This post is the first contribution about Mike Taylor's experience through the full interviews and writings I collected during the editing of my book.
I received this short memory from Digby Fairweather on August 7h, 2012:
many thanks for the questions - though sadly I don't have answers to all of them!
I remember very well the first - and only! - time I heard Mike. It was at the Studio Jazz Club in Westcliff on Sea, one Friday night in (I think) l963, and the last time I spoke to Jon Hiseman he remembered the night too, if I remember rightly.
Resident at 'Studio Jazz' on Friday nights was the 'Southend Modern Jazz Quintet' (SMJQ) led by tenorist Kenny Baxter. Quite latte on in the evening my recollection is of a quite sudden and probably unscheduled 'invasion' - by the Mike Taylor Quartet: Dave Tomlin, Jack Bruce, Jon and the leader. They took the stage to play what - to us - sounded to be some very contemporary Coltrane style jazz, and as we were more used to Parker, Rollins and Adderley their arrival created quite a stir and some lively controversy too! Whether the group had been 'booked' I'm not sure but my impression is that they just came in for the heck of it - and blew the club apart in the process.
I don't know if Mike was really a 'genius' - it's an overworked term! - but he was certainly well ahead of his time at the period! There are others who could certainly advance more informed and reliable opinions. But either way there's no doubt that the romantics amongst jazz followers tend to bestow the title on any musician of note who is unlucky enough to die early.
I think the reason for his 'decline' was - at least in part - bound up with the dramatic change in popular fashions in music at the time. This after all was at the very point of the 'Beatles Invasion' which drove jazz once and for all into an intellectual byway - where it still remains. And the kind of jazz that Mike chose to play would have stood little chance of any widespread popularity as the 'baby-boomer' generation took the Beatles, the Stones and rock music to their hearts.
My later connection with Mike had to do with his demise. My father John Fairweather was a civilian photographer in Southend Police at the time and told me that a jazz musician had ended his life by drowning and was washed up (I believe)on the beach at Leigh on Sea. He also showed me the photographs - very sad.
I think one possible contact for more information may be the blues singer Paul Jones. Paul and I work together regularly in a show with my band - 'The Half Dozen' - called 'Rocking in Rhythm'. You can e-mail him at p.pond1@btinternet.com and I'm sure he'll help if he can tho' he is a VERY busy man.
As to my own activities; well I'm still blowing, leading my band and playing trumpet all around the country.
With my best wishes,
Digby".
Resident at 'Studio Jazz' on Friday nights was the 'Southend Modern Jazz Quintet' (SMJQ) led by tenorist Kenny Baxter. Quite latte on in the evening my recollection is of a quite sudden and probably unscheduled 'invasion' - by the Mike Taylor Quartet: Dave Tomlin, Jack Bruce, Jon and the leader. They took the stage to play what - to us - sounded to be some very contemporary Coltrane style jazz, and as we were more used to Parker, Rollins and Adderley their arrival created quite a stir and some lively controversy too! Whether the group had been 'booked' I'm not sure but my impression is that they just came in for the heck of it - and blew the club apart in the process.
I don't know if Mike was really a 'genius' - it's an overworked term! - but he was certainly well ahead of his time at the period! There are others who could certainly advance more informed and reliable opinions. But either way there's no doubt that the romantics amongst jazz followers tend to bestow the title on any musician of note who is unlucky enough to die early.
I think the reason for his 'decline' was - at least in part - bound up with the dramatic change in popular fashions in music at the time. This after all was at the very point of the 'Beatles Invasion' which drove jazz once and for all into an intellectual byway - where it still remains. And the kind of jazz that Mike chose to play would have stood little chance of any widespread popularity as the 'baby-boomer' generation took the Beatles, the Stones and rock music to their hearts.
My later connection with Mike had to do with his demise. My father John Fairweather was a civilian photographer in Southend Police at the time and told me that a jazz musician had ended his life by drowning and was washed up (I believe)on the beach at Leigh on Sea. He also showed me the photographs - very sad.
I think one possible contact for more information may be the blues singer Paul Jones. Paul and I work together regularly in a show with my band - 'The Half Dozen' - called 'Rocking in Rhythm'. You can e-mail him at p.pond1@btinternet.com and I'm sure he'll help if he can tho' he is a VERY busy man.
As to my own activities; well I'm still blowing, leading my band and playing trumpet all around the country.
With my best wishes,
Digby".
Interesting sources
Digby's Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digby_Fairweather
Digby's personal Web site: http://www.digbyfairweather.com/
