1957-05-04 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, MAY 4, 1957.

THE PUDGY (but magic) FINGERS OF COUNT BASIE

Basie (and hat) hits, London: Four beats in a bar and no messin'

By NOEL GOODWIN

L

EGEND became reality when Count Basie followed his 16-man band on to the Festival Hall platform for the opening concert of their first British tour,

He slumped at the plans l'ke a chocolate pear with legs-all 15 alone of him-left foot on the pedal and right foot stuck out sideways tapping the rhythm,

he got the coolest, quiciest re- ception of them all

There was not one fan wait- Basic and his 15 ing when bandsmed Landed at London

Airport after a 22-hour journey from Chicago.

All of which did not bother the banjo-eyed band lender one

le bit.

ROLY-POLY

But just before the interval bassist Ed Jones cut loose on first-class rocking solu with pleno and rhythm behind him, half-a-dozen lunes running into each other.

This was the man who-20 From then

webt un events to Jaunch with

and years ago-helped

mounting swing

With a cigarelle clenched big-band jazz, and stuck to tho excitement up to the Jast against his big, square teeth he jazz groove when almost every-number, w flh singer

Joe, just growled: "I've been gettin' body clse Wan "going Williams joining lustily but along without riots, squawkin'. or rock 'n' roll for gone 20 years musically fo the fray. commercial.”

I guess I take things casual style."

He has none of Arinstrong's showmanship,

Ellington's elegance, or Hampton's bounce,

Fifty years old last August, he drives his band from the piano with the feather-touch control of a man at the wheel of a high powered car.

THE SLOGAN

Does Princess Margaret have too little to do?

[BEARING COUNT BASIE IN MIND...]

THAT fun. Princess

Margaret goes to a

concert given by a leading | By DONALD GOMERY

Jazz atar, Count Basie. But

then what happens?

what

The Princess sits through that the Princess likes.

That is the sort of public life important, the should visit the countries of the Commonwealth tho Basie show twice on

frequently, And For, surely, the Princess would more Tuesday night. And this like to do much more than she about Amerien?

But what of the Princess's seems to suggest that she is is doing now.

No one would private life? at a loss to fill in some of her time.

wish to cut down her pleasur:s to theatres, gums, -her visits a3

clubs, jazz congeris, They are her own speciul preference.

She has a tremendous sense of the responsibility that she

Princess; Now Basic once in an even- bears as a royat

Queen She Ing is fine, but to some people the sizler of the that second session might indi- wishes to put herself much more service of the country: sho has time to at the kill, (Just as you or I may kill to her friends she has made this time by seeing a flm through clear. again beczure there is not much else to do.)

cale

that

Examine for a moment tho character of this Princess who has youth, beualy, wil, zest... who, above all, loves life. A ways she is happlest when the is in the thick of things.

מן

Yet too often it stems that he has nothing in particular to do,

Princess Margaret may, laut, too often be feeling bored, Many of the recent pictures of her that I studied seemed to show this.

And there 13 so much that she can do. She can use further the burden of engagements that fall on the Queen, than that, Princesa Margaret, in the pubile life, stands for the

young

Small Circle

is

Yet there is no doubt that in there matters the Princ.us in danger of getting into a rut, The same type of entertain- same cirele of friends the Billy Wallaces, the Mark Bonham Carters, the John

the But more ments,

of Stuaria

outlook. Millons girls in their tens and twenties look to her with nomiration; look to her as an example.

No Starch

LET'S HAVE

SPECIAL HONOURS

FOR THE COLONIES

London.

By HAROLD JAMES

appreciate the African's love of HANA'S decision not to coicur. This was evident enough to those visitors who were in Or accept titles and decora-Accra for Independence Day. tions from the Queen is They, at any rate, were im- generally in line with Compressed with the turn-out of the monwealth practico. Only population-not merely with tho in Australia and Now Zen the chiefs, but the rainbow of crowns and state. umbrellas of land are honourą now ac colours which marked the dress copted. Ceylon formerly of the ordinary citizen received its' full quota-the To one thing now the Colonial last Prime Minister, Sirthe uniform of governors and John Kotelawala, was the governors general

Office should give it

only Commonwealth premier Before lorig

attention

wo shall to accept a title since the sovereign's representatives drawn war-until Mr Bandaranaike from the people of the country- a Ghanaian în Ghana: k, Malay But now

or Chinese in Kuala Lumpur or got into power. Ceylon. 'honourless' group.

has joined the singapore.

In taking her decision Ghana was doubtless moved to show her independence; but

the

niggardiness with which de corations have been distributed

o among colonial territories in

In recent years may have been 4 contributory caus. The number of people in Africa deserving of decorations has increased by leaps and bounds since the war

of CMG.s and the number C.B.Es which can be awarded has not gone up during that period in the same proportion.

NEW ORDERS (he is a grandson of

the Dowager Duchess of Devon- shire).

Successive Colonial Secretaries Always with her Lady-in-have toyed with the idea of re- Walling. Lady Elizabath Caven-

commending to the Severely clists,

at ber elbow.

Always the creation of additional orders, under the shadow of Court rule such as a Star of Africa: but the and regulation,

dead hand of Whitehall-where seniority is assured of CB, or KC.B. in the fullness of time-

time have come down against it. would make officials said,

LREADY Prince Philip has It is a very small circle, this A shown

that it is possible one that is set arount the the Court officials, I blame

for him lo talk freely to the Princess. To get into the circle They advise on the Princess's

men he meets (in deflance of one must be introduced by an pubile life (and much of her

tinditions that lay already admitted member. And the Fulaca private life loo). And in that down what must and must not for Princess Margaret to get public life they are showing a

be done)

out of the circle is almost im- sad Bck of imagination,

possible.

Programme

NOW

JOW, look at the main items In the public programme thal faces the Princess.

• APRIL 24. Glasgow Girl Guides' centenary.

APRIL 30. Riception by officers of the Suffolk Regi, ment.

• MAY 9, N.S.P.C.C. ball.. MAY 10. Visit to Bristol housing estate.

• MAY 10. Laying a hospital foundation stone Swindon.

at

• MAY 25. Rally of Wor- cestership Girl Guides,

• MAY 30, Laying the foundation stane of Newington church.

• JUNE 1. Opening a power station in Southampton.

What sort of programme is that for o brilliant young weman? (How would you like to carry it out?)

Yet that is the sort of pro- gramme that the Princess has been carrying out ever since the returned from East Africa last autumn,

11

and

Between January February 11, indeed, she had no publle engagements at all. And OLD MASTER

her last public engagement was Basle, the most consistently on March 19, top name in the band business Honours for Tenor saxists since the thirties, did not have parison, has had a dozen public The Queen Mother, by com- Frank Parker and Frank Wess, a kiss-curl, a gullar, or a sequin

since the beginning digagements Henry Coker, on him, His roly-poly figure of March. Since the beginning trombonist trumpeter Joe Newman and the bulged from a dark blue swent

of the

year Princess Margatel's bouncing rhythm section. shirt. He had an old, pork-ple mother has had four times the

Black marks for: Infuriating shaped hat on his head,"

amount of public activity as the spotlighting never still for n He was asked what he Princess.

The Consider that visit the moment....Top heavy band thought of rock 'n' roll.

success it

There was no music on the arrangements drowning solos, cigarette swung to the side of Princess, made to East Africa. stands. We haven't brought....Somo musical ideas better his mouth, but stayed clenched. What a tremendous

Andi "Guess we sulted to a small band....Solos It brings in the bread and was! any," he told me. just forgot it in the Tush." occasionally second-rate,

butter," he said, "but not for worked. Over the years his men have changed. Not his music. Four I could have done, too, with

more of Base himself. beats in a bar and no messin' '

*me.

He "Man, I can't even be the piano, but we bothered to tear that kinda heard too little of it,

stuff to shreds. And don't” ask me whether I like it or hate

t-don't bother me none, and I don't bother it".

in his slogan. Precision-tooled never lett dignity is the result,

Digntly I said and dignity I All the same for me-Basle meant..

This is not music by or stays tops in his field. The old exhibitionists: Basle and master has a few lessons tu his men are artists to the teach us yet, finger-tips-the hottest, high- voltage band of all,

It took them a while to get · into the swing of things, Band

and audience alike were polite but, restrained-except in weight, of brass noise,

By JOHN LAMBERT

He was asked if his band did much rehearsing.." And his eyes: and his cigarette drooped a ittle more na he answered: "No, I reckon not We shall

how hard she

Consider too the great succens of her visit to the West Indies the year before..

That

which

is more the level.co the Princess should That perform her major duties Is the level on which she can display her full talents,

bo

POCKET CARTOON

by OSBERT. LANCASTER

#

EN the band leader most playing 41 concerts in 21 days

other band leaders

call over there,

All we need, is the greatest" flew into London bit of shut-eye in between."

So should the Princess be allowed to meet and talk with the women of Britain, not wita the starch of protocol but as on woman to her friends,

She should be allowed to visit the Continent more frtely. Most

1

the

Going to bear Count Basie

be fun may

know Princess enjoyed herself,

But le this really the sort of thing the Princess is feeling now?

Jealousy,

for In other colonies: or it would cause 'inflation" in the Honours List and make de-

corations all too cheap.

NATIVE DRESS

Thoto with aesthetic “penso "would agree that in those places native dress is more picasing for and atted to the people of the country than the ceremonial uniforms of the British Service. On a formal occasional Dr Nkrumah looks more digniled and more at home-in a kento cloth than in a European lounge

To revert to honours-Ghana proposes create its own siara and ribands. It is unusual for o Commonwealth country. to do so; but there are colonial terri- tories which have their own the Malay decorations-two of

better states and,

known, Zanzi- bar with its Brilliant

what if, for all of

only a quarter of a has five order

This five classes? from the 1st Class for the Sultan, and the British Resident on retirement, to the 5th Class for a govern- ment clerk who has driven his pen with loyalty and efficiency for forly

not

generous bestowal of it makes everyone happy. And, after all, For in matters of pageantry honours and decorations are not and ceremonial, ofcialdom in merely a reward for past ser- Britain has been slow to move vices. They can be an induce- It has lacked ment for the future, an encour- with the times. imagination. It has falled to agement to others.

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from 6th May to 12th May,

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has awarded its FIRST SERIAL PRIZE

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KETIONS" AT THE KEYBOARD

"And then there's another, thing, dactor-I'm d constans piny to frrasional. janenkabome, lightning"

LE LOCLE SWITZERLAND

1865

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