Gerrard Street

"Another thing I could not realise why they all had dark glasses on their eyes ..." King Timothy's Gerrard Street is a lovely calypsonian tribute to the live be-bop and modern jazz being played in Soho clubs of the early '50s. It appears on the essential Honest Jons compilation London Is The Place For Me 2, which is exquisitely packaged thanks to Will Bankhead's spot-on design work. The beautiful accompanying booklet features photos by Val Wilmer which speak volumes, and complement perfectly her own book Mama Told Me There'd Be Days Like These with itperspective on the Soho clubs and jazz world of the '50s into the '60s and the way things evolved. And while this clip is from the mid-'60s it does feature London jazz legend Tubby Hayes with his big band performing an eminently appropriate number ...