Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Chris Barber and Wood Green Jazz Club
Is anyone still around who frequented the Wood Green Jazz Club in the mid-1950s? I lived at Clarence Road, just a few minutes walk from the club, and it is one of my enduring memories.
Chris Barber is still one of my heroes, along with Louis Armstrong. I'm 82 and have lived in the U.S. since 1993 but still frequently listen to the band on YouTube and on CDs.
Also, is there anyone who attended Glendale Grammar School?
Peter Anderson
Tags for Forum Posts: haringey 20th century music, wood green jazz club
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Max Wurr on
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My father John Wurr (reeds) played there regularly in the sixties with various bands including his own New Sedalia Jazz Band.
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Permalink Reply by Geraldine on
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Yes, me. Along with friends, I was a regular at Wood Green Jazz Club in the early 1960s. Some great performances. Humphrey Lyttelton, etc. I am the same age as you. Our schools were Hornsey County and St Angela's though.
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Permalink Reply by Richard Woods on
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I went to the club once in about 1955. I was not much of a jazz fan back then. Years later I was out clubbing in Cardiff with a girl friend and to my amazement Chris Barber showed up - turned out he was an old pal of my friend Nikki's!
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Permalink Reply by peter anderson on
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Nice to know there are still a few of us around.
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Permalink Reply by Beryl Tyler on
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I can't remember going there myself (doesn't mean I didn't though!) but my brother (87) did and is still going strong. He was a great Chris Barber fan and used to go to various places to see them. Our cousin, Eddie Smith was one of the band members for a while too.
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Permalink Reply by Jeremyb on
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You probably know about this film, featuring Wood Green Jazz Club, from 1956: ?
https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-momma-dont-allow-1956-online
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Hadn't seen this. Super film. Thanks for posting. A scant 6 or 7 years before my time but little had changed. It's a great snapshot of life in 1956 - the butcher, the dentist, the cars, the people. You can almost smell the tobacco and the perspiration!
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Another disadvantage of not being in the UK: The video blocks download here.
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Well, yes and no Peter........
My older brother Brian certainly did around the mid fifties on but sadly he's no longer with us. He was in to skiffle and traditional jazz and the likes of Barber, Ken Collyer, Monty Sunshine, Acker Bilk etc all big names through that time. He introduced me to that music which I still enjoy. I started going to Wood Green Jazz Club from around 62-68 time I suppose for trad, folk, blues and rock bands. I have a nagging memory of seeing Cream play there as one of a rehearsal venue, getting their act together before going out on the road touring. That would've been 66/67 time I suppose. But whether or not that memory is actual fact I can't be sure.
You must be enjoying life over there after 30 years ? Good luck.
We lived in Harringay Road, up near The Salisbury, Green Lanes.
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All these responses bring on enjoyable nostalgia. I haven't been back to the UK since I left in '93. I think it's time I did. If I'm going to it better be soon.
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Yes Peter...........think a visit should be sooner rather than later ! But be prepared for possible changes to what you remember and hold dear.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Cream did indeed play there. By then it was just called Fish mongers Arms and Cream played their sixth ever live show there on August 9th 1966.
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