Learning on ScreenBilly Jones - Pioneer of Jazz
Series
- Series Name
- Colour Pictorial
Issue
Story
- Story No. within this Issue
- 1 / 1
- Summary
- Pathe synopsis: Forty years ago the Original Dixieland Jazz Band appeared on the horizon. There followed "The Charleston", girls in flapper dresses - and all that is associated with the Roaring Twenties. The Original Dixieland Jazz Band brought their new musical sound to England, to be joined by a young English pianist. Billy Jones was his name, and today he is over seventy. But only memories are left, cherished scrapbooks and scratched records. Those famous music halls which echoed to his music now stand sad and decaying. Sounds have changed and the jukeboxes spread a gospel of rhythm which is strange to his ears. He only has memories, until he meets a young Scot, Ron Gleeson, who has revived those magic days of the ‘20s. Ron plays the piano for the Downtown Syncopators, a young group, and brings the Original Dixieland Jazz Band back to life. It is a moment when memories blaze and the ageing fingers of Billy Jones are suddenly dancing over the keyboard again. This is his music, his sound. The world hasn’t quite forgotten his contribution to jazz.
- Keywords
- Music and dance
- Written sources
- Pathe Colour Pictorial Lobby Cards Used for synopsis
- Credits:
-
- Commentator
- Richard Norton
- Length of story (in feet)
- 675
-
Film clip
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This series is held by:
Film Archive
- Name
- British Pathe Ltd
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- Web
- https://www.britishpathe.com/
- Phone
- 0207 665 8340
- Address
- 3.29 Canterbury Court
1-3 Brixton Road
London
SW9 6DE - Notes
- Pathe now also handles the Reuters Historical Collection, which includes the British Paramount, Empire British, Gaumont Graphic and Gaumont British newsreels.
- Series held
- View all series held by British Pathe Ltd
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