A jazz legend lives on

Humphrey Lyttelton and His Band present Cornucopia, February 2008.

A typical 86-year-old man might enjoy a night in front of a fire with slippers on feet, pipe in mouth, Jeeves and Wooster in hand.

Humphrey Lyttelton ain’t a typical 86-year-old man. He spends his evenings touring the country with his eight-piece jazz band, collectively called Humphrey Lyttelton. When he’s not doing that he’s on BBC radio, lending his thoughts to The Best of Jazz and I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue.

Humphrey remains full of energy. Watching him it’s hard to believe he was born in the reign of King George V and that he served his country in WWII. What really gives his age away though is how little he himself is able to play his instrument of choice, the trumpet. His lungs, mid-way through their ninth decade of breath, are obviously not what they used to be and the man himself played only sporadically during the course of the concert, receiving rapturous applause with each go.

Such applause was a common theme of the night, with each member of the band given a little musical spotlight moment in which to show off their skills on their respective instrument, and the quality was amazing, even if they did all look like bankers rather than wild jazz musicians.

His current tour is called Cornucopia and incorporates traditional and mainstream jazz styles, creating an evening that can be both musically thrilling but yet, at times, mediocre. One particular highlight was a tune, and Humph made a point of joking how he loathed the title, called M25, which was written by the only woman in the band, Jo Fooks. This tune was five minutes of pure aural bliss, combining soft lows with exhilarating trumpet-induced highs, just like a sojourn along the notoriously difficult motorway.

Guest vocalist Tina May joined the band on stage for a few songs including Gershwin’s classic Embraceable You, which had the entire audience entranced. Tina and Humphrey together clearly relished performing a scat-duet, the old legend and the young(er) glamazon humourously paying tribute to the vocal improvisational style made famous by jazz greats such Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (who, incidentally, Humphrey opened for in his 1956 British tour).

The show became mediocre when the band reverted to a modern style of jazz that is more about showing off how skillfully they can play their instruments rather than performing a melody. It can be exciting at first but after a few minutes it begins to grate.

The most touching tune of the night was also the most unexpected. Just as James Stewart famously said he could turn any trivial tune in to a fine piece of music in The Glenn Miller Story, and demonstrated with a classic rendition of Little Brown Jug, Humphrey told the audience he would prove his ability to make a humble tune in to something beautiful with his quietly moving take on Marsie Dotes and Dosie Dotes. It was the highlight of the evening.

Typically, an evening with Humphrey Lyttelton tends to be enjoyed by an older demographic. It’s a shame – an evening of jazz is an engaging alternative to a night spent downing tequila shots. To appreciate it one must actively listen, and let the music lead the imagination where it wishes to go. Humphrey and his band could do with incorporating a little more melody but an evening in the company of a true jazz legend should be savoured before it’s too late.