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CONCERT JAZZ Events - Chiltern Hundreds Area |
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Diz Disley - Stephane & Django's Renaissance Man
Disley was born in
Winnipeg,
Manitoba,
Canada
but was brought up in
Wales
and Northern
England.
In his childhood, he learnt to play the
banjo,
but took up the jazz guitar at the age of 14, after hearing the playing of
Django Reinhardt.
Diz studied art in Leeds and it was a good time for music at the Leeds
College of Art. There was Diz, Alan Cooper who later formed the Temperance
7, & from quite a different scene a lad called Frank Abelson who later
became Frankie Vaughn. Diz played banjo in the college band - the Vernon
Street ramblers - when he was asked to join the slightly more prestigious
Yorkshire Jazz band, which brought him to London & the Mick Mulligan/George
Melly rave-ups.
In those days the band was playing for £4.50 a week. But they didn't even consider the money, it was a pleasure to be playing Jazz in London. Melody Maker voted Diz Jazz Guitarist of the Year for a number of years. Diz has played with & continues to play with some of the great names in Jazz - Big Bill Broonzy, Louis Armstrong, Ken Colyer, Sandy Brown, Cy Laurie, Kenny Ball & Alex Welsh among others. Diz led his own quintet at the BBC & compered various folk & jazz programmes for years.
Musical Career Highlights.
Diz Attends a Local Gypsy Jazz Gig:-
If any one wishes to add to this assembly of information i would be glad to expand it ....Jazz Eddie
Diz Today!
Additions to the Appraisal. ENCOUNTERS
Diz is still with us, and I make a point of checking up on him every week. I
have known Diz since the fifties, and shared a pad with him for a short time in
the 60's whole we were both doing the folk scene.
I met Diz about 40 years ago in Stafford where he
used to visit sometimes at the height of the folk club era. He would
entertain us with humorous ditties and sometimes we would have a meal in
the local Chinese restaurant. It was at one of these meals that he had
us all in stitches ,relating his hilarious exploits on his way to
entertain the troops in Malaya I think it was. One day he turned up at
my mothers house ,where I lived and cadged some money for petrol . He
was off to a gig in Manchester when his Rolls Royce ran out of gas !
True to his word the small loan was repaid. On another occasion
he was on his way to Immingham with a load of disco equipment bound for
Sweden when his car broke down . The gear was stored in our garden shed
until he collected it some time later. I later heard the Swedish disco
venture ended rather ignominiously, but I'll leave the details to Diz!
There are other anecdotes about Diz I could relate but the person who knew him
best was Ron Winkle, local banjo player and vintage car restorer. Diz
commissioned Ron to paint his Rolls Royce yellow once I believe ! This was
typical of Diz who had a rather cavalier attitude to his own personal road
transport. I remember he had a large heavy saloon which would not go in reverse
so any trip had to be accompanied by helpers who pushed when required . Ron told
me that Diz parked this unwieldy vehicle in the Lord Mayors parking spot in
Birmingham once when attending a gig.I can only imagine the kerfuffle that
probably ensued ! An old friend of mine who is now in his early nineties and who's name is Norrie Greenwood claimed to know Diz Disley in his very early days. Norrie often recounted the story of how he was playing his guitar in his house in Settle, Ribblesdale when the postman rang the door bell and asked what kind of music Norrie was playing. Norrie went on to give the postman a few lessons but was soon outclassed by him. The postman turned out to be Diz. Norrie would tell this story to anybody who would listen and most of us in the local jazz scene took it with a pinch of salt. That was until all the local players including Norrie went to see Stephane G. with Disley at the Annersley Hotel in Lincoln. When Disley saw Norrie he was said to be over the moon and insisted that he went back stage to meet Stephane. I don't think Norrie, after shaking hands with Stephane, has washed his hand since! Nobody knows if the story was correct but Diz's reaction on seeing Norrie would lend some credence to the tale. - Best Wishes - Alan Davies - Lincoln I also know Norrie Greenwood and a few years ago met Diz Disley who was on his way to play a concert in Lancaster. He called in on Norrie at Hellifield, where Norrie was living at the time and played along with us .well I say along he was stunning .the evening is on a video the fiddle player's wife made.. He didn't tell me Diz was coming he just said there was a special friend coming to the practice session ...special indeed...Diz confirmed the postman story by the way....Doug Lawrence Hi, ref Diz Disley. I used to see him at the Surbiton (Surrey) folk club quite often. He would sing gently ribald songs and play a lovely old Maccaferri type guitar. He can't be that old now - why doesn't he ever perform? Anyway, he made me fall in love with that type of guitar and it's music. So I wish him many thanks. All the best Nick Weeks I'm back-tracking to 1964/65 when I was also part of the Surbiton folk club audience. At that stage Diz always included one or two George Formby impersonations in his folk club performances and this led to the production of an LP featuring George's songs. A number of recruits from the Surbiton audience attended the recording studio to provide choral backup and applause (myself included). Diz designed the record cover which featured a cartoon of George Formby sitting astride a huge stick of Blackpool rock, with the title "EEE, What a Whopper". The record was a tribute to George Formby who had died in 1961 - though the rather risque cover meant it wasn't a record for taking home to mother at that time! I recall Diz had great respect for the accomplishments of former generations, whether the subject be music, musicians, flying machines or cars. He heard about a 1926 Rolls Royce that someone was trying to sell. It wasn't going but he was excited at the prospect of working on it and I lent him the £15 needed to buy it. He got it going and I later had some rides - feeling very high and mighty, sitting way above mere mortals in the 1960s London traffic. Best wishes to the very able star of this show. - Linda Muldoon (in Canberra)
When I lived in Corby, I remember Diz Disley was booked to
play at the Nag's Head in the old village, having played there myself on a
few occasions, I asked him if I could sit in. Diz , at the time was doing
his solo folk club thing but called me on during the second set. I first met Diz in the late 60s/early 70s at a Bayswater pub called “The Redan” on the corner of Queensway and Westbourne Grove in London. I was playing jug band music and early 20s jazz with a loose collection of musicians called “The Egbert Souse All-Stars”. The pub landlord was an ex-muso called Johnny Watkins, and Diz was his tenant in the upstairs flat. Johnny had all kinds of jazz-based music going on – I recall Sunday lunchtime sessions with Frank and Laurie Denise, for example, and the “Egberts” played once a week. We weren’t particularly accomplished musicians, but we played with enthusiasm and gave a good performance for £2 each and a free beer! The band members would come – or not – as the mood took them and, one particularly sparse night, there were only 3 or 4 of us playing. Diz came downstairs for a pint, saw us struggling, and went upstairs for his Maccaferri. He jammed with us all night and turned it into a wonderful evening. When we’d finished, I asked if he would take a share of the kitty. He said “no”, he had a good gig the next evening. When asked where, he said “Carnegie Hall – with Stephane”. I last saw him when I was playing at a folk club in Arundel called “The Willows”. I turned up to watch. He saw me in the audience and asked me to come up and play “backing” guitar for him – which turned out as me taking as many solos as he did! He drove a huge hearse in those days, and wondered where he could fill up before going back to London. I’ve not heard of Diz for years –hope he’s OK - Mike Ainscough Hi - I served with him in Trieste in 1940 and was in touch till nearly 1950. Diz gave us all instruments - spoons, comb and paper, harmonicas, and wash boards. We ran Music sessions in the various Barrack rooms. - Lionel Morgan ex Sgt - Royal Signals
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