Club Meeting: Bill Jones

Bill Jones is the Head of Spring Grove School in Wye as well as being passionate about music, in particular jazz. He is also a very talented cornet player. Louis Armstrong is his jazz hero and was a major force for decades in the world of jazz and other related genres of the time. Bill gave us a fascinating history of him from his birth in August 1901 and his poverty stricken upbringing in New Orleans to him hitting the music scene in 1929. Bill gave us a brief history of other memorable jazz musicians, playing some of their music and comparing the quality and different sounds to Louis Armstrong. He told us that the origin of Dixyland jazz originated from white musicians. 

The black jazz players faced considerable colour prejudice. Louise Armstrong went to Chicago where he was part of a band of very talented musicians but his playing stood out from even them. Bill gave us a lot of very interesting history on the development of jazz as we recognise it now and the outstanding musicians who played with Louis Armstrong, with snippets of some of these wonderful jazz musicians playing with him and all playing by ear, as was the norm, not from sheet music. We were delighted that Bill brought his cornet with him and we had the pleasure of listening to an all too short sample of his wonderful musical ability.

Alan Paterson gave the vote of thanks.