Laddie Busby A Forgotten Gem

[bellend]

Was sent a couple of things today by a friend of a trombonist named Laddie Busby
He was very active in the UK studio scene in the 50's, 60's and 70's but today sadly is largely forgotten.

Any aficionados of ballad playing will enjoy this

Listen to his beautiful playing on ' You Go To My Head'

And here again on a composition named 'Maneater'

Enjoy

BellEnd

[Vegasbound]

A name I have not heard in. A long time......loved the lush ballad

[FOSSIL]

Wow !!! How wonderful to hear Laddie again after all this time. What a player he was. I sat next to him in a rehearsal band for some years as a young pro and owe him a huge debt. What an education !!! He could be very blunt when people were not playing in the way he thought they should, but we seemed to hit it off, to my great benefit.
He was a fanatical pipe smoker and I remember picking him up on one occasion in a very small sports car called a Triumph Spitfire. It was the middle of winter...hard top on and windows shut. Laddie lit up the pipe and in seconds we were enveloped in thick clouds and I lost all vision of the road ahead. I wound down my window and stuck my head out into the freezing but clear air. 'you don't mind the pipe do you ?' he said....'no' I replied. It would have been rude to object.

Chris

[Doug Elliott]

That is really nice! And a great tune.

[Pre59]

I played with him in a rehearsal band in Acton, London on a Wednesday lunchtime, run by arranger Bob Leaper. There was always a long queue to get to play, and he played a smaller Conn I believe.

Maneater is gold by any standard.

[FOSSIL]

I played with him in a rehearsal band in Acton, London on a Wednesday lunchtime, run by arranger Bob Leaper. There was always a long queue to get to play, and he played a smaller Conn I believe.

Maneater is gold by any standard.

Yes, I did the band when Tony Douglas was in charge. He had two matching Conn 24H trombones with factory built lightweight nickel slides.

Chris

[Pre59]

I played with him in a rehearsal band in Acton, London on a Wednesday lunchtime, run by arranger Bob Leaper. There was always a long queue to get to play, and he played a smaller Conn I believe.

Maneater is gold by any standard.

Yes, I did the band when Tony Douglas was in charge. He had two matching Conn 24H trombones with factory built lightweight nickel slides.

Chris

Yes, it was Tony Douglas running it, and Bob Leaper used to stop by to try an arrangement out occasionally.
Was it at the Railway Tavern?

[FOSSIL]

I can't remember the name of the pub....but what players...Bob Burns, Art Morgan, Neil Cameron, Jonny McLeavy, Tommy McQuater. All gone, sadly.

Chris

[Pre59]

I can't remember the name of the pub....but what players...Bob Burns, Art Morgan, Neil Cameron, Jonny McLeavy, Tommy McQuater. All gone, sadly.

Chris

..and Leon Calvert, who made trumpet and strings albums using the name of Noel Trevlac, but then he did own his own successful recording studio..

https://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=637235

[FOSSIL]

Leon Calvert... he was a character..he did a ballet gig that used Ellington's 'Such sweet thunder'. After a rehearsal he offered one of the other trumpet players a lift.... outside was a Morris Minor and a Rolls Royce Corniche... my friend went to the Morris and Leon looked most put out...'not that one...the Rolls' he shouted.

Chris

[Pre59]

I did a show with Jonny McLeavy, and I had some solo counterpoint lines behind a vocal. While this was going on, he would sometimes take his upper false teeth out and apply a powder adhesive, which would very quickly gum up my slide, much to his amusement.

[Fidbone]

Wow guys, talking about Tony Douglas' Big Band at Acton (Tony Passed away a couple of weeks ago BTW).
I joined that band in the late 80's and although Laddie wasn't there I was in the section with Maurice Pratt, Bill Geldard and Jack Thirwall. It was a great experience playing with those guys especially as I'd only just left the RCM. Leon, Tommy McQuator and Jonny McLeavy were in the trumpet section. Also the trombones would have Richard Edwards and Martin Wilson in the section from time to time...... Happy Days. I eventually became lead trombone there for around 10 years. RIP Tony Douglas!

Back on topic....... Wonderful playing from Laddie. He was a peer of the Great Don Lusher too

[FOSSIL]

So sorry to hear Tony has gone. What a lovely guy. He must have been a good age.
Bill Geldard took over lead bone from Laddie....Bill made his living as a session player on bass trombone as well as arranging. I think the band was the only place Bill played tenor, but you would never guess...his playing was flawless. Unlike Laddie, Bill never really said anything, especially any criticism...far too polite... he just played you right. The only time I sensed criticism was when I brought in a Reynolds Contempora in for a couple of weeks... he simply asked me if I intended to keep bringing it in. I stopped. Along with Bill was his wonderful wife Gracie Cole, a legend in the UK trumpet world... and even more modest than Bill.
The music business back in those now distant times was a different world... and much more fun than it is now. Glad I saw some of that. .. the characters and the skills....

Chris

[Fidbone]

Yes Chris, Bill Geldard....... Legend. I learned so much from sitting next to him. AND he quite often put me on the spot handing over a great deal of the Jazz solo's! I took over from Bill on lead BIG boots to fill.
I remember absolutely falling in love with his gold-plated King 2B but he wouldn't sell it!!! His wife Gracie was also a lovely player and had come from the ranks of the Ivy Benson band possibly the only all women big band in the UK around that time. I was at the RCM with Lois, their daughter who is a very fine flautist

Greetings,
Chris.

[Pre59]

Download "Nelson's Blues on iTunes, written by Nelson Riddle and featuring Bill Geldard on B/Tbn.