Faces of Humph
When Humphrey Lyttelton died in April 2008 he left behind him an amazing record of his life in the form of cartoons and drawings. From sketches of family and jazz musicians, and Christmas cards, to illustrations for jazz flyers, there's little Humph didn't record. Humphrey Lyttelton enrolled in arts at Camberwill School of Arts and Crafts in 1947 where he decided that cartooning and caricature were the way forward (as well as jazz, of course). He had already been drawing sketches from childhood - of housemasters or his wartime service in a coal town in Wales where he drew characters such as 'Toomph'. Through fellow band member, Wally Fawkes, known to the cartoon world as 'Trog', he secured a job as column breaker for the Daily Mail. His career as a cartoonist was relatively short as he went on to create his own band and become one of the greatest jazz musicians in the UK. But all the while, Humph kept doodling and sketching at every opportunity - on the back of envelopes, in margins of books, as well as more formal work, such as sketches of the Clue team and album covers. And in this unique collection we can enjoy these cartoons, drawn in his own inimitable style - witty, clever and unassuming - along with his compelling stories that surround his subjects. Poignant, fascinating and high enjoyable, this little book is a hand-drawn memory of a life. Every Monday night from 1967 until 2008, Humphrey Lyttelton wrote and presented BBC's The Best of Jazz, and he was, famously, Chairman of the anarchic, award-winning radio programme, I'm Sorry, I Haven't A Clue. He wrote nine books, and composed over two hundred tunes, and has Honorary Doctorates at the universities of Warwick, Loughborough, Durham, Keele, Hertford and de Montfort.
Last Chorus
A feast for all his many fans and admirers, this is the great Humphrey Lyttelton's last book, a sparkling autobiographical kaleidoscope of memories, anecdotes, and entertaining stories from his colourful life, from his childhood as the son of a famous Eton Housemaster, through to his role as the irrepressible chairman of I'm Sorry I Haven t a Clue. Very much a Renaissance man - musician, writer, cartoonist, calligrapher and broadcaster - Humph was descended from a long line of land-owning, political, literary, clerical, scholastic and literary forebears. One of his more notorious relatives was executed for his part in the Gun Powder Plot! Last Chorus draws on some of Humph s long-lost autobiographical writings, as well a wealth of other material, including his never-before-seen private diaries, plus cartoons and photos from the family album. Whether sneaking off when a child to buy his first trumpet, or wading ashore in Italy during World War II with a rifle in one hand and a trumpet in the other, or playing alongside such jazz greats as Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet, Humph was very much his own man, and he comes vividly to life in this engaging and witty self-portrait.
Lyttelton's Britain
The "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue" team of Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor, in the company of their esteemed chairman Humphrey Lyttelton, have been recording their BBC radio show around the UK for longer than any of them can remember...that's about week - or twenty minutes in the case of Barry Cryer. At each venue Humph would present a short history of the location, written by Iain Pattinson, to the mutual delight of the audience, the team and their delightful scorer Samantha (who somehow always found time for a rewarding poke in the area's back streets).We are privileged to present, in gazetteer form, the very best of Humph's local histories from Radio 4's multi award-winning 'antidote to panel games'. As accurate as Wikipedia and as comprehensive as "Reader's Digest", this unique guide tells you everything you never knew you wouldn't ever need to know about the background and inhabitants of Britain's most prominent towns and cities. The intelligent reader will waste no time in adding it to their collection.It was from Bristol in 1497 that John Cabot set off to find a new route to the Spice Islands by sailing north-west. He instead discovered a strange, hostile world which he named 'Newfoundland', until the natives explained that they actually called it 'Swansea'. Nottingham - It's well documented in official records that the city's original name was 'Snottingham' or 'home of Snotts', but when the Normans came, they couldn't pronounce the initial letter 'S', so decreed the town be called 'Nottingham' or the 'home of Notts'. It's easy to understand why this change was resisted so fiercely by the people of Scunthorpe. Brighton - A settlement is first recorded in Brighton as long as ago as 3000BC, when Celtic Druids practised their ancient worship of oaks, mistletoe and virgins, and indeed, oaks and mistletoe are still plentiful in Brighton.
It Just Occurred To Me...The Reminiscences and Thoughts of Chairman Humph
Best Of Jazz
A must for the novice jazz fan and aficionado alike, in this highly original work Humphrey Lyttleton, a noted authority, goes right back to the roots of Jazz, discussing key figures from the early New Orleans and Chicago scenes and beyond, highlighting key figures, unique styles and the greatest recordings through a thirty year period that defined Jazz music. The inimitable Humph provides plenty of lively historical background and tells insightful anecdotes often taken from the reminiscences of the musicians involved. 'The Best of Jazz', a compendium of two original works on the subject, is split into analysis of distinct eras pre- and post-1931 - ''Basin Street to Harlem'', and ''Enter The Giants'', moving from the ground-breaking early Jazz bands to the rise of revolutionary individual musicians. It is an ideal companion work to 'It Just Occurred to Me' (ISBN: 9781905798179) - Humph's earlier, much-loved book of reminiscences and thoughts on his life and career. Artists discussed in the book include Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Bix Beiderbecke, Bessie Smith, Coleman Hawkins, Art Tatum, Billie Holliday and many others.
Humph talks about his book in a brief meet the author video. To watch press the play triangle.
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Publisher: Anova Books