Cliff Townshend / The Squadronaires
John William Kendall UK
http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/review/350157.html
John William Kendall UK.
Are you able to remember the era of the great Swing Bands ?I am sure there are
some old timers among Dooyoo members.You will probably remember Bands such as
the world famous Glenn Miller 40 piece Army - Air Force Band, Tommy Dorsey,
Artie Shaw, and Benny Goodman set incredibly high standards of musicianship.
During the troubled days of World War II the British military forces also
created dance and show bands and arguably the most talented and famous of these
bands was The Squadronaires. As their name implies they were members of the
Royal Air Force.
The Squadronaires were formally known as the No. 1 Dance Band of the Royal Air
Force. The musicians in the band came mainly from the Ambrose Orchestra, even
the others had been with well-known bands who performed in London's West End.
The band was actually formed during the dark days of World War II in 1940 and
all the musicians wore Air Force blue and were given the exalted rank of
Aircraftsman Second Class/General Duties the lowest rank in the RAF. Their pay
was pretty low too ,only 3s 6d per day, but at least accommodation at the RAF
School of Music at Uxbridge Middlesex was free! They were required to carry out
normal station duties during the day and entertain with concerts and dances in
the evening.
Among the star players in the Squadronaires were the very talented trombone
player George Chisholm, great trumpeters like Tommy McQuarter, Clinton
"..froggy..." Ffrench and Kenny Baker, saxophone players Andy McDevitt and
Jimmy Durrant, drummer Jack Cummings, guitarist Sid Colin, pianist Ronnie
Aldrich and they were initially led by Jimmy Miller and later by Ronnie
Aldrich.
Also in the line up was sax player Cliff Townshend: he was the father of
another very famous musician, Pete Townshend the leader of the world famous
rock band, The Who. Pete's style of song writing and guitar playing secured him
a place in the Rock Hall of Fame.
Right through World War II and beyond, the Squadronaires entertained countless
thousands of servicemen and servicewomen with their brilliant music which
ranged from Dixieland to Jive. They played a mixture of contemporary dance
music and jazz numbers.
They were arguably the first of a number of service bands from the U.K. to
really become famous during what is now being described as the "...Golden Era
of Dance Music...". Other service bands included The Skyrockets (RAF), The Blue
Rockets from the Royal Army Ordinance Corps and The Blue Mariners Band from the
Royal Navy.
They played great music during the Blitz, the Black-out, or when the
Luftwaffe's bombers were on nightly bombing raids of cities in Britain. The
squadronaires and other service bands contributed significantly to the morale
of servicemen during such trying times.
Musically they were highly talented. A concert broadcast on radio in January
1941 led to a writer in Melody Maker describing them as "... The greatest dance
band performance ever broadcast this side of the Atlantic...."The same
columnist later on in 1941 in referring to another concert by the Squadronaires
wrote "...This is the greatest jazz this country has ever produced...."
The musicians were undeniably among the finest instrumentalists in Britain. At
RAF bases, in hangars, works canteens, ballrooms and barracks all over wartime
Britain, The Squadronaires made sweet music and kept the feet tapping. The
servicemen loved this band -one of the very finest swing bands outside of the
USA.
The band reached a still bigger audience in the 1943 Powell -Pressburger movie
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, which starred Roger Livesey.This helped
make them a household name.
After the ending of hostilities the RAF Music Services started to lose
personnel as the so called duration men began to leave the Service. The members
of the RAF Dance Orchestra decided to stay together as a civilian band using
their well known unofficial title of "...The Squadronaires..."
As a civilian band they quickly established themselves as one of Britain's
leading dance orchestras. They toured extensively in the UK and broadcast
frequently. However, there were one or two changes in the line-up with, eg,
Jimmy Watson (trumpet) replacing Clinton Ffrench and Marty Levy (alto) took the
place of Harry Lewis -the latter was the husband of Dame Vera Lynne, who
incidentally often sung with The Squadronaires.
The band played on with huge success under Ronnie Aldrich well into the post
World War II era; they didn't disband as a civilian band until 1964. The
Squadronaires made a large number of 78rpm records whilst their signature tune
was There's Something in the Air,this was normally sung by Jimmy Miller.
From 1950 until their demise they were led by Ronnie Aldrich, who was a very
fine pianist and arranger. By the time of the 1960's musical tastes were
changing and the Big Band era gave way to British rock with such icons as the
Beatles,the Rolling Stones, the Who and the Kinks,
Ronnie Aldrich was born in Erith, Kent in February, 1916. As a gifted young
pianist, Ronnie undertook extensive musical studies, including a period at
London's Guildhall School of Music. Later he worked for the Folkestone
Municipal Orchestra in Kent before becoming a member of the Squadronaires.
After the disbanding of the band in 1964 Ronnie was employed as a musical
director for Thames Television. He also played piano and directed specially
formed orchestras for record dates and radio performances.
Now The Squadronaires are merely a fond memory but if you can recall the
Black-out, rationing, books, clothing coupons, the air raid shelters and the
siren in wartime Britain, you will surely recall also The Squadronaires who did
so much to bring welcome relief to war weary airmen, soldiers and factory
workers,the length and breadth of the country.
Thanks for reading !
tiggle
"John William Kendall UK" <tymp...@aol.comy> wrote in message
news:20020731163700...@mb-dh.aol.com...