strike me about John Chilton's splendid Who's Who in British Jazz, which was published at the end of last year just too late for inclusion in the 1996 feature. One is that it is a glorious nostalgia trip for those of us who spent many a night in our youth vis iting jazz clubs, both of the modem and traditional vari ety. The other is to discover that jazz is not ...

... A couple of Sheilas Peter Hepple enjoys a slice of jazz at home, thanks to a book and new CD releases On my desk a few weeks ago arrived two CDs from female singers whose names I have noticed on the jazz circuit listings, Trudy Kerr and Anita Wardell. Both, as it happened, were on the same FMR label. I played Warden's first, Why Do You Cry?, a truly solo effort, backed only by the dazzling ...

... Simplistic appeal--but original is best COMPILED BY PETER HEPPLE Almost the bete noire for those of us who attend showcases and talent contests is I Will Always Love You, as sung by those who imitate Whitney Houston's version. But on her CD Making Love (TER CDVIR 8328), Salena Jones sings it more or less as written, proving that it is really a simple and very tender song, moving completely ...

... Record breaker Les Brown has been a bandleader for more than 60 years, earning himself a place in The Guinness Book of Records, and it all started when he was at Duke University I did all the arranging for the Duke Blue Devils, even those stupid records we made for Decca in 1936. We were probably the only college band at that time who ever recorded for a major label. When I first started ...

... Moving into the fray If you have been to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe over the past few years, it is more than likely that you will have come across Craig McMurdo, whose brand of swing singing, drawing on the repertoire of such jump jive specialists as Louis Prima, has been heard in Fringe venues and during the late- night dance sessions that are a feature of the city during festival time. ...

... Golden Gonella Often called Britain's best trumpeter, Nat Gonella proved that difficult beginnings mean little to those who want to succeed, says John Hannam Saturday. March 7, 1998, is a day I shall never forget. It was Nat Gonella's 90th birthday and he was enjoying a short break with friends on the Isle of Wight. I was invited to join him for morning coffee and took the opportu nity to ...