Cyril Blake
Cyril "Midnight" Blake (born October 22, 1900 in Trinidad; † December 3, 1951 in London ) was a British jazz musician ( trumpet , guitar, band leader) of West Indian origin.
Live and act
Blake, the brother of drummer George Happy Blake, learned the guitar and the banjo while in New York . During the First World War he worked in the merchant navy and then moved to Great Britain. In 1921 he was the guitarist of the Southern Syncopated Orchestra . As a trumpeter he worked in Paris and London; In the late 1920s he went on an extensive European tour with Thompson's Negro Band . He returned to England in 1930 with the Leon Abbey Orchestra , then in the bands of Happy Blake (1934–1935), Rudolph Dunbar , Leslie Thompson , Ken Johnson (1936), Ike Hatch , Joe Appleton (1937) and Lauderic Caton to work. In 1938 he founded his own band, which first appeared (until 1942) at the Jig's Club and in 1942 at the Havana Club in London and with which he recorded several records such as "Cyril's Blues" and " Blue Skies ". He also worked with Marino Barretto, Clarie Wears Rhumba Band and numerous calypso bands (in which he also played guitar). In 1951 he accompanied Lord Kitchener through Germany with his Calypso Serenaders (he also made recordings for Parlophones).
Lexical entries
- John Chilton , Who's Who in British Jazz London 2005; ISBN 978-0826472342
Web links
- Cyril Blake at Discogs (English)
- Cyril Blake at Allmusic (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chilton gives a different date of birth as 1897
- ↑ Shelf Zonophone 3597
- ^ Republished on Jazz in Britain 1919-1950 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Blake, Cyril |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Blake, Midnight (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British-West Indian jazz musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 22, 1900 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Trinidad |
| DATE OF DEATH | 3rd December 1951 |
| Place of death | London |