Hall of Fame of  bass players

 
                                                                                                                                                  
     Dr.Colin Hodges - Double bass, guitar and vocals  This is one of my favourites with Colin singing One Meat Ball
                                                                                          this was recorded at the Theatre Royal, Margate, Kent on the
                                                                                          11th Feb 2006, with The Bill Barnacle Band, the other members
                                                                                          of the band are, Bill Barnacle cornet, Sean Maple tmb, Chris
                                                                                          Rumsey reeds, Dave Bashford gtr and Mike Marsh drms.

Born 1942 in Speldhurst, but grew up in Ramsgate. Started playing (guitar ) in 1957 in a skiffle group. Played trombone for a couple of years but switched back to guitar in a university band. Played guitar in various bands on the London circuit in 1960's. Took up the bass in 1969. On return to Kent played bass ( and did vocals ) successively with Bod Bowles, Pete Rose, Bill Barnacle and the Imperial Jazz Bands, recording with the last three. Has also played in Hot Club style groups, dance bands, barn-dance outfits etc. Wrote arrangements for Latin American Street Band "Busker Du" in which he played tuba. Currently arranging for and accompanying a choral group. Formerly a science lecturer, he still teaches part-time for the Open University. Plays cricket occasionally and has just retired from the role of rugby coach.

                                                      Click on picture or here for video on You Tube by his daughter Kate

                                                Colins 70th birthday party - celebrated round his house a full band of musicians
                                               in his front room - left to right:
                                               Tony O'Sullivan tpt, Jimmy Tagford drms, Sean maple tmb, Trevor Williams bass,
                                               Malcolm Walton tpt, and the boy himself gtr, Bill Barnacle crnet, Geoff Foster clt,
                                               Pete Rose clt and other muso's hiding are Mike Marsh drms, Burtie Butler bnj and
                                               Colins son Tom Hodges on baritone -  18th February 2012

                                               
                                              A great photo of Colin on trombone at a show in West Cliff Hall Ramsgate 1960
                                                     Les Mighall drms, Peter Ditton gtr, Derek Moore bnj, Peter Machin clt,
                                                             Dave Bearne bass, Colin tmb and Mike Thompson alto sax

                                    
                             Another great photo from Colin - This snap was taken on Ramsgate Sands in 1961. There was a torchlight
                        procession of young people. We went to the start expecting to tag along at the end but proved to be the
                           only band  and fronted it. 
                      Band left to right:-
                   Rhys Jones - clarinet - very good in Johnny Dodds style - Tony O'Suliivan  trumpet - Ed Yorath  gtr -  Damian Knight  banjo -
                             Martyn Stocks  banjo -  John Simmonds  snare drum - Paul Jury  snare drum. Brilltant modern jazz pianist MD for London
                             shows eg "Buddy" and "Jolson" - died about 10 years  ago.- Colin Hodges trombone  - Pete Machin  soprano sax.
                               Derek Moore  bass drum. Knew him since he was 5  Played banjo in my first skiffle group. Last saw him in 1970's

                   After we finished I remember going up in lift . We played "When I leave the world behind" and "My Journey to the Sky" . What wits

                                                   
                                              another great group photo from the Hodges collection, circa early 60's  band members:
                                                  Tony O'Sullivan tpt, Rhys Jones clt, Mike Thomson alto, Colin H tmb, Pete Ditton bnj,
                                                         Martyn Stocks bjo, Derek Moore bass and Les Mignall drums 

                                                     
                                            Another great photo from Colin - This snap was taken at Broadstairs Carnival  in 1961.
                              Band members Left to Right
                       Paul "Mouse" Barratt trumpet -  Tony O'Suliivan  trumpet  - Godfrey Wood trumpet  -   Rhys Jones  clarinet -
                 Pete Maddox soprano sax - Ed Yorath  banjo  - Colin Hodges trombone - Bob Cooper trombone - Paul Jury  snare drum -
         Dave Benson bass drum  and two that should be there, out of the picture:  Paul Silverthorne banjo and  John Simmonds  snare drum

                                                                            
                                                                        A grim August Night at Ramsgate Carnival 1963
                                           Dave Hughes tpt, Pete Machin clt, Pete Spencely tmb, Colin valve tmb, Martyn Stocks bnj,
                                                               Grahame Stewart bass drm and John Field  washboard.

 
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             Roger Hooper - Brass String and Woodind          This is Roger playing in the Blue Rhythm Kings   'From Monday On'
                                                                                             this was recorded at the Louis Armstrong, Maison Dieu Road, Dover. The year 2000.

             Born into an RAF family in the late 1940s was sent to a private school where he learned brass, string and woodwind, at 15 years old
             he joined a brass band and then started in jazz, in the late 1980s he payed with roland hopkins band then with brian crage, in 1993
             he joined Brighton based band The Vintage hot five staying with them for ten years, 2003 he and geoff collins started creole jazz a
             band that is still going and respected .Roger has a great love for 1920s dance bands and never turns down a chance to play in one.

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                                                                                Sadly Trevor has passed away on the 5th September 2017

 
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                                                               Gerry Birch -  Sousaphone / Double Bass

Born in Essex in 1953. At the age of 10, I joined my local Brass Band where I learnt to play Trombone. I soon realised that this wasn’t the instrument for me and took up Tuba. I moved to Kent in 1972 and joined a local brass band. One evening, on the way home from band practice, I called into a pub for a pint and heard my first LIVE jazz band and the rest is history. I bought a Sousaphone and started listening seriously to records. My first playing experience was with the Expedient Brass Band from Sussex, which led on to a regular Friday night gig with the New Orleans Echoes, which at that time was run by trombonist Mark Bradley. The next 10 years or so was spent playing with many of the Kent an Sussex bands. I left Kent in 1988 and had 15 years in East Anglia, before moving back to Kent in 2003. Over the years I have played with many semi pro bands up and down the country . Although I have always been busy in the Summer, I found that Sousaphone was not always popular during the winter ,when the Summer Fetes had finished, so I took up string bass. At the time of writing I am running a local Jazz Club and have just formed my own band ; The Stour Valley Jazzmen.

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                                                                    Arthur Bird - Double Bass
Born Canning Town, 1932 spent most of his life in Essex, has been living in Kent for the past six years. After National Service with the Military Police, Nato, Paris, joined the "Whytebridge Jazz Band" as roadie in 1956 being one of the few people with a car and a driving licence. The band didn't have a bass player, when they decided they needed one he made his first bass and became a member, at that time being more interested in making the instrument than playing it. Later joined Eric Silk's "Southern Jazz Band" and was a member of the house band, "Alan Littlejohn's Jazzers" at the 100 Club, backing many well known British and American musicians including Yank Lawson, Al Casey and Kenny Devern.
Joined Ken Colyer in 1975 and for the next eight years toured UK, Europe and the Middle East. After Ken died worked with the "Colyer Trust Band" and joined Ken Sims "Dixie Kings", spent some time touring Canada with Hugh Rainey's "Hottest Band in Town" and went on to play in the "Hugh Rainey Jazz Band".
          

                                            This is Arthur in  the Colyer Band taken around the early 80's, and interview with Ken but it is
                                 in German - but non the less  great footage of the Ken Colyer band in the early 80's,
                                 band members :
                                 Ken Colyer tpt, Tony Pyke clt, Johnny Beecham tmb, Ray Smith piano, Bill Stotesbury bnj,
                                 Arthur Bird bass and Paul Rosenberg drms.   guest trumpet player  is Gerhard Vohwinkel.
                                 who started his career with  Papa"s Bue's Viking Jazz Band in Denmark, in 1956, later played
                                 with the Old Merrytale Jazzband  and  also had his own band, the Allotria Jazzband. info from
                                 Gerard Bielderman  Netherland Publisher of jazz discographies. - thank you Burtie

                                playing Winter Wonderland and Tell me your Dreams so click here or on the picture to activate.                                                                                                                                              

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                                    Paul Ferdinand - bass      Here is Paul playing  Red Roses for a Blue Lady with the Vocalion Jazz band  this was
                                                                               recorded at the Jolly Knight, High Street Rochester, Kent. 12th September 2007.
                                                                               band members are : Dennis Jenkins tpt, Jan Bryce tnb, Burtie Butler bnj, Paul Ferdinand bass
                                                                               and Mark Alexander drums

                     an interview on radio Kent with John Warnett and Julia George 23rd June 2009 - change of life style phone in   click here

Jazz satisfies my love of melody, those evergreen songs which defy the passage of time and which I appreciate more as each day passes. My background is not by the usual route to Trad, indeed I often feel anachronistic compared to my colleagues.  In childhood there was always a guitar lying around to play. At seventeen I took up electric bass and gigged locally. Little did I realise then, that thirty years on I would still be at it but this time playing the Double bass. My musical genres touched Rock (both Contemporary and Indulgent), Country, Blues, Ballads etc in an assortment of incarnations. But now I play Jazz. Why Jazz ? It’s definitely not the money or the gentle kind of folk I am privileged to play with. It’s not even those most wonderful of wonderful melodies. It is the inclusiveness. Since joining the Syncopators I have never gigged with so many different musicians, each with their own unique contribution to give. And still, it never ceases to make me smile when my fellow conspirators shake hands for the first time before playing together, where else could you find such generosity? Only in Jazz, long may it continue.

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