Trad

Out of the Revivalist Jazz movement emerged a more politically defined musical movement. Although their focus was on New Orleans style, "Dixieland" jazz, they were open to other forms of African-American (or what they perceived to be African-American) music. They had few hits with the most traditional items of their repertoire, but they did have commercial success with adaptations of popular songs.

Ken Colyer b. 18th April, 1928, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England; d. 9th March, 1988 in Les Issambres, France. In addition to coffee house performances and university concerts, Colyer's ensembles performed New Orleans style marching band music for CND [Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament] protests (leading many to equate trad jazz with left-wing protest). Indeed, Colyer's band was a familiar fixture of anti-nuclear protests in the fifties and early sixties. They also appeared regularly on BBC radio playing tunes such as "The Sheik of Araby." Colyer played both trumpet and guitar and was responsible for bringing a number of American blues and jazz musicians to the UK. He also spent some time in the US after working on a ship to get him to New York and then bypassing immigration for a few months until he was deported.

Chris Barber Barber popularized trad by making it more British (which in some minds made it rather didactic and pedantic). He achieves some success with "Petit Fleur" (featuring Monty Sunshine on clarinet) [chrts 19 Feb 1959], a UK hit [#3], but which is in a style outside the trad idiom.

Otillie Patterson with Chris Barber (trombone) early 1960s

Mr Acker Bilk b. Bernard Stanley Bilk, 28 January 1929, Pensford, Somerset Bilk and his band were perhaps the most commercially oriented of the trad bands and were managed/promoted by Peter Leslie. They wore striped Edwardian waistcoats and bowler hats and their publicity often consisted of "an elephantine pastiche of Victorian advertising prose, larded with unbearable puns" (Melly, 59). His West Country origins were emphasized in the public figure (cider-drinking, belching) and, ironically, became a national idol. Although he was apolitical, his bowler became a symbol for many in the CND through association with the music. He was very much the non-threatening "uncle" and was prominently plugged on the BBC. Perhaps his most successful recording was another tune rather atypical for trad bands, "Stranger on the Shore" [chrts 30 Nov 61], which was originally a children's show theme. However, the band also performed blues standards like "Sister Kate" that had qualities similar to British music hall ditties. George Melly. 1970. Revolt into Style: The Pop Arts in Britain. London: Penguin Books.

Postwar British Pop	Schedule	Skiffle
	22-jul-17