Diz Disley

[Djangophile]

Sad news - Diz passed away 22nd March ... R.I.P

[Caballero]

the stories, the playing, the man eh? lived the life I think. Respect.

[Brett]

How sad. I met him once in the late sixties. Apart from the music he was a very funny guy.

[Gadjo]

Very sad

For me his greatest achievement was convincing Grappelli to stop playing supper clubs with piano players and start working with guitarists again. This appearance of his new quartet at the 1972 Cambridge Folk Festival and subsequent tours got me and many others into Django. He put what we now know as gypsy jazz on primetime BBC and it has to be said started Martin Taylor's career when Ike Isaacs suggested him for the gig.

A true character! RIP

[stublag]

Yes very sad news --like Humph and Dankworth they just don't make them like that anymore- and Diz also was an excellent cartoonist.
I first met him in 1982 when my then (folk rock) band Hunters Moon supported him at Swinton Folk club up north.At that time he was driving (and sleeping) in an old Rolls Royce hearse believe it or not.
I also remember he had a full barrel of scrumpy on stage the whole gig and emptied it very quickly.
I was foolish enough to get up on stage and play Nuages with him--after which he annouced to the audience that he was just about to bring over to the Uk "a Gypsy kid from France called Bireli Lagrene"--- we really have Diz to thank for Birelis many gigs in the UK around that time
Diz was also responsible,i believe, for getting Birelis teeth seen to--Bireli rarely smiled and was a pretty gawky kid before that( Diz said..."all Bireli did was play guitar, drink coke and watch cartoons")
Last time i met him was when he borrowed a (crap) Hoyer Selmer copy from Mairants for that interview he did for the Grappelli dvd--he said he'd trashed at least 3 Maccs in his time--what a waste!
To his credit he was very gracious towards Stephane on the DVD despite the pretty frosty relationship they had after the Geoffrey Smith biog of Steph,which ended in litigation.
Anyway we'll all miss him--a genuine english eccentric.

[Teddy Dupont]

Diz with Naguine:-



....and:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aakS10OiNk0

[Caballero]

Wow! He looks like my Uncle Allan in that pic, in fact, Naguine looks like my Uncle Allan too.

[patrus le sommelier]

sad I never meet him.

page hommage for him here:

http://www.patrus53.com/

patrus53 is going on the road
Samois, Burgundy & North of Rhone Valley

[Teddy Dupont]

Diz Disley playing "Nuages" with Joseph Reinhardt:-
http://www.djangobooks.com/forum/viewto ... 800#p39800

[patrus le sommelier]

Thanks Teddy for the link of Diz & Joseph playing Nuages.
You know the date & place?

I just learn he was brought up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada!!!

patrus

http://www.patrus53.com/

[Teddy Dupont]

Thanks Teddy for the link of Diz & Joseph playing Nuages.
You know the date & place?

London, 1960. It is on "It's Right Here For You", The Alex Welsh Band with Diz Disley, Columbia 33SX1322 . Joseph also plays on "Montmartre" with the band.

A photo of them together at that time:-

[Dennis]

This is the Diz obituary from The Guardian:

"I only drink to steady myself ... sometimes I get so steady, I can't move."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/ap ... y-obituary

D.

[patrus le sommelier]

got new picture of Diz Disley with Jacques Montagne and other like Bireli, Babik

http://www.patrus53.com/

[Mobreau]

Sorry to be slightly of topic, but these recordings you have are incredible! Matelot an Boulou at Chez Matelot? where do you get such stuff and thankyou for sharing it!

[Dennis]

A bit more about Diz from the Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/ma ... ry-letters

D.