Big Bear Music Group

Regular Contributors Include

RON SIMPSON

Ron developed an interest in jazz at an alarmingly early age, not really surprisingly, given his father's collection of 1930s 78s and his brother's prompting towards the latest records from the likes of Sid Phillips and Humphrey Lyttelton. Still remembered are the first purchases of EP (Bix Beiderbecke, with Riverboat Shuffle not at its best when mistakenly played at 78rpm) and LP (Louis' Hot Five).

He began writing about jazz when the aforesaid brother (now editor of Jazz Rag) missed some of the great American tours of the late 1950s through National Service and required blow-by-blow accounts! Ron took to writing in earnest about jazz only with the arrival of Jazz Rag, extending his role as he retired after 30 years teaching English.

Apart from Jazz Rag, the wolf is now kept from the door by writing books on English for Letts, Hodder and WH Smith and by touring the nation's motorways on behalf of the school examinations boards.


JOHN MARTIN

John has had many careers and still hasn't made his mind up about what he wants to be when he grows up!

He first caught the jazz bug as a teenager and it was contagious. His first active involvement in jazz was as a contributor to Jazz Journal, Melody Maker and Jazz News, where he later became the Editor. But jazz journalism did not pay well and his gross habits were quickly exceeding his net income. A move to a music agency as a jazz consultant at a time when the traditional jazz boom was dying to a whisper was not the shrewdest move but R&B was catching on and the agency acquired a few big names. This prompted him to set up his own agency which inevitably, and remuneratively, led to 15 years in rock 'n' roll handling many name artists, a move which broadened his musical horizons and left few regrets, only scars.

John then returned to his first love - jazz (the denim suit was wearing out) and has managed Kenny Ball, Jacques Loussier, Abdullah Ibrahim, Spencer Davis, Judy Collins and Tony Paxton, a heterogeneous collection which reflects his Catholic tastes (he likes anything by the Pope). He has also, for his sins, been a concert and festival promoter. In the jazz field he has presented Chris Barber, Acker Bilk, Buddy Rich, Keith Jarrett, Stephane Grappelli, Nina Simone amongst others. John likes all forms of jazz except the kind which requires you to put your head on backwards.


TONY AUGARDE

Tony has been a semi-professional drummer since the age of 11 and has played with some of Britain's finest musicians. He is also a fairly famous writer. After compiling dictionaries for the Oxford University Press, he wrote three books about word games. He has given talks on such subjects as Lionel Hampton and 'The Drums in Jazz'.

Tony has appeared frequently on radio and TV, and currently broadcasts a weekly jazz programme on BBC local radio stations in the south-east, covering nine counties (every Tuesday from 9 to 10pm). See more at www.members.lycos.co.uk/tonyaugarde



GREG MURPHY

Greg Murphy is approaching his first decade reviewing music for Jazz Rag at November 2003. He first discovered jazz in the early-60s with a Jimmy Smith LP. It was the tenor work of Stanley Turrentine which opened the floodgates leading to Stan Getz, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington and myriad others. Forty years on, Greg is still making discoveries in jazz, although he feels that jazz has stopped its meteoric growth throughout the twentieth century - there have been few stylistic advances since Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp and David Murray almost two decades ago. Add to that the depressing fact that most of the prime movers in jazz are no longer alive, Greg is grateful for small mercies.

Greg now belongs to that league known as "the retired", which means he lives a life of leisure. Unfortunately, he seems to think that everyone else lives that way too, and sometimes misses deadlines!

Away from jazz, Greg has followed documentary photography for 20 years and now explores digital means, which fits in nicely with his other long-standing interest in computers. One ambition is to find a CD copy of that first Jimmy Smith recording, 'Midnight Special'!


SALLY-ANNE WORSFOLD

Discovering jazz at the age of 13 in 1960, during the trad boom, Sally-Ann has looked ever onward and upward since. Her first published article, a profile of Tony Coe, appeared in her school's magazine. Since 1967 she has been a professional writer, regularly contributing to all the major specialist magazines: Jazz Journal, The Jazz Rag, Just Jazz, etc.

She has written numerous sleevenotes in addition to compiling CDs - the most recent of which include boxed sets of Cab Calloway and Bix Beiderbecke (JSP) and a double CD devoted to Frank Newton (Jasmine). She also compiled various entries for both editions of The New Grove Dictionary Of Jazz. Sally-Ann has researched, scripted and presented jazz programmes for local radio and in 1977 founded The South East Essex Jazz Records Society.

Sally-Ann likes any kind of music with warmth, honesty and soul, but jazz remains her special love. She prefers to be described as a jazz commentator rather than a critic.


LES TOMKINS

The key words are clubs and archives. Les started out running clubs that featured major names like John Dankworth and Ronnie Scott; and recorded 300-plus hours of historic jazz in Ronnie’s and others’ clubs.

Now The Singers’ Club is the basis of his own jazz singing activities. Les’s major archive consists of over a thousand taped interviews with the great jazz performers. The music archive produced 13 CD’s on the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz House label, and more (seven so far ) are now being released by Harkit Records.

His journalism has been seen in Crescendo International, which Les edited/made up for 18 years. Since 1990 Les has been happy to be faithful to The Jazz Rag.

HUGH LEDIGO

Hugh was reared on the sounds of his brother's jazz group and, despite the best efforts of a classical teacher, his first jazz trio emerged in the 50s. Later, there followed London residencies, stints as staff arranger and pianist at the Astor Club, Musical Director of the Showboat Theatre Restaurant, tours with the Pasadena Roof Orchestra and a long and on-going association with Kenny Ball.

Currently he divides his time between the trio, the Ball band and composing, and has two new CDs in the pipe-line.



CHRIS YATES

Chris was born in 1937 in Sutton, Greater London, but grew up in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. He wrote a weekly jazz column for the Hull & Yorkshire Times (1961-1970) including interviews with Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Muddy Waters and Philip Larkin.

Chris was Secretary of Hull Jazz Club (1966-9), Newcastle Jazz Club (since 1970), Hon. Sec. of Jazz North East Ltd (since 1973). He has written for Melody Maker, Jazz News, Jazz Journal, Jazz UK and various regional arts periodicals. Chris has contributed to Jazz Rag since 1991.

Chris has also lectured on jazz history/appreciation for the Workers' Educational Association and Newcastle University Centre For Lifelong Learning besides spells as an adviser on jazz and contemporary music to the Arts Council and Northern Arts. His day jobs have been teaching and lecturing. Chris is married with two grown-up children.


PETER VACHER

PO Box 944, Edgbaston, Birmingham B16 8UT, England
Tel: 0121 454 7020 Fax: 0121 454 9996 email: jazzrag@bigbearmusic.com