The Lost Tapes: Series 2 begins tonight!
Never-before-heard interviews with three jazz legends will be broadcast for the first time on Jazz FM, beginning this evening with Blossom Dearie, and continuing with Horace Silver on Sunday 10 April and Quincy Jones on Sunday 17 April. The programmes will be hosted by Helen Mayhew and begin at 9pm.
Les Tomkins regularly interviewed musicians when they played in London and published articles and features in Jazz News, Crescendo and Melody Maker from the 1950s, based on these recordings. Many of his interviews with jazz greats that were published in Crescendo can be read on the Archive's website.
Les died in 2020 and bequeathed his tapes to the National Jazz Archive. The Archive is thrilled to have forged a partnership with Jazz FM that makes this amazing historic material accessible to a wide audience.
These interviews follow on from those broadcast last year with Oscar Peterson, Art Blakey, Sarah Vaughan and Stan Getz, and a two-hour special programme on Tony Bennett broadcast in December.
Blossom Dearie – 3 April
Les Tomkins interviewed Blossom Dearie in 1966, on one of her frequent visits to London. On the tape, she talks about the kind of lesser-known, tasteful songs she likes to sing, and the art of providing piano accompaniment. She tells a wonderful story about inspiring an arrangement by Miles Davis and Gil Evans’ “Once Upon a Summertime”.
Horace Silver – 10 April
Recorded at the White House Hotel in London in 1968, just before his run at Ronnie Scott’s, Horace talks to Les Tomkins about his favourite recording and preference for smaller groups. He discusses various jazz players and reflects on the current trends in free jazz and his move into lyric writing. One highlight is the chance to hear the story of “Song for My Father” in his own words.
Quincy Jones – 17 April
Recorded at the Mayfair Hotel in October 1963, Quincy is at an fascinating point in his career – touring, directing orchestral records for Dizzy Gillespie, moving into pop production and taking his first steps into A & R – he also has some strong words for those who won’t move with the times!
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