That city's burgeoning jazz scene produced Earl Hines, Mary Lou Williams, Roy Eldridge, Kenny Clarke, Erroll Garner, Ray Brown, Billy Eckstine and Billy Strayhorn, among others.Oddly, Mitchell was first drawn to jazz through the work of raw, blues guitarists such as Blind Lemon Jefferson and Peatie Wheatstraw, but he took up trombone and more sophisticated music when he joined his high-school band. Following the path taken by other future Basie musicians, he joined the territory band led by King Kolax. In the early Fifties he moved to San Francisco, where he led bands of his own.In 1961 he was called on by Duke Ellington, and stayed in Ellington's band for a few months. But away from Basie in his own bands Mitchell showed himself to be a soulful player with an impeccable technique. He spoke of his influences having been Lawrence Brown, Tommy Dorsey and Benny Green, vastly different stylists but all with accomplished and smooth trombone sounds.In 1938, when he was eight, Mitchell's parents moved from Alabama to Pittsburgh.
Basie, who was never very keen on trombone solos in any case, was content to place the emphasis on his saxophone and trumpet soloists. Mitchell stayed for eight years, and by the end of that time the band had lost the vivid character that had been established by the now-departing master soloists of the Fifties.Mitchell was by no means a master soloist, but he was an expert section man and led the trombones. Grover Curry Mitchell, trombonist, bandleader and arranger: born Whatley, Alabama 17 March 1930; married (one daughter); died New York 6 August 2003. After the glory days of the previous decade, the Count Basie band of 1962, when Grover Mitchell joined it as a trombonist, was about to come off the boil.
There was a tremendous atmosphere, it was packed to the doors People were offering bribes to get in He showed the highlights of the last 30 years It was a wonderful send-off The warmth, you could measure it. It was like a music hall star's farewell performance, bringing all the fans out.Kevin Brownlow. At the last one, in March, he knew he only had a few months to live. When we were doing Schools History we were dependent on archive film but could never get a foot of film out of the BFI. They were not prepared to co-operate and the archive charges made it impossible anyway.
Only John, God bless him, pulled the strings which enabled it to happen. He did many shows at Fairfield Hall, Croydon, and over a 30-year period built up a tremendous following. The operation has now moved to Soho.The last time I saw Huntley was on his 80th birthday, when his family hired a steam train and provided a celebratory meal on the Watercress Line. At the front of the locomotive, expertly made, was a sign; "JOHN HUNTLEY SPECIAL".Graham Murray, who worked for Granada TV, knew him for 30 years. John Huntley set up a remarkable museum here, and beneath it were the vaults of film, the results of decades of collecting.
