Showing posts with label Bang. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bang. Show all posts

Wednesday, 23 February 2011

HAVANA & DEUCHAR AT McGONAGALL'S - 80'S

This top notch image features the guitarists of Dundee jazz outfit, Havana Swing and local legend, Jimmy Deuchar on trumpet.
Havana Swing started off as a guitar trio in 1986 - Alain Legrand, John Whyte and Kevin Murray.
By 1987, the band had added Calum McKenzie on double bass and Walter Smith on clarinet.
However, also around 1986, story has it that during one of Havana Swing's gigs in Dundee, Jimmy was in the audience (he had his trumpet with him) and was so smitten with their performance that he leapt out of the crowd and joined them centre stage for a bit of the action!
After that impromptu introduction, he actually went on to play regularly with them.
Just wondering if this photo was that actual gig's "spontaneous moment" or whether this was taken later when they were all together as a unit?
The venue was that well known pub along Perth Road, McGonagall's.
The pub started jam session twice a week in 1986, and as you can see on this particular advert dated March 1986, Havana Swing were the band leading the jam.
So there could be a connection to the photo.
By the way, in the 50's, Jimmy released an album called "Pub Crawling" - so the Perth Road the perfect place for him to be!
Photo by The Bear.

Monday, 2 November 2009

HEATHER RIPLEY IN CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG

This is Dundee lass, Heather Ripley, on set for the filming of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. She was one of the main characters in the movie, alongside the likes of Dick Van Dyke.
This was a one-off film for Heather as she didn't take up acting as a career, choosing instead, a life of an artist and eco warrior.
The film had a royal premier in London in December 1968 and I saw the film in the Gaumont when it went national in 1969.
The ad above is dated June 1969.
It was quite a lengthy film and I recall it having an interlude halfway through, during an exciting bit too - just as the car drove off the edge of a cliff and was falling towards the sea, the screen suddenly went blank, and the word INTERMISSION popped up. Once everyone had expressed their annoyance, there was a mad dash down the aisles to grab a choc ice before it restarted.!!
Not only that, but I also had the Corgi model of the car hanging by 2 strings from the ceiling above my bed. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in full flight!