I don’t normally blog on a Saturday, but today I have to make an exception. It is with great sadness that I write about the passing of great British jazzman and broadcaster Humphrey Lyttleton, who died today following surgery for an aortic aneurysm.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s Lyttelton was prominent in the British revival of traditional jazz forms from New Orleans, recording with Sidney Bechet in 1949. In 1956, he had his only hit, with the Joe Meek-produced recording of “Bad Penny Blues”, which was in the UK Singles Chart for six weeks. In 1967, Lyttelton contributed the trumpet intro to The Byrds’ “So You Want to be a Rock and Roll Star”. It was while working with The Byrds that he first met and befriended
session musician Jimmy Page. Page later founded Led Zeppelin and Lyttelton contributed the coda that would become the opening riff to “Moby Dick”.
In 1968, at the request of NASA, Lyttelton went to the United States to play a selection of jazz numbers which were broadcast live to the crew of the Apollo 8 space craft.
In 2001, Lyttelton and his band added traditional jazz elements to the Radiohead song “Life in a Glasshouse” on the Amnesiac album.
From 1967 until April 2007, Lyttelton presented most weeks on BBC Radio 2 The Best of Jazz, a programme which featured his idiosyncratic mix of top-quality recordings of all ages and current material.
In 1972 he was chosen to host the comedy panel game I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue on BBC Radio 4 which gained a huge and loyal following of listeners, delighted by games like One Song to the Tune of Another, or…
In other words, the teams have to intone the lyrical refrain of one particular vocal composition whilst simultaneously pursuing the melodic line of a dissimilar piece.
They can use Colin Sell if they think it will be a help.
They might even ask him to accompany them on the piano.
and the sublime Mornington Crescent (for a full breakdown of the rules of MC, get yourself a copy of NF Stovold’s Mornington Crescent: Rules and Origins (currently out of print). I’d lend you my copy but a Mrs Trellis of North Wales borrowed it and hasn’t returned it yet. You are also advised that “your local bookshop might have a copy of The Little Book of Mornington Crescent by Tim, Graeme, Barry and Humph.
So long Humph, like all great individualists you’ll be sorely missed. Thanks for the music and the laughs.
Links:
http://www.humphreylyttelton.com/
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1 response so far ↓
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CW
// Apr 28, 2008 at 9:09 pm
A gentleman and a scholar now gone to join the lovely Samantha in the great Mornington Crescent in the sky! Radio comedy panel games will never be the same again.
RIP Humph.
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