The Gov’nor
by Grant Crawford
Mention jazz accordion and two names come to mind, Art Van Damme and Jack Emblow. Jack, along with fellow jazz accordionsist Tony Compton, appeared recently at the Buttonkey Club n Windygates and I managed a quick interview with him and found out a little about the man fellow musicians refer to as ‘The Gov’.
Jack was born in Lincoln on June 27th, 1930. His father sang a little and his mother played piano, although not professionally. He began his musical journey at the age of 9 by taking piano lessons. However he switched to the accordion at 11, playing a 24 bass Geraldi accordion that his father had bought for his older brother. As is often the case, the younger sibling showed more interest and, as a result, Jack transferred his affections to the accordion.
When Jack was 15, his father entered him in a talent show at the local cinema. Although he did not win, an important contact had been established. The talent show was organised by a local impresario by the name of Brian Mickey who toured around the South East of England producing variety shows. Three months after entering the talent show, Jack was contacted by Brian and invited to join the show. And so Jack’s professional career was underway and he was teamed up with a blind jazz pianist by the name of Eddie Thompson. As Jack recalls, “The audiences used to wonder what they were in for and we were often met with the sound of laughter when they saw a teenager come on to the stage leading this blind man by the hand to his piano. But after a few bars they soon quietened down and enjoyed our music”. Jack says the 4 years he spent touring the theatre circuit was a major part of his musical education and he will always be grateful to Eddie. Jack also started building his reputation working both as a soloist and with several stage bands.
After National Service in the RAF, he worked with various bands including The Melfi Trio, in many of the top London hotels and restaurants playing a variety of music ranging from gypsy to jazz. After three years residency at the Berkeley Hotel in London’s Piccadilly he took the decision to become a freelance musician and began to undertake studio work as a session player.
The Jack Emblow Sextet made over 400 broadcasts and, since June 1959, he has been an integral part of one of the world’s longest running radio programmes ‘Sing Something Simple’ with the cliff Adams’ Singers. Every Sunday of every year since June 1959 to date. Try working out how many broadcast that adds up to!
Jack has made over 20 albums of his own, many under the alias of Adriano and has lost count of the number of recordings he has made with other artistes. He has worked with many famous musical directors and bandleaders, and they include Ted Heath, Frank Sinatra’s MD, Nelson Riddle, Michel le Grand, Jack Parnell and Sir George Martin – ‘The Beatles’ producer. Jack confirmed that the photograph of a Hohner Gola being played by John Lennon in a previous issue of the B&F was indeed his and was taken at the famous Abbey Road Studios during the recording of The Beatles’ hit All You Need is Love.
Jack worked with top BBC musical director Ronnie Hazlehurst and this union led to some of the best-known TV themes, such as those for Allo Allo, Bergerac, Last Of The Summer Wine and The Singing Detective. Jack also worked with the late Henry Mancini and was involved with the music for many feature films including The Pink Panther series.
He played the accordion and conducted the orchestra at London Sadlers Well Theatre for a production of Astor Piazzola’s Libertango performer by Les Ballets Jazz De Montreal. In 1983 he was awarded the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors Gold Badge of Merit, for services to British music.
However, it is as one of the world’s top jazz accordionists that he is perhaps best known and he has worked in most of the major jazz venues in Britain including Ronnie Scott’s club. He was the first accordionist to play at International Jazz Festival in Cork, Jersey and Glasgow and featured in major festivals in places such as Vancouver and Los Angeles.
More recently he has worked closely with the top jazz guitarist Martin Taylor on The Spirit of Django series of recordings and concerts. One of the tracks was used in the well-known car advert featuring ‘Nicole and her Papa’.
While the majority of SDB accordionists favour the Hohner Morino, there is only one instrument for Jack – the American made Excelsior Art Van Damme Symphony Grand. This is a 3 voice, 39 treble, 5 voice 120 bass instrument but the treble keyboard has a range A-1 to C-3 unlike the usual F-1 to A3. There are two sets of 16” (bassoon) reeds and one set of 8” clarinet reeds, with one set of the 16” reeds in the cassotto tone chamber along with the 8” reeds and it also has a mute slide. Jack’s box has been fitted with a customized set of condenser microphones, 4 in the treble and 1 in the bass, and he plays through the Jack Emblow special, a 100 watt Combo amp built by Charlie Watkins (WEM). The Van Damme model cost $3,000 in 1959 – the same price as a new Ford Mustang car. Over the years Jack has played and endorsed many different makes of accordions including some electronic models. While he believes the midi equipped accordion, like all modern technology has a place, he has not ventured down that road but still embraces the acoustic properties of his Excelsior as the ideal instrument for his requirements.
Jack was greatly influenced by the playing of Art Van Damme and Ernie Felice, accordionists with the legendary Benny Goodman Band, but equally, other prominent jazz musicians such as Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson and Charlie Parker influenced him. Indeed when asked what advice he would offer to any accordionist interested in playing jazz he believes that, “listening to non-accordion jazz music and musicians along with a knowledge of chord structure is the key to success”.
Jack is also playing and gigging regularly with friend and fellow jazz accordionist Tony Compton.
Strangely, although they first met and nurtured their friendship in the early 1960s, it was not until 1985 that they actually played together during an impromptu session at the jazz master class at an accordion festival.
Away from the music scene Jack relaxes by flying radio controlled aircraft, a passion he shares with Tony, and tending his large garden. At the tender age of 70 he still looks as youthful as he did all those years ago and shows no signs of slowing down. Indeed Jack and Tony are very keen to put together a tour of Accordion and Fiddle clubs next year.
Their performance in Fife, which included jazz standards, French Musette, classical and easy listening medleys, even impressed the dyed-in-the-wool traditionalists and they would go down a storm at any Club.
Box and Fiddle
October 2000
Jack was born in Lincoln on June 27th, 1930. His father sang a little and his mother played piano, although not professionally. He began his musical journey at the age of 9 by taking piano lessons. However he switched to the accordion at 11, playing a 24 bass Geraldi accordion that his father had bought for his older brother. As is often the case, the younger sibling showed more interest and, as a result, Jack transferred his affections to the accordion.
When Jack was 15, his father entered him in a talent show at the local cinema. Although he did not win, an important contact had been established. The talent show was organised by a local impresario by the name of Brian Mickey who toured around the South East of England producing variety shows. Three months after entering the talent show, Jack was contacted by Brian and invited to join the show. And so Jack’s professional career was underway and he was teamed up with a blind jazz pianist by the name of Eddie Thompson. As Jack recalls, “The audiences used to wonder what they were in for and we were often met with the sound of laughter when they saw a teenager come on to the stage leading this blind man by the hand to his piano. But after a few bars they soon quietened down and enjoyed our music”. Jack says the 4 years he spent touring the theatre circuit was a major part of his musical education and he will always be grateful to Eddie. Jack also started building his reputation working both as a soloist and with several stage bands.
After National Service in the RAF, he worked with various bands including The Melfi Trio, in many of the top London hotels and restaurants playing a variety of music ranging from gypsy to jazz. After three years residency at the Berkeley Hotel in London’s Piccadilly he took the decision to become a freelance musician and began to undertake studio work as a session player.
The Jack Emblow Sextet made over 400 broadcasts and, since June 1959, he has been an integral part of one of the world’s longest running radio programmes ‘Sing Something Simple’ with the cliff Adams’ Singers. Every Sunday of every year since June 1959 to date. Try working out how many broadcast that adds up to!
Jack has made over 20 albums of his own, many under the alias of Adriano and has lost count of the number of recordings he has made with other artistes. He has worked with many famous musical directors and bandleaders, and they include Ted Heath, Frank Sinatra’s MD, Nelson Riddle, Michel le Grand, Jack Parnell and Sir George Martin – ‘The Beatles’ producer. Jack confirmed that the photograph of a Hohner Gola being played by John Lennon in a previous issue of the B&F was indeed his and was taken at the famous Abbey Road Studios during the recording of The Beatles’ hit All You Need is Love.
Jack worked with top BBC musical director Ronnie Hazlehurst and this union led to some of the best-known TV themes, such as those for Allo Allo, Bergerac, Last Of The Summer Wine and The Singing Detective. Jack also worked with the late Henry Mancini and was involved with the music for many feature films including The Pink Panther series.
He played the accordion and conducted the orchestra at London Sadlers Well Theatre for a production of Astor Piazzola’s Libertango performer by Les Ballets Jazz De Montreal. In 1983 he was awarded the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors Gold Badge of Merit, for services to British music.
However, it is as one of the world’s top jazz accordionists that he is perhaps best known and he has worked in most of the major jazz venues in Britain including Ronnie Scott’s club. He was the first accordionist to play at International Jazz Festival in Cork, Jersey and Glasgow and featured in major festivals in places such as Vancouver and Los Angeles.
More recently he has worked closely with the top jazz guitarist Martin Taylor on The Spirit of Django series of recordings and concerts. One of the tracks was used in the well-known car advert featuring ‘Nicole and her Papa’.
While the majority of SDB accordionists favour the Hohner Morino, there is only one instrument for Jack – the American made Excelsior Art Van Damme Symphony Grand. This is a 3 voice, 39 treble, 5 voice 120 bass instrument but the treble keyboard has a range A-1 to C-3 unlike the usual F-1 to A3. There are two sets of 16” (bassoon) reeds and one set of 8” clarinet reeds, with one set of the 16” reeds in the cassotto tone chamber along with the 8” reeds and it also has a mute slide. Jack’s box has been fitted with a customized set of condenser microphones, 4 in the treble and 1 in the bass, and he plays through the Jack Emblow special, a 100 watt Combo amp built by Charlie Watkins (WEM). The Van Damme model cost $3,000 in 1959 – the same price as a new Ford Mustang car. Over the years Jack has played and endorsed many different makes of accordions including some electronic models. While he believes the midi equipped accordion, like all modern technology has a place, he has not ventured down that road but still embraces the acoustic properties of his Excelsior as the ideal instrument for his requirements.
Jack was greatly influenced by the playing of Art Van Damme and Ernie Felice, accordionists with the legendary Benny Goodman Band, but equally, other prominent jazz musicians such as Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson and Charlie Parker influenced him. Indeed when asked what advice he would offer to any accordionist interested in playing jazz he believes that, “listening to non-accordion jazz music and musicians along with a knowledge of chord structure is the key to success”.
Jack is also playing and gigging regularly with friend and fellow jazz accordionist Tony Compton.
Strangely, although they first met and nurtured their friendship in the early 1960s, it was not until 1985 that they actually played together during an impromptu session at the jazz master class at an accordion festival.
Away from the music scene Jack relaxes by flying radio controlled aircraft, a passion he shares with Tony, and tending his large garden. At the tender age of 70 he still looks as youthful as he did all those years ago and shows no signs of slowing down. Indeed Jack and Tony are very keen to put together a tour of Accordion and Fiddle clubs next year.
Their performance in Fife, which included jazz standards, French Musette, classical and easy listening medleys, even impressed the dyed-in-the-wool traditionalists and they would go down a storm at any Club.
Box and Fiddle
October 2000
