Jack Towers arrived in Toronto for the 5th Ellington Study Group conference expecting to have a relaxed time and socialise with old friends. I suppose that he did this during most of the conference but on the last day, he also had to replace Jerry Valburn, who was scheduled to make a presentation but had to leave the conference earlier than planned.
Towers did this with bravura and let the audience listen to (mostly) 1938 recordings from Cotton Club from the Valburn collection which Towers had restored.
He started with a short description of how he did this and then played some results of his work.
He started with Harmony In Harlem, At Your Beck and Call (Ivie Anderson) and Gal From Joe’s/Ridin’ On A Blue Note From 1 May 1938 and followed them with Prelude In C Sharp Minor from 28 May 1938.
After this, Towers played Oh, Babe, Maybe Someday from 8 May 1938, If You Were In My Place (Ivie Anderson) from 22 May 1938 ans Lost In Meditation from 15 May 1938.
Towers ended his presentation by moving from Cotton Club in New York in 1938 to Southland Café in Boston to let the audience hear Herb Jeffries sing You And me on 9 January 1940.
Author: Ulf Lundin