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I was enjoying a brew in Starbucks. In place of the usual "MUSAK", they were playing some modern jazz. Not really my thing, but I recognised a tune called
"MOANIN' ". According to WIKI, MOANIN' was written by Bobby Timmons and first recorded by The Art Blakey band on their eponymous 1958 album.(It seems the name for the genre is "Hard Bop".)

So far so good. Then I remembered seeing Jet Harris performing MOANIN', but when and where?

My memory was in monochrome, so it could have been on BBC or ITV telly (only 2 channels then). Possibly one of the arts programmes, Omnibus or Monitor?
I think that the date was 1962/3, after Jet left The Shadows and was promoting the likes of Besame Mucho and The Man with the Golden Arm. I cannot recall if
Jet was using 4 or 6 string bass - for some reason I tend towards the latter.

Does the forgoing strike a chord with anyone?
(odd things the little grey cells do sometimes pull from their depths!).

Kindest regards
Christopher

I have a vague recollection that he may have played this on Saturday Club - before I took possession of a reel to reel tape recorder that my Dad brought home from his school one holiday!

I understand that the Jet/Tony band played this as part of their onstage repertoire in 1963. It has also been reported that the Tony Meehan Combo (with John McLoughlin and Joe Moretti in the line-up) played it onstage on tour in 1964 (at the time of Song Of Mexico).

Flip side of Johnny Dankworth's 'African Waltz'?

MikeAB wrote:Flip side of Johnny Dankworth's 'African Waltz'?

That's right. It was.

Oddly, I only have it on that 1961 single and not on a CD or LP. I also have versions by Art Blakey (the original) and by Lambert, Hendricks and Ross (a vocal version which is superb).

There's another Shads connection. The group (with the Locking / Bennett line-up) wrote and rehearsed a very similar piece which they called Groanin'. They abandoned it.

Thanks for your interest folks.

I did see Jet and Tony in the early 1960's as part of a package tour. The venue would have been in either London or Brighton. The only tune which I can recall seeing them play live was DIAMONDS. The other thing which I can recall from their live show, is that at one point the house lights dimmed, and the only illumination was an ultra-violet tube at the front of stage, which made their shirt fronts and cuffs glow bright white. This was the era when even young pop stars wore evening dress on stage!

Kindest regards,
Christopher