Jazz Remembered
Freddy Randall
Trumpeter, cornet player, vocalist and bandleader Freddy (Frederick James) Randall was born on the 6th May 1921 in Clapton in the East London borough of Hackney. His father, Henry, was a bus conductor for the London Omnibus Company based in garages in Holloway Road. His mother, Jane, was a housewife. Freddy went to Daubeney Road School where he was introduced to music and he took up the trumpet when he was sixteen. He joined Albert Bale’s Darktown Strutters and Will De Barr’s Band and by 1939, when the family had moved to nearby Layton, Freddy was working as a motor cycle mechanic. He was eighteen when he started his first band, the St. Louis Four and then played as a freelance sideman in the early 1940s. Freddy served with the Rifle Brigade during World War II but was invalided out in 1943. He joined Freddy Mirfield's group, the Garbage Men in 1944, a band that also included saxophonist Johnny Dankworth, and won a Melody Maker Individual Award at a concert in September. Here are The Garbage Men in September 1944 playing Good Old Wagon Blues with Freddy Randall (trumpet); Dennis Crocker (trombone); Johnny Dankworth (clarinet); Sam Dowell (tenor sax); Sam Bayles (piano); Bob Coram (guitar); Stan Peacey (bass) and Freddie Mirfield (drums) :
In the late 1940s, Freddy led his own Dixieland jazz groups and in 1946, started his first professional band, appearing regularly at the Cleveland Rhythm Club run by his brother Harry. Here is Harry's band in 1949 with Freddy on trumpet and Bruce Turner on clarinet playing Cooks Ferry Parade. Freddy went on to sign up for the Parlophone label and the liner notes for one album say “(Humphrey) Lyttelton had secured a recording contract with the major Parlophone label. At that stage his only serious rival was Freddy Randall who also joined the Parlophone ranks in 1951. Lyttelton's band was stylistically evolving, but Randall chose to base his band in the Chicago style of Eddie Condon, Wild Bill Davison and their cohorts. It was driving, foot-stomping stuff led by Randall's fiery trumpet playing. For seven years the band recorded some excellent tracks for Parlophone”. Freddy’s was the first British post-war jazz group to tour the United States in 1956 in exchange for the Louis Armstrong All-Stars, before Freddy had to give up playing between 1958 and 1963 due to lung problems. During this time he ran a nursing home in Berkshire. Here is his band in 1953 with At The Jazz Band Ball: Freddy Randall (trumpet); Archie Semple (clarinet); Roy Crimmins (trombone); Ronnie Stone (bass); Lennie Hastings (drums); Dave Fraser (piano).
Bernard Victor tells us: “I have good memories of the Freddy Randall band back in the late '40s. I was a regular attendee at Cooks Ferry Inn. Unlike most jazz clubs at the time, there was no dancing, you just sat and listened. The Freddy Randall band was quite different from all the other traditional bands at the time. Instead of playing music based on what was considered true New Orleans jazz, they played some traditional numbers but also tunes from the Great American Songbook, in a similar style to the Eddie Condon and Muggsy Spanier bands, and shock horror they had saxophones in their line-up, including I think Bruce Turner and Jimmy Skidmore. I enjoyed it much more than the average trad band, and it helped me progress into listening to modern jazz at The Flamingo club.” Here is Freddy in 1949 again with his band playing Jazz Club Stomp with Bruce Turner on clarinet.
There does not seem to be much film footage online with Freddy Randall, but it is fortunate that Movietone News picked up a story in 1964 when 8 year old clarinettist Brian Ling joined Freddy and the band at Wood Green Jazz Club. (The band personnel are not named):
In the mid-1960s Freddy began recording again, frequently teaming up with clarinet player Dave Shepherd. Here is Freddy however with Dr Jazz and the line-up on this track is Freddy Randall (trumpet); Al Gay (clarinet); Pete Hodge (trombone); Brian Lemon (piano); Gerry Salisbury (bass) and Buzz Green (drums).
In a second return Freddy was part of ‘Britain's Greatest Jazz Band’ described as “a sort of 'fantasy Jazz Band created by two fans. It was put together for a short tour, but proved so successful that, with one personnel change, it became the basis for Freddy's finest band, "The Freddy Randall - Dave Shepherd Jazz All Stars”. With the All Stars he backed many visiting American musicians including Sidney Bechet, Bud Freeman, Wild Bill Davison, Pee Wee Russell, Bill Coleman and Teddy Wilson. He recorded for Black Lion Records in 1972–73, and his band with Dave Shepherd appeared at the Montreaux Jazz Festival. Here is Wild Bill Davison with Freddy's band playing Royal Garden Blues:
Freddy retired from touring in the late 1970s but he still played gigs around the Essex area in the 1980s, usually with his own quintet and recorded with Benny Waters in 1982. Here they are with Sugar:
Freddy finally gave up playing and retired to Teignmouth in Devon in early 1993. He died there six years later aged 78 on 18 May 1999.
A Facebook page dedicated to Freddy Randall was established by someone who sadly died in 2023, but it still seems to be online and can be found here. There is much more of Freddy's music to listen to on YouTube.
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If you have memories of Freddy Randall and his band(s) please let us know.
2024.12