Further Shadows: Essays on British Modern Jazz 1950-1975 presents an eclectic overview of perhaps the most vibrant era in the music’s development in the UK, a time when modern jazz consolidated its base, got buffeted by the fads of early rock and roll of R&B, found itself battered by Beatlemania and even faced an onslaught from pernicious forces within its own ranks. Covering fifteen years in which the schools of cool, hard bop and the avant-garde each fought for primacy, these pages record the ups and downs of many of London’s leading jazz voices of the day – Ronnie Scott, Tubby Hayes, Stan Tracey and Jimmy Deuchar among them – together with the tales of heroes perhaps less widely sung, such as Harry South, Allan Ganley and Peter King. The foreword is by Digby Fairweather.

Within this span we encounter populism (Dudley Moore), hard-core idealism (the Spontaneous Music Ensemble) and even something close to nihilism (the story of forgotten drummer Benny Goodman). There is revisionism too, with detailed examinations of legendary bands, such as the vaunted Rendell/Carr Quintet and Bebop Preservation Society, and classic albums (Stan Tracey’s ‘Under Milk Wood’). The framework around players and performances is provided by studies drawing in iconic Soho venues including the first Ronnie Scott’s club and the Flamingo, as well as an in-depth account of the work of the pioneering Tempo record label, and overdue tributes to such influential movers and shakers as promoter Bix Curtis and producer/compère Tony Hall.