Humphrey Lyttelton
Cornucopia 2
Calligraph CLG CD 045
On the heels of Cornucopia 1 comes a follow-up including trombonist Annie Whitehead and singer Tina May. Add Lyttelton regulars Jo Fooks and Karen Sharp, and the set represents a kind of triumph for female representation in a famously male enclave. Whitehead's agility and robust tone energise the ska-influenced ‘Heavenless' and her meaty ‘Blue Note Bounce'. May interprets ‘Daydream' and ‘Embraceable You' with her customary classy aplomb, tenorists Sharp and Fooks duetting with vigour on ‘Ms J and K' (by Eddie Harvey). Sharp also impresses as composer and baritone soloist. Humph is proud of his band; rightly so on this evidence. Unpredictable in the best way.
Peter Vacher - Jazz UK.
Humphrey Lyttelton & Band Cornucopia (Calligraph) £13.99
Throughout its phenomenally long existence (60th anniversary next year), Humph's band has been changing, not only in style and personnel but in size. It's now eight-strong, the biggest since the late Fifties, and still full of surprises. Most of the material here is new, some by Lyttelton, and quite a bit more by saxophonists Karen Sharp and Jo Fooks. Because this is a working band, the music has that comfortable, played-in feeling and the solos are excellent. Maybe Humph's trumpet playing has lost some of its bite, but for originality, swing and sheer, entertaining variety, this set of 18 numbers is hard to beat.
Dave Gelly - The Observer
It Just Occurred To Me...
The Reminiscences and Thoughts of Chairman Humph
I just read this wonderful book. A long sunny weekend in the country before I set off annoying people with my electric guitar at various summer rock festivals – made even more divine by the reminiscences of the Chairman.If an opportunity arises to pass this response on to your author please remind him that my father was someone he may have known, the big-band clarinet and sax player Cliff Townsend. He was in the Squadronaires.I am Pete Townsend of the Who, met Humph once at the Marquee in 1965 I think, or somewhere. He wouldn’t have known then how much John Entwistle (Who Bassist) and myself admired him – we had once played together in a school band dedicated to Louis Armstrong covers.We have some other things in common, including an uncanny knack of surviving. But I won’t dwell on this, I want to simply say that I am delighted he wrote this book, and that you published it. I am going to look now for his earlier books.
Pete Townsend ( The Who)
The Observer: "All his bands have been good ones, and his present one is outstanding. His own playing, bright and fiery, reached a high plateau some time in the mid-Fifties from which it has never descended."
Independent Interview from March 2007 - Click on the Link
http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article2309270.ece