Posted out Monthly from John Latham
A single sheet postal Newsletter about Sandy Brown is produced and mailed out monthly by Dr. John Latham. John was formerly a senior lecturer in International Economic History at the University of Wales - he also plays clarinet with his band 'John Latham's Jazztimers'.
John has produced the Sandy Brown Newsletter since 1996 and has consistently urged recording companies to re-issue Sandy Brown's recorded material so that people can experience the music of Sandy and his various bands. If you would like to subscribe, please write to John Latham at 2 Church Meadow, Reynoldston, Swansea, SA3 1AF, U.K. (Tel: 01792 390055). The annual subscription is £9.50 in the U.K. and £15.00 elsewhere (€15 in Europe, $20.00 in the U.S.A.). Back copies are available at 15 pence each plus postage. Please make cheques payable to John Latham.
The Newsletter started in June 1996 when John wrote to The Scotsman newspaper suggesting that there should be a memorial to Sandy in his home town of Edinburgh. The letter received a good deal of support and over the following months, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh took on the task of heading up a group to consider ideas for something suitable.
John continued to send out letters to let people know about the progress of the Lord Provost's Memorial Committee and he began to include information on other things such as recordings by Sandy that were available, copies of letters John had received from people who remembered Sandy, and other information he thought people might find interesting.
Former members of Sandy's bands made contact. In June 1997, Stu Eaton wrote remembering how Sandy, Bob Craig, Al Fairweather and Stu used to practice in his and Sandy's families' basements. In November of that year, Dizzy Jackson who played with the Edinburgh band from 1951 until Sandy left for London also contacted John having seen his name mentioned in Newsletter No. 10.
It was finally agreed that the memorials suggested by John should take the form of specially designed plaques, and in June 1998, Stan Greig's London Jazz Big Band was at the 100 Club in London's Oxford Street where one plaque was unveiled. Others were placed in Edinburgh at the Royal High School, and in the Usher Hall where the 'Sandy Brown Bar' was also named in Sandy's honour.
In October 1999, a correspondent wrote about a 'Sandy Brown Road' he had seen in Te Anav, South Island, New Zealand and through the Newsletter, John asked if there were any contacts who could provide a link to Sandy Brown fans there.
In September 2000, another correspondent sent a copy of the Canadian Coda magazine that contained a review of the Fifth Hungarian Jazz Festival where Sandy had played with Maynard Ferguson.
There are regular correspondents to the Newsletter from Australia, South Africa, Canada and the U.S.A. Sandy's contribution to jazz is clearly recognised nationally and internationally.
(The Newsletter is independent of the Sandy Brown Jazz website).
Other pages on the Sandy Brown Jazz website that might be of interest:
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