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Originally the Club 43 was in the upstairs room of the 'Clarendon' on Oxford Road, opposite Stock and Chapman's. The 'Clarendon' was demolished to make space for the Mancunian Way in the early sixties and for a time, the proceedings adjourned to the room above Burtons the Tailors on the other side of the road. I've got a feeling that I might have played there with the Denis Range Seven, but I'm not sure.
I have a feeling that I might have done quite a few things in the sixties but like they say, if you can remember it, you weren't there. Eventually the 43 moved to a cellar on Amber Street which was between Shude Hill and the Co-op.
Everyone thought that the boss man at the 43 was Ernie Garside and he certainly fronted the operation and did most of the bookings but, I think that Ernie was originally the doorman and the man with the money was 'Scrivens'. When I first met Ernie, his proper job was painting and decorating but he'd been a band boy for the Stan Kenton Orchestra when they came over here on tour. He knew all the local jazzers, most of the London lot and quite a few of the Americans. He was a friend of Maynard Ferguson, the high note trumpet man from the Kenton Band and when Maynard moved over here, he at first lived with Ernie. Ernie managed Maynard for a while and sometimes played fourth or fifth trumpet with Maynard's big band.
When the 43 was at the Clarendon both traditional and modern jazz bands used to play there but eventually the club concentrated on the modern stuff.
In the late fifties, the stupid MU rules prohibiting American musicians from playing over here were dropped and the 43 became a good place to hear some of the top American jazzers who were 'doing Europe'. This was often moonlighting on the part of the Americans and I believe that the promoters who'd paid for them to come over here in the first place were often somewhat miffed. The visiting Americans were almost always complimentary about the local musicians that Ernie put up with them, not least was the late Joe Palin, a fine piano player.
Another of Ernie's friends was the great Dizzy Gillespie. Dizzy has always been one of my heroes; he proved that jazz can be great entertainment as well as great art. Ernie has some good stories about Diz which are perhaps best not repeated.
I think that Ernie is now living down South and that he's not been too well in recent years but he's still involved in the business. One of my lasting memories of him is going to his bungalow in Romiley; there was thick snow on the ground but there were beautiful flowers poking up through the snow. Plastic flowers. Another memory is Ernie sitting in with the band that I was playing with, the Denis Range Seven. Another trumpet player cam up from the audience and the two of them performed a rousing version of the Dizzy Gillespie tune, 'A Night In Tunisia'. Unfortunately neither of them could remember how to end it. It was a long, rousing version.
I only have one memory of the 43 Club at the 'Clarendon'. I went to see Tubby Hayes with a London rhythm section, the drummer being Phil Seaman. Phil was not in great shape that night and spent the entire first half trying - and failing - to put his drum kit together and leaving the band drummerless. My mate, drummer Benny Dennis (see my bit on 'The Crooks Brown Band') was a friend of Phil's and used to look after him on these occasions and there were plenty of 'occasions'. Like the time that Phil broke a needle off in a vein and Benny had to take him to A & E. A great drummer but a sad man.
I believe that a few years ago, a group of local jazzers gathered together under the arches of the Mancunian Way on the site of the 'Clarendon' and had a jam. I expect that the ghost of Miss Chapman was on the other side of the road tapping her ghostly foot (out of time) and beaming at 'her boys'. I hope that some of them felt suitably guilty - they probably still owed her for their instruments.
Pete Crooks
10/1/10
I remember the club on Amber Street. I only went once because I was into the Shadows at that time!
Probably about 1963.
I was also into jazz organ (Jimmy Smith and Jimmy McGriff) then and went to see Alan Haven with Tony Crombie on drums. My girlfriend wasn't too keen and persuaded me to leave before the end of the second set on the basis that we would miss the last bus home!
Bob Ainsworth
6/02/10
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