Bringing black music

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Andrew Hornung looks at the life of Alexis Korner (SCIENCE NEW Year's Day was the last day in the life of Alexis Korner, who, at the age of 55, died of lung cancer in a London hospital.

Alexis Korner's rasping upper class voice introduced millions of British radio listeners and television viewers to American black music - to the blues, to gospel and soul music, to cajun and rhythm and blues.

But while this was the staple of his regular radio show and the area he was best acquainted with, he included in the 58 minutes a week the BBC allotted to the totality of trends that formed the foundation of current popular music a wide range of other sounds: music of the Seychelles, from Tahiti, Hawaii Ethiopia, black South Africa and the new bands of East and West Africa.

Populariser

His role as a populariser of these musical forms followed his earlier role as the formative influence in the development of British rhythm and blues.

In 1928 Victor Sylvester, the son of the Vicar of Wembley, produced his first edition of his text book of ballroom dancing. The book was produced as part of a campaign by the Imperial Society of Dance Teachers and its explicit aim was to tame jazz.

What this meant was removing its musical forms of all connection with black music, eliminating improvisation, reducing rhythms to the squeak and slide of patent leather dance shoes keeping strict time to the baton, and removing any rawness or other trace of feeling, funk or fever. This music for a glandless generation fell like a pall over the British pop scene on THE RECENT report of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) on smoking and health not only updates information on the ill-health of smokers. It also identifies several new areas of concern and issues a strong warning to the Third World not to allow the same fate to befall its people as has befallen the victims of the "cancerette" , both smokers and non-smokers, in Britain, birthplace of the cigarette and of smoking diseases.

Breathe smoke

*Passive smoking.

This takes place when a nonsmoker has to breathe smoke from other people's cigarettes, e.g. in a smoke-filled room, pub, railway carriage, etc.

Smouldering, fags are especially harmful. The tobacco burns less completely, producing more nicotine, carbon monoxide and benzo-a-pyrene that is inhaled by the actual smoker.

The majority of non-smoking city-dwellers have nicotine in their bodies. Benzo-a-pyrene and dimethyl-nitrosamine, both powerful carcinogens, present in smoke-filled pubs and restaurants Carbon monoxide, deadly poison in larger for nearly thirty years.

Alexis Korner never fought a duel with Victor Sylvester. Nor was he alone responsible for bringing black American music to Britain. Chris Barber had begun that process in 1953 when he left Ken Colyer's Band with Monty Sunshine and Terry Donnegan (Lonnie Donegan) and began to tour with such great American artists as Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Big Bill Broonzy, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Louis Jordan and -in 1957, playing (horror of horrors!) an electric guitar -Muddy Waters.

British Korner who, incidentally, had played with both Barber and Colyer, soon became the small cog that allowed the giant wheel of black American music to turn the big wheel of British rock.

For a few years the music of Barber, Ball and Bilk carried on the trad trend. Juke Box Jury continued to deliver its patronising verdicts with all the raw energy of an umpire replacing the bails, before it had to pull up its own stumps in the late sixties.

Baldry

By this time, Alexis Korner, the son of parents who had settled in Britain in 1940 after spells in France, Switzerland, and North Africa, found himself at the hub of the emerging British rhythm and blues scene.

Actually British r'n'b was very different from American r'n'b, it was Britain's equivalent to Chicago bar blues — the electric blues of Muddy Waters, of amounts, causes changes in the blood of non-smokers in smoky rooms. Physiological effects have been demonstrated, including impairment of driving skills.

A Japanese study showed an increased rate of lung cancer in non-smoking women with smoking partners, while passive smoking worsens the condition of people with lung or heart disease.

Irritation

Many non-smokers (including me) suffer irritation of eyes and throat and headaches in smoky rooms. Psychological irritation can also be intense. In 1981 an Eastern Airlines pilot in America had to make an emergency landing when passengers rioted when someone started smoking in a non-smoking section.

The report concludes "Nonsmokers at work and play, in Howlin' Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson - with an admixture of Louisiana pop blues like Slim Harpo and sundry other blues misfits - John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Reed, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry -with the last two making the connection with rock and roll.

In 1957 guitarist Korner and harmonica player Cyril Davis formed Blues Incorporated. They played at the Roundhouse pub and later at the Daling Club. This group was, over the years, a forcing house for many of the greatest names of British rock.

In 1961, Long John Baldry was playing with Korner as was drummer Charlie Watts. Eric Clapton was sitting in occasionally and Mick Jagger and Keith Richard played with the group when they performed at the Marquee. Korner's band included on saxophone Graham Bond, who later left to found his own group (in which he played mainly organ) with drummer Ginger Baker. When Davis and Korner split, Baldry briefly went with Davis before setting up another group, the Hoochie Coochie Men, with Rod Stewart.

Baldry later teamed up with Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll and, following that, with Reg Dwight (Elton John). It was Korner, too, who schooled John Mayall who, in 1962, formed the Bluesbreakers which had included Jack Bruce and in 1965 formed the Yardbirds with Eric Clapton. Clapton, Bruce (who was briefly also with Manfred Mann) and Baker went on to form Cream.

Blues Incorporated was followed by Alexis Korner's All Stars (which included Art Theman on tenor) and the All transport and public places should have the right to choose not to be so exposed."

Dubious gains

*Low tar cigarettes.

The report believes that halving tar content has contributed to the 15% reduction in death rates from cancer among smokers. However, this may be due to a fall in air pollution over the same period.

On the debit side, it is easier to start smoking on low-tar cigarettes; smokers often find low-tar brands weak in taste and increase their smoking rates to compensate; and carbon monoxide, thought to be responsible for smokers' heart disease, is produced at the same rate as in high-tar brands.

Women at risk

*Women and children.

Deaths of women from Stars by Snape (with Petef Thorup, lan Wallace Stevie Marriott who wi on to be the song-writing backbone of The Small Faces).

Despise

Alexis Korner, unlike the figures central to British jazz at the time, did not despise music as soon as it became commercially successful. He remained an advocate of the music of those who had served an apprenticeship with him, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Cream and many others.

But - in this respect he resembles John Mayall — while he was an interpreter and champion of black American music, his own performances never had the sexual strut, the sass or soul that his erstwhile apprentices managed to develop.

If Korner did not despise commercially successful music, he also did not suffer from that other deadly disease of blues devotees - like Paul Butterfield - or jazz devotees - like Ken Colyer - whose eyes are fixed firmly on the past.

Soca music Alexis Korner was one of the first in Britain to champion Soca music, to play hi-life recordings and to play bluesfunk. His contribution as a player, organiser, teacher and populariser was perhaps greater than any other single person in the British rock music "industry". No point saying it will not be forgotten: it will be! But even forgotten, it will leave an indelible mark. cancer have risen by 70% in ten years (due to the rise in smoking in the 1950s). Particularly, the report notes the differing reasons for smoking. Women tend to smoke when under stress, men to combat boredom or fatigue. Women find it more difficult to give up smoking. Women smokers taking a contraceptive pill run a ten times greater risk of death from heart disease than women who do neither. They are more likely to be infertile, take longer to conceive and have earlier menopauses. During pregnancy, they have a greater risk of sponcaneous aboriton, bleeding and abnormalities of the placenta (through which the foetus gets Its nourishment). Smokers babies are lighter and more likely to die around birth. By the age of 11, smokers' children are said to be some six months behind others in "intellectual perfurmance" However, Korner was an advocate of the Rolling Stones is not clear whether these illeffects are the result of smoking or the result of other factors such as stress that may cause smoking as well.

Finally, the sadly believable statistic that over half of boys and 40% of girls have had at least a few puffs of a cigarette by 11 years.

Deaths

*The Third World While in low-tar Britain, 15-20% of deaths are caused by smoking, the major tobacco companies, tar trom accepting this, are busy pushing hightar cigarettes at the Third World.

The highest tar-content in Britain is 19 milligrams (mg) per cigarette while the average in Thailand is 30mg. One Philippines brand produces 71mg! Smoking is catching on fast and lung cancer rates are soaring. Meanwhile, the British government is encouraging the three major tobacco firms based in Britain in their export drive. Rothmans recently got Queen's Award for Exports.

The Royal College of Physicians is "angered and depressed" by the government's failure to halt this "vast toll of entirely unnecessary disease and early death"

The tobacco industry spends £100 million promoting cancer, much of it by some obscene logic in sponsoring sport. Thus they are able to circumvent the ban on TV advertising, as I found while watching motor racing recently. As the camera followed the cars round the circut, the eye was assaulted by a colossal Marlboro ad covering the roof of a low building..

The Royal College of Physicians notes the removal health ministers who favoured prevention programmes to other government departments, following tough negotiations with tobacco firms over sales promotions.

Indeed, on the day of publication of the report, the health minitser met a representative of FOREST, the "smokers' rights" organisation, that just happens to be funded by the tobacco industry!

Info: New Scientist.

A Class Fighter 10p 1UP plus postage from Sickert Court, Lon Jon N1 2SY.

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160 January 1984 Page

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