UK's Gypsy Jazz Guitar Pioneers

Jack Toogood (he is still teaching in Bristol) If anyone else can contribute anything in the meantime please do so.  Brian Powell of Swing DeVille - Brighton worked with Jack.
----  Originally from Bristol, I studied guitar with legendary guitarist Jack Toogood.  This led to my lifelong love of the music of Django Reinhardt. Brian Powell

BMG Article
The Monthly Magazine devoted to the interests of the
Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar and Kindred Instruments
Edited by
A. P. SHARPE
1961

THERE is little glamour in the life of a provincial guitar player,” said Jack Toogood. When I asked him for some details of his career There is little acclaim, too, he might have added. His name has been well known in and around Bristol since the war playing “gigs,” the occasional broadcast from the Western Region station and, of course, pupils. Then in February 1959 “Guitar Club” went to Bristol and the name of Jack Toogood was heard all over the country. His playing so impressed the Producer John Kingdom that he was given a second broadcast in the programme from London and, later, several guest spots in the Monday late-night “Stringalong” programmes.  These broadcasts led to Jack’s association with violinist Leslie Baker and the formation of the “Swingtette” (based on the Hot Club of France Quintet) which was featured for thirteen weeks in the “Stringalong” series.

MORNING MUSIC
Stringalong” went off the air on Sept. 25th but every Saturday morning since then Leslie Baker and Jack Toogood (with the “Swingtette”) have been heard in Morning Music. Today the tasteful guitar playing of Jack Toogood is a topic of conversation among enthusiasts who recognise first- class execution and real guitar tone. Jack Toogood started his musical career at the age of seven learning the piano, For four years he was an average student.” He told me he could learn easily enough but truthfully had little interest in the keyboard instrument. When schooling put an end to his piano lessons he did retain enough interest to play the latest “pops” and, looking back, he realises this helped him to keep what little reading ability he had acquired. At the age of thirteen he was smitten with the ukulele craze—after seeing some of George Formby’s films and listening to this famous star’s many recordings. He taught himself by the aid of every ukulele tutor he could lay his hands on. He admits that in his early ‘teens he simply “lived” for the ukulele.   At the age of 15 he was a junior clerk in a Bristol insurance office and one day he was delivering letters when he passed a newsagent’s and saw a copy of “BMG.” in the window. The subtitle: “Devoted to the Banjo, Mandolin and Guitar and Kindred Instruments” caught his eye and thinking here might be a chance to learn something more about his beloved “uke” he bought his first copy. He even remembers the date: January 1940.

TAKES LESSONS
Within two months he had commenced taking lessons on plectrum guitar from Horace Craddy (whose address was in our Teachers pages) and stayed with him until his army call-up in November 1942. Mr. Toogood emphasises the fact that the real foundation for his subsequent musical success came from the instruction he received from Horace Craddy. From his teacher he also became aware of Lang, Kress, McDonough and, later, Reinhardt and he started collecting the recordings of these famous players of the plectrum guitar which have so influenced his own style of execution. Jack Toogood recalls that studying anything at this period was far from easy. It was wartime and he was required to take the insurance examinations by his employers and had to study for these at the same time as he was struggling with the guitar He said he made the fatal mistake of resting his insurance test papers on a copy of Eddie Lang’s “Fingerboard Harmony!” He took a guitar with him into the army and managed to find time to further his studies apart from playing for his fellow soldiers at sing songs etc When hostilities ceased in Europe his unit was in Germany and soon he was transferred to the Brigade Concert (103 A A Brigade R A) When the unit was disbanded he was fortunate in being posted to the 49th Div Road Show the Polar Stars”—with a fine dance band under the leadership of Stan Butcher, now staff arranger for Campbell Connally & Co.  Mr Toogood recalls it was excellent training for him as there were many first-class musicians with the band from time to time. (Don Lusher—now with the Ted Heath Band was first trombone). At one stage the band lacked a good jazz man for second trumpet—and Jack took the trumpet solos on electric plectrum guitar’ He recalls it was most enjoyable to have a full scored backing instead of the more usual rhythm section only

FIRST BROADCAST
It was while he was playing with the “Polar Stars” he experienced his first broadcast (from BFN. Hamburg): experience that was to prove invaluable a few years later back in “civvy street.”  After demobilisation there were tentative arrangements for a small unit of the “Polar Stars” to play professionally but owing to conflicting demob dates the idea fell through. Back in his borne town of Bristol, Jack Toogood decided to try to exist as a professional—but he says it was hard for a time. However, gigs became more frequent; pupils increased and there was always the occasional local broadcast to help. Then “Guitar Club” went to Bristol and Jack Toogood has never looked back. Two highlights of Mr. Toogood’s career has been backing Joseph Reinhardt in one o the “Stringalong” prograrnmes and playing solo guitar in the .Light Programme’s “Trad Tavern” on Nov. 11th, when he was backed by Diz Disley and the Chris Barber rhythm section.  One final comment from Jack Too- good himself: “There is no doubt the extra publicity I have enjoyed during the past couple of years has been almost entirely due to my playing a round soundhole acoustic guitar and producing something resembling the Django Reinhardt sound. This proves to my mind there is still a public for this kind of music a fact borne out by the many appreciative letters I received during the Stringalong series This being so I deplore the frequent knocks by certain people aimed at anyone who plays in this idiom After all 90% of the players of the electric guitar in this country sound like would be copyists of Barney Kessel Tal Farlow — Johnny Smith el al (who in turn sound very much like each other) and nobody appears to think they are committing- any crime!” I personally enjoy hearing the impeccable playing of Jack Toogood for to my ears he produces a worth-hearing sound that is unmistakingly guitar.

Reproduced - with kind permission as a tribute to Jack Toogood -

Now we need some images of Jack to put a face to this Article