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Jazz & Birmingham Pubs / Chapel Tavern, Great Charles Street

sospiri

sospiri

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Casting your minds back to the late 1950s, can you remember Birmingham's version of London's Archer Street - the Saturday lunchtime jam sessions that used to take place at the Chapel Tavern in Great Charles Street? All the local musicians would gather for a beer, a blow, and a discussion about the next few days forthcoming gigs. Of those still with us that used to attend, I can remember Johnny Patrick, Andy Hamilton and Mike Burney, and amongst those sadly passed away, vibist Colin Willetts. (Fortunately I was able to meet up with Johnny Patrick & Mike Burney a couple of years ago at the Birmingham International Jazz Festival - the first time we'd done so in over 40 years - and both still blowing a storm!)

In those days every wedding had a band - the noisy disco had yet to appear on the scene. If you hadn't got a gig on a Saturday night, you might tag onto someone else's gig just for a blow and the chance of a few free beers. On one particular Saturday night I was booked to do a wedding with a quartet at school premises over Hall Green/Shirley way. In the event a total of ten musicians turned up! ;D

Of course, being a wedding, most of the audience were fairly tipsy before we started to play so the whole gig turned into a wild jam session - but no one complained!  :D

And does anyone remember from the same era that wonderful jazz venue, the Firebird Restaurant in Carrs Lane run by Hispano-American Chris Padan? Chris knew all the big jazz names in America, so when the likes of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck and the Modern Jazz Quartet got to visit Birmingham, these guys made a beeline for the Firebird. Chris was responsible for me being able to meet a lot of these musicians as well as providing me with a few gigs in the evenings. I believe Chris moved to Richmond around 1960/1 - can anyone confirm this?  ::)
 
Do you remember any performances in Birmingham pubs by guitarist Jack Mckechnie?
Ronald John Saunders
 
Hi Ronald,

This is the guy that was in the Hedley Ward Trio if I remember your other postings correctly, but I have to say that I never encountered him. This was probably because I didn't come out of the RAF until May 1957 and had left Birmingham for southern climes by January 1961. Sorry I can't help.

Regards,

Maurice
 
I'm reviving this old post because I'm too lazy to sort through the huge nightclubs thread for the occurrence of Firebird and just came across this pic of the Firebird, though after it had closed and its late owner, Chris Padan, had moved south.

Maurice

Firebird.jpg
 
I remember going to Saturday lunchtime sessions at a pub which must have been the chapel and seeing a fifteen year old Stevie Winwood playing some great piano
 
I think that must have been after January 1961 when I moved down south then Michael. By then the Musicians' Union, in the guise of Secretary John Morton, had sort of regularised it. The MU still had a closed shop then and didn't like us playing for nothing. If I remember right, the workaround was that everyone put one shilling in the box and that went to the Musicians' Union Benevolent Fund. It's amazing how a little money will bend the rules!

Maurice
 
Hi Michael,

I've no idea when the Chapel Tavern closed as I had a spell of almost 20 years away from Brum.

Maurice
 
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