Humphrey Lyttelton
Encyclopedia
Humphrey Richard Adeane Lyttelton (23 May 1921 – 25 April 2008), also known as Humph, was an English jazz
musician and broadcaster
, and chairman of the BBC
radio
comedy programme I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
. He was a cousin of the 10th Viscount Cobham
and a great-nephew of the politician and sportsman Alfred Lyttelton
, who was the first man to represent England at both football and cricket.
, Buckinghamshire, where his father, George William Lyttelton
(second son of the 8th Viscount Cobham
), was a house
master. (As a male-line descendant of Charles Lyttelton, Lyttelton was in remainder
to both the Viscountcy Cobham
and the Barony of Lyttelton
.) From Sunningdale Preparatory School
, Lyttelton duly progressed to Eton College
. At Eton, Lyttelton fagged
for Lord Carrington and formed his love of jazz
. He was inspired by the trumpet
ers Louis Armstrong
and Nat Gonella
. He taught himself the instrument, and formed a quartet
at the school in 1936 that included the future journalist Ludovic Kennedy
on drums.
After leaving school, Lyttelton spent some time at the Port Talbot steel plate works
in South Wales
, an experience which led to him becoming what he termed a "romantic
socialist
". After being called up for war service, he served in the Grenadier Guards
, being commissioned as a second lieutenant
on 29 November 1941, and seeing action at Salerno
during Operation Avalanche when he came ashore with his pistol in one hand, and his trumpet in the other. On VE Day
, 8 May 1945, Lyttelton joined in the celebrations by playing his trumpet from a wheelbarrow
, inadvertently giving his first broadcast performance; the BBC
recording still survives. Following demobilisation after World War II
, he attended Camberwell Art College for two years.
In 1949, he joined the Daily Mail
as a cartoonist
, where he remained until 1956. Several of his cartoons have recently been on display in various branches of the Abbey National
bank, as part of their new advertising campaign. He was one of the collaborators with Wally Fawkes
on the long running cartoon strip Flook
.
They had both joined the George Webb Dixielanders in 1947. Webb
was an important catalyst in the British post-war jazz boom.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s Lyttelton was prominent in the British revival of traditional jazz forms from New Orleans, recording with Sidney Bechet
in 1949. To do so he had to break with the Musicians' Union
restrictive practices which forbade working with jazz musicians from the United States. In 1956, he had his only pop chart hit, with the Joe Meek
-produced recording of "Bad Penny Blues
", which was in the UK Singles Chart
for six weeks. As the trad jazz
movement (not quite the same thing as revivalism) developed, Lyttelton moved to a mainstream
approach favoured by American musicians such as trumpeter Buck Clayton
; they recorded together in the early 1960s and Clayton considered himself and Lyttelton to be brothers.
By now his repertoire had expanded, including not only lesser known Ellington
pieces, but even "The Champ" from Dizzy Gillespie's
band book. The Lyttelton band — he saw himself primarily as a leader — helped develop the careers of many now prominent British musicians, including Tony Coe
and Alan Barnes
In 2001, Lyttelton and his band added traditional jazz elements to the Radiohead
song "Life in a Glasshouse" on the Amnesiac
album.
On 11 March 2008, he announced that he would cease presenting BBC Radio 2
's "Best of Jazz", after 40 years.
On 23 July 2008, Lyttelton was posthumously named as BBC Radio 2
Jazz Artist Of The Year, voted by radio listeners.
on the alto sax, clarinet and flute; Jo Fooks on the tenor saxophone and flute; Rob Fowler
on the tenor sax, baritone sax and clarinet; Ted Beament on the piano; John Rees-Jones on the double bass and Adrian Macintosh on the drums. Following his death the band continues to give concerts performing his music. The trumpet part is played by Tony Fisher with occasional guest spots by Sue Richardson
.
The band maintained a busy schedule, frequently performing sold-out shows across the country. Performances occasionally included a guest singer, or a collaboration with another band. During the 1990s the band toured with Helen Shapiro
in a series of Humph and Helen concerts. They also featured in several Giants of British Jazz tours with Acker Bilk and George Melly
and John Chilton
's Feetwarmers.
Lyttelton had a long established professional relationship with UK singer Elkie Brooks
. After working together in the early 1960s they rekindled their working partnership in early 2000 with a series of sold out and well received concert performances. They released the critically acclaimed album Trouble in Mind in 2003 and continued to perform occasional concerts in support of this work.
, a programme which featured his idiosyncratic mix of top-quality recordings of all ages, including current material. In 2007 Lyttelton chose to cut his commitment to two quarterly seasons per year, in order to spend more time on other projects.
In 1972 he was chosen to host the comedy panel game I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
on BBC Radio 4
. The show was originally devised as a comedic antidote to traditional BBC panel games (both radio and television), which had come to be seen as dull and formulaic, and in keeping with the staid middle-class "Auntie Beeb" image. Lyttelton continued in this role until shortly before his death, and was famed both for his deadpan
, disgruntled, and occasionally bewildered style of chairmanship, and for his near-the-knuckle double entendres which, despite always being open to an innocent interpretation, went much further than most BBC pre-watershed
humour. ISIHAC' s success had considerable influence on the manner in which comedy was presented on radio, and Lyttelton's persona was a significant part of that success: he was a straight man
surrounded by mayhem. At the time of his death, Lyttelton was the oldest active panel game host in the UK, being two and a half years older than his closest rival, Nicholas Parsons
.
On Tuesday 22 April 2008 Lyttelton and the I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue team were due to appear in the stage version of the programme at the Pavilion Theatre
in Bournemouth
. Due to his indisposition, his place was taken by Rob Brydon
, but a pre-recorded message from Lyttelton was played to the audience ("I'm sorry I can't be with you today as I am in hospital - I wish I'd thought of this sooner!"). The panellists on that night were Tim Brooke-Taylor
, Graeme Garden
, Barry Cryer
and Jeremy Hardy
.
As well as his other activities, Lyttelton was a keen calligrapher
and President of The Society for Italic Handwriting. He named his own record label
"Calligraph" after this extracurricular interest. This label, founded in the early 1980s, not only issues his own albums and those of associates, but also re-issues (on CD
) his analogue
recordings for the Parlophone
label in the 1950s. He is reported to have turned down a knighthood in 1995.
, the producer of I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, announced the cancellation of the upcoming spring series of ISIHAC owing to Humphrey Lyttelton's hospitalisation to repair an aortic aneurysm
. Rob Brydon
and others were asked to deputise for Lyttelton during the tour shows, but Lyttelton postponed his operation and managed to perform on all but the last night. A further email on 21 April 2008 reported that the BBC were "unclear precisely how long Humph's recovery period will be" but Lyttelton was "otherwise fine and in very good spirits".
Lyttelton died peacefully following his surgery on 25 April 2008 with his family around him. BBC Radio 4
broadcast a 1995 episode of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue as a tribute on Sunday 27 April, and a retrospective programme presented by Kenneth Clarke
on Wednesday 30 April 2008. Radio 4 celebrated Humphrey Lyttelton Day on Sunday 15 June 2008, including a new profile of ISIHAC by Stephen Fry
called Chairman Humph - A Tribute.
After his death, the controller of Radio 4, Mark Damazer
, said: "He's just a colossally good broadcaster and possessed of this fantastic sense of timing. [...] It's a very, very sad day but we should celebrate and be very grateful for how much he did for Radio 4, really terrific."
Responding to news of Lyttelton's death, Radiohead
guitarist
Jonny Greenwood
wrote on the band's blog Dead Air Space: "We were all sorry to hear of Humphrey Lyttelton's death - he was an inspiring person to record with, and without his direction, we'd never have recorded/released Life in a Glasshouse. So go and find "Bad Penny Blues
", and celebrate his life with some hot jazz."
Lyttelton was survived by his four children: a daughter from his first marriage to Pat Braithwaite, and two sons and a daughter from his second marriage to Jill Richardson. Richardson, to whom he had been married since 1952, predeceased him in 2006.
On 25 April 2010, two years after Lyttelton's death, a celebratory concert entitled "Humphrey Lyttelton - A Celebration Concert" was held at the Hammersmith Apollo
to celebrate his life, works and contribution to music.Singer Elkie Brooks and many prominent British jazz musicians appeared at the concert, along with panellists from I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. The event was organised and hosted by his son Stephen Lyttelton, who is also the founder and Chairman of "The Humph Trust", an organisation set up after his death to support young up and coming jazz musicians and to provide sponsorship and support. The event was opened by the 2010 winner of the Humphrey Lyttelton Royal Academy Of Music Jazz Award, Tom Walsh, who played Horace Silver's "Song for my Father" with his quintet from the Royal Academy of Music.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician and broadcaster
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
, and chairman of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
comedy programme I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, sometimes abbreviated to ISIHAC or Clue, is a BBC radio comedy panel game broadcast since 11 April 1972 at the rate of one or two series each year , transmitted on BBC Radio 4, with occasional repeats on BBC Radio 4 Extra and the BBC's World Service...
. He was a cousin of the 10th Viscount Cobham
Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham
Charles John Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham, KG, GCMG, GCVO, TD, PC was the ninth Governor-General of New Zealand and an English cricketer.-Early life and family:...
and a great-nephew of the politician and sportsman Alfred Lyttelton
Alfred Lyttelton
Alfred Lyttelton QC was a British politician and sportsman who excelled at both football and cricket. During his time at university he participated in Varsity Matches in five sports: cricket , football , athletics , rackets and real tennis , displaying an ability that made him...
, who was the first man to represent England at both football and cricket.
Early life and career
Lyttelton was born at Eton CollegeEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, Buckinghamshire, where his father, George William Lyttelton
George William Lyttelton
The Hon George William Lyttelton was a British teacher and littérateur. Known in his lifetime as an inspiring teacher of classics and English literature at Eton, and an avid sportsman and sports writer, he became known to a wider audience with the posthumous publication of his letters, which...
(second son of the 8th Viscount Cobham
Charles Lyttelton, 8th Viscount Cobham
Charles George Lyttelton, 8th Viscount Cobham , known as The Lord Lyttelton from 1876 to 1889, was a British peer and Liberal Member of Parliament.-Biography:...
), was a house
House system
The house system is a traditional feature of British schools, and schools in the Commonwealth. Historically, it was associated with established public schools, where a 'house' refers to a boarding house or dormitory of a boarding school...
master. (As a male-line descendant of Charles Lyttelton, Lyttelton was in remainder
Remainder (law)
A remainder in property law is a future interest given to a person that is capable of becoming possessory upon the natural end of a prior estate created by the same instrument...
to both the Viscountcy Cobham
Viscount Cobham
Viscount Cobham is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1718 for Field Marshal Richard Temple, 1st Baron Cobham and 4th Baronet, of Stowe...
and the Barony of Lyttelton
Baron Lyttelton
Lord Lyttelton, Baron of Frankley, in the County of Worcester, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, created in 1794. Since 1889 it is a subsidiary title of the viscountcy of Cobham....
.) From Sunningdale Preparatory School
Sunningdale School
Sunningdale School is a family-run boys' preparatory independent school of around 100 pupils, situated in Sunningdale in Berkshire, close to London, England.-Introduction:...
, Lyttelton duly progressed to Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
. At Eton, Lyttelton fagged
Fagging
Fagging was a traditional educational practice in British boarding private schools and also many other boarding schools, whereby younger pupils were required to act as personal servants to the most senior boys...
for Lord Carrington and formed his love of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. He was inspired by the trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
ers Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
and Nat Gonella
Nat Gonella
Nathaniel Charles Gonella was an English jazz trumpeter, bandleader, vocalist and mellophonist born in London, perhaps most notable for his work with the big band he founded, The Georgians....
. He taught himself the instrument, and formed a quartet
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
at the school in 1936 that included the future journalist Ludovic Kennedy
Ludovic Kennedy
Sir Ludovic Henry Coverley Kennedy was a British journalist, broadcaster, humanist and author best known for re-examining cases such as the Lindbergh kidnapping and the murder convictions of Timothy Evans and Derek Bentley, and for his role in the abolition of the death penalty in the United...
on drums.
After leaving school, Lyttelton spent some time at the Port Talbot steel plate works
Port Talbot Steelworks
Port Talbot Steelworks is an integrated steel production plant in Port Talbot, Wales capable of producing nearly 5 million tonnes of steel slab per annum. The majority of the slab is rolled on-site at Port Talbot and at the Newport Llanwern site to make a variety of steel strip products. The...
in South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
, an experience which led to him becoming what he termed a "romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
". After being called up for war service, he served in the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
, being commissioned as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
on 29 November 1941, and seeing action at Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
during Operation Avalanche when he came ashore with his pistol in one hand, and his trumpet in the other. On VE Day
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
, 8 May 1945, Lyttelton joined in the celebrations by playing his trumpet from a wheelbarrow
Wheelbarrow
A wheelbarrow is a small hand-propelled vehicle, usually with just one wheel, designed to be pushed and guided by a single person using two handles to the rear, or by a sail to push the ancient wheelbarrow by wind. The term "wheelbarrow" is made of two words: "wheel" and "barrow." "Barrow" is a...
, inadvertently giving his first broadcast performance; the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
recording still survives. Following demobilisation after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he attended Camberwell Art College for two years.
In 1949, he joined the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
as a cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
, where he remained until 1956. Several of his cartoons have recently been on display in various branches of the Abbey National
Abbey (bank)
Abbey National plc was a UK-based bank and former building society, which latterly traded under the Abbey brand name. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of Grupo Santander of Spain in 2004, and was rebranded as Santander in January 2010, forming Santander UK along with the savings business of the...
bank, as part of their new advertising campaign. He was one of the collaborators with Wally Fawkes
Wally Fawkes
Wally Fawkes Wally Fawkes Wally Fawkes (born 1924 in Vancouver, Canada (left in 1931 for England) is a British-Canadian jazz clarinetist and, until recently, a satirical cartoonist...
on the long running cartoon strip Flook
Flook (cartoon)
Flook was a British comic strip which ran from 1949 to 1984 in the Daily Mail newspaper. It was drawn by Wally Fawkes , who signed the strips as "Trog"....
.
The jazzman
Like many ex-servicemen, Lyttelton received a grant for further study. He went to Camberwell School of Art, where he met Wally Fawkes, a fellow jazz enthusiast and clarinet-player. It was Wally who, in 1949, helped him to get the job with the Daily Mail, at first writing the words for Flook, Fawkes's comic strip.They had both joined the George Webb Dixielanders in 1947. Webb
George Webb (musician)
George Webb was a British pianist considered by many as the father of the traditional jazz movement in Britain....
was an important catalyst in the British post-war jazz boom.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s Lyttelton was prominent in the British revival of traditional jazz forms from New Orleans, recording with Sidney Bechet
Sidney Bechet
Sidney Bechet was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.He was one of the first important soloists in jazz , and was perhaps the first notable jazz saxophonist...
in 1949. To do so he had to break with the Musicians' Union
Musicians' Union (UK)
-About the MU:The Musicians' Union is an organisation which represents over 30,000 musicians working in all sectors of the UK music business.-Campaigns:The MU stages regular campaigns in relation to relevant musical and industrial issues...
restrictive practices which forbade working with jazz musicians from the United States. In 1956, he had his only pop chart hit, with the Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
-produced recording of "Bad Penny Blues
Bad Penny Blues
"Bad Penny Blues" is a trad jazz piece written by Humphrey Lyttelton and recorded with his band in London on April 20, 1956.- Popular success :It was originally released as Parlophone ER 4184 and became a hit record in Britain at the time....
", which was in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
for six weeks. As the trad jazz
Trad jazz
Trad jazz - short for "traditional jazz" - refers to the Dixieland and Ragtime jazz styles of the early 20th century in contrast to any more modern style....
movement (not quite the same thing as revivalism) developed, Lyttelton moved to a mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
approach favoured by American musicians such as trumpeter Buck Clayton
Buck Clayton
Buck Clayton was an American jazz trumpet player who was a leading member of Count Basie’s "Old Testament" orchestra and a leader of mainstream-oriented jam session recordings in the 1950s. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong...
; they recorded together in the early 1960s and Clayton considered himself and Lyttelton to be brothers.
By now his repertoire had expanded, including not only lesser known Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
pieces, but even "The Champ" from Dizzy Gillespie's
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
band book. The Lyttelton band — he saw himself primarily as a leader — helped develop the careers of many now prominent British musicians, including Tony Coe
Tony Coe
Anthony George Coe is a composer and jazz musician who plays clarinet, bass clarinet, and tenor saxophone.Coe began his performing career playing with Humphrey Lyttelton's band from 1957 to 1962...
and Alan Barnes
Alan Barnes (musician)
Alan Barnes is an English Jazz musician.- Career :Alan Barnes attended Leeds College of Music between 1977–80 where he studied saxophone, woodwinds and arranging before moving to London. In 1980 he played with the Midnight Follies Orchestra and the following year was with the Pasadena Roof...
In 2001, Lyttelton and his band added traditional jazz elements to the Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
song "Life in a Glasshouse" on the Amnesiac
Amnesiac
Amnesiac was generally well-received by critics. It was also ranked as one of the best albums of the year by several publications. The Village Voice Pazz and Jop poll ranked it number 6 on their top 10 albums of the year. Alternative Press declared it the #1 album of the year...
album.
On 11 March 2008, he announced that he would cease presenting BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
's "Best of Jazz", after 40 years.
On 23 July 2008, Lyttelton was posthumously named as BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
Jazz Artist Of The Year, voted by radio listeners.
The Humphrey Lyttelton Band
Humphrey Lyttelton's eight-piece band featured, aside from himself on the trumpet and clarinet: Ray Wordsworth on the trombone; Jimmy HastingsJimmy Hastings
James Brian Gordon 'Jimmy' Hastings , is a British professional musician associated with the Canterbury scene....
on the alto sax, clarinet and flute; Jo Fooks on the tenor saxophone and flute; Rob Fowler
Rob Fowler
For the curler, see Rob Fowler Rob Fowler is a meteorologist in the South Carolina Lowcountry, and chief meteorologist for WCBD-TV. Fowler is married with three children: Trey,Kylie,and Tate.- Meteorologist with WCBD :...
on the tenor sax, baritone sax and clarinet; Ted Beament on the piano; John Rees-Jones on the double bass and Adrian Macintosh on the drums. Following his death the band continues to give concerts performing his music. The trumpet part is played by Tony Fisher with occasional guest spots by Sue Richardson
Sue Richardson
Sue Richardson is an English jazz singer, trumpet player and composer born in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England.-Biography:Sue grew up in Bedfordshire and was involved in music through the county's free music education. She received trumpet lessons and attended a Saturday music school in Dunstable....
.
The band maintained a busy schedule, frequently performing sold-out shows across the country. Performances occasionally included a guest singer, or a collaboration with another band. During the 1990s the band toured with Helen Shapiro
Helen Shapiro
Helen Kate Shapiro is an English singer and actress. She is best known for her 1960s UK chart toppers, "You Don't Know" and "Walkin' Back to Happiness".-Early life:...
in a series of Humph and Helen concerts. They also featured in several Giants of British Jazz tours with Acker Bilk and George Melly
George Melly
Alan George Heywood Melly was an English jazz and blues singer, critic, writer and lecturer. From 1965 to 1973 he was a film and television critic for The Observer and lectured on art history, with an emphasis on surrealism.-Early life and career:He was born in Liverpool and was educated at Stowe...
and John Chilton
John Chilton
John James Chilton is a British jazz trumpeter and writer. During the 1960s he also worked with pop bands, including The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Escorts....
's Feetwarmers.
Lyttelton had a long established professional relationship with UK singer Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. Elkie has been nominated twice for Brit Awards' top female singer. She is known for her powerful husky voice...
. After working together in the early 1960s they rekindled their working partnership in early 2000 with a series of sold out and well received concert performances. They released the critically acclaimed album Trouble in Mind in 2003 and continued to perform occasional concerts in support of this work.
Radio personality
From 1967 until April 2007, Lyttelton presented The Best of Jazz on BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
, a programme which featured his idiosyncratic mix of top-quality recordings of all ages, including current material. In 2007 Lyttelton chose to cut his commitment to two quarterly seasons per year, in order to spend more time on other projects.
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, sometimes abbreviated to ISIHAC or Clue, is a BBC radio comedy panel game broadcast since 11 April 1972 at the rate of one or two series each year , transmitted on BBC Radio 4, with occasional repeats on BBC Radio 4 Extra and the BBC's World Service...
on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. The show was originally devised as a comedic antidote to traditional BBC panel games (both radio and television), which had come to be seen as dull and formulaic, and in keeping with the staid middle-class "Auntie Beeb" image. Lyttelton continued in this role until shortly before his death, and was famed both for his deadpan
Deadpan
Deadpan is a form of comic delivery in which humor is presented without a change in emotion or body language, usually speaking in a casual, monotone, solemn, blunt, disgusted or matter-of-fact voice and expressing an unflappably calm, archly insincere or artificially grave demeanor...
, disgruntled, and occasionally bewildered style of chairmanship, and for his near-the-knuckle double entendres which, despite always being open to an innocent interpretation, went much further than most BBC pre-watershed
Watershed (television)
In television, the term watershed denotes the time period in a television schedule during which programs with adult content can air....
humour. ISIHAC
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
surrounded by mayhem. At the time of his death, Lyttelton was the oldest active panel game host in the UK, being two and a half years older than his closest rival, Nicholas Parsons
Nicholas Parsons
Nicholas Parsons OBE is a British actor and radio and television presenter.-Early life:...
.
On Tuesday 22 April 2008 Lyttelton and the I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue team were due to appear in the stage version of the programme at the Pavilion Theatre
Pavilion Theatre (Bournemouth)
The Pavilion Theatre and Ballroom. located in the Westover Road in Bournemouth, is a venue for year round entertainment. Built in the 1920s, it retains its splendour and elegant styling and is Bournemouth's regular home for West End stage shows, Opera, Ballet, Pantomime and Comedy as well as for...
in Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
. Due to his indisposition, his place was taken by Rob Brydon
Rob Brydon
Rob Brydon is a BAFTA-nominated Welsh actor, comedian, radio and television presenter, singer and impressionist...
, but a pre-recorded message from Lyttelton was played to the audience ("I'm sorry I can't be with you today as I am in hospital - I wish I'd thought of this sooner!"). The panellists on that night were Tim Brooke-Taylor
Tim Brooke-Taylor
Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE is an English comic actor. He became active in performing in comedy sketches while at Cambridge University, and became President of the Footlights club, touring internationally with the Footlights revue in 1964...
, Graeme Garden
Graeme Garden
David Graeme Garden OBE is a Scottish author, actor, comedian, artist and television presenter, who first became known as a member of The Goodies.-Early life and beginnings in comedy:...
, Barry Cryer
Barry Cryer
Barry Charles Cryer OBE is a British writer and comedian. Cryer has written for many noted performers, including Dave Allen, Stanley Baxter, Jack Benny, Rory Bremner, George Burns, Jasper Carrott, Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Dick Emery, Kenny Everett, Bruce Forsyth, David Frost, Bob Hope, Frankie...
and Jeremy Hardy
Jeremy Hardy
Jeremy James Hardy is a British alternative comedian who is also known for his socialist politics.-Career:Hardy was born in Farnborough, Hampshire. He attended Farnham College and studied Modern History and Politics at the University of Southampton...
.
As well as his other activities, Lyttelton was a keen calligrapher
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
and President of The Society for Italic Handwriting. He named his own record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
"Calligraph" after this extracurricular interest. This label, founded in the early 1980s, not only issues his own albums and those of associates, but also re-issues (on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
) his analogue
Analog sound vs. digital sound
This article compares the two ways in which sound is recorded and stored. Actual sound waves consist of continuous variations in air pressure. Representations of these signals can be recorded using either digital or analog techniques....
recordings for the Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
label in the 1950s. He is reported to have turned down a knighthood in 1995.
Illness and death
On 18 April 2008 Jon NaismithJon Naismith
Jon Naismith is a producer of a large number of BBC radio shows, primarily comedy, including You'll Have Had Your Tea, The Unbelievable Truth and About a Dog....
, the producer of I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, announced the cancellation of the upcoming spring series of ISIHAC owing to Humphrey Lyttelton's hospitalisation to repair an aortic aneurysm
Aortic aneurysm
An aortic aneurysm is a general term for any swelling of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal, usually representing an underlying weakness in the wall of the aorta at that location...
. Rob Brydon
Rob Brydon
Rob Brydon is a BAFTA-nominated Welsh actor, comedian, radio and television presenter, singer and impressionist...
and others were asked to deputise for Lyttelton during the tour shows, but Lyttelton postponed his operation and managed to perform on all but the last night. A further email on 21 April 2008 reported that the BBC were "unclear precisely how long Humph's recovery period will be" but Lyttelton was "otherwise fine and in very good spirits".
Lyttelton died peacefully following his surgery on 25 April 2008 with his family around him. BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
broadcast a 1995 episode of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue as a tribute on Sunday 27 April, and a retrospective programme presented by Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Harry "Ken" Clarke, QC, MP is a British Conservative politician, currently Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. He was first elected to Parliament in 1970; and appointed a minister in Edward Heath's government, in 1972, and is one of...
on Wednesday 30 April 2008. Radio 4 celebrated Humphrey Lyttelton Day on Sunday 15 June 2008, including a new profile of ISIHAC by Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
called Chairman Humph - A Tribute.
After his death, the controller of Radio 4, Mark Damazer
Mark Damazer
Mark Damazer CBE is the Master of St Peter's College, Oxford, and a former controller of BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 7 in the United Kingdom.He is the son of a Polish-Jewish delicatessen owner in Willesden in North London....
, said: "He's just a colossally good broadcaster and possessed of this fantastic sense of timing. [...] It's a very, very sad day but we should celebrate and be very grateful for how much he did for Radio 4, really terrific."
Responding to news of Lyttelton's death, Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Jonny Greenwood
Jonny Greenwood
Jonathan Richard Guy "Jonny" Greenwood is an English musician and composer, best known as a member of the English rock band Radiohead. Greenwood is a multi-instrumentalist, but serves mainly as lead guitarist and keyboard player. In addition to guitar and keyboard, he plays viola, harmonica,...
wrote on the band's blog Dead Air Space: "We were all sorry to hear of Humphrey Lyttelton's death - he was an inspiring person to record with, and without his direction, we'd never have recorded/released Life in a Glasshouse. So go and find "Bad Penny Blues
Bad Penny Blues
"Bad Penny Blues" is a trad jazz piece written by Humphrey Lyttelton and recorded with his band in London on April 20, 1956.- Popular success :It was originally released as Parlophone ER 4184 and became a hit record in Britain at the time....
", and celebrate his life with some hot jazz."
Lyttelton was survived by his four children: a daughter from his first marriage to Pat Braithwaite, and two sons and a daughter from his second marriage to Jill Richardson. Richardson, to whom he had been married since 1952, predeceased him in 2006.
On 25 April 2010, two years after Lyttelton's death, a celebratory concert entitled "Humphrey Lyttelton - A Celebration Concert" was held at the Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962...
to celebrate his life, works and contribution to music.Singer Elkie Brooks and many prominent British jazz musicians appeared at the concert, along with panellists from I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue. The event was organised and hosted by his son Stephen Lyttelton, who is also the founder and Chairman of "The Humph Trust", an organisation set up after his death to support young up and coming jazz musicians and to provide sponsorship and support. The event was opened by the 2010 winner of the Humphrey Lyttelton Royal Academy Of Music Jazz Award, Tom Walsh, who played Horace Silver's "Song for my Father" with his quintet from the Royal Academy of Music.
Books
- Humphrey Lyttelton: Last Chorus: An Autobiographical Medley (JR Books Ltd: London, October 2008) (224pp.; ISBN 1-90621-718-1) (published posthumously)
- Humphrey Lyttelton: It Just Occurred to Me...: An Autobiographical Scrapbook (Robson Books Ltd: London, September 2006) (224pp.; ISBN 1-86105-901-9
- Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, Barry Cryer, Humphrey Lyttelton: The Little Book of Mornington Crescent (OrionOrion Publishing GroupOrion Publishing Group Ltd. is a UK-based book publisher. It is owned by Hachette Livre. In 1998 Orion bought Cassell.-History:Full history of the group can be found on Orion Publishing Group is owned by -Imprints:...
: 2000) (112 pp.; ISBN 0-7528-1864-3) - Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, Humphrey Lyttelton, Barry Cryer, Willie Rushton: I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue: the Official Limerick Collection (Orion: 1998) (128 pp.; ISBN 0-7528-1775-2)
- Humphrey Lyttelton: The Best of Jazz (Robson Books: London, 1998) (423pp.; ISBN 1-86105-187-5)
- Humphrey Lyttelton: The Best of Jazz: Vol 2 — Enter the Giants (Robson Books: London, 1998) (220pp.; ISBN 1-86105-188-3)
- Julian Purser Humph: A discography of Humphrey Lyttelton 1945-1983 (Collectors Items: 1985) (49 pp.; ISBN 0-946783-01-2)
- Humphrey Lyttelton: Why No Beethoven?: Diary of a Vagrant Musician (Robson Books: 1984) (176 pp.; ISBN 0-86051-262-2)
- Humphrey Lyttelton: Jazz and Big Band Quiz (BatsfordBatsfordBatsford is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 99. The village is about 1½ miles north-west of Moreton-in-Marsh...
: 1979) (96pp; ISBN 0-7134-2011-1) - Humphrey Lyttelton: The Best of Jazz 1: Basin Street to Harlem: Jazz Masters and Master Pieces, 1917-1930 (Taplinger Publishing Co: London, 1978) (220pp.; ISBN 1-86105-188-3)
- Humphrey Lyttelton: Best of Jazz (Robson Books: 1978) (224 pp.; ISBN 0-903895-91-9)
- Humphrey Lyttelton: I play as I please: The memoirs of an Old Etonian trumpeter (MacGibbon and Kee: 1954) (200pp.; B0000CIVX1)
- Humphrey Lyttelton: Second chorus (MacGibbon and Kee: 1958) (198 pp.; B0000CK30P)
- Humphrey Lyttelton: Take it from the Top: An Autobiographical Scrapbook (Robson Books: 1975) (168 pp.; ISBN 0-903895-56-0 )
External links
- Humphrey Lyttelton official site
- I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, official site - The Best of Jazz, BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
, official site of his Monday night show - Calligraph Records official site
- Humphrey Lyttelton at the The Radio Academy, with audio clips
- Blowing Humph's trumpet 80th birthday tribute by David McKieDavid McKieDavid McKie is a British journalist and historian. He was deputy editor of The Guardian and continued to write a weekly column for that paper until 4 October 2007, with the byline "Elsewhere". Until 10 September 2005, he also wrote a second weekly column, under the pseudonym "Smallweed"...
at The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format... - In praise of ... Humphrey Lyttelton on his 85th birthday
- The South Bank Show, ITV, UK on 23 March 2007 broadcast a tribute show, here is a clip.
- Photo and profile of Lyttelton
Tributes
- Lasting Tribute Obituary and tributes
- Times obituary
- Independent Obituary
- BBC Comedy Obituary
- The Observer Barry Cryer, Melvyn Bragg tributes
- The Independent Jeremy Hardy tribute
- The Telegraph Sandi Toksvig tribute
- The Observer Graeme Garden remembrance/tribute
- The Guardian Iain Pattinson (writer of Humph's Clue scripts) tribute
- The Times A second Barry Cryer remembrance/tribute