Charles Collins writes: The influence of Jimmy McGriff (obituary, June 4) was more widespread, albeit in a covert manner, than John Fordham may have realised.
One of the standout tracks from his album I've Got a Woman, Thelonius Monk's composition Round Midnight, was, for several years, the main close-down theme of the original Radio Caroline offshore pirate station in the North Sea. I cannot have been the only young teen captivated by this haunting, evocative recording, redolent of mystery and suspense, emphasised by hearing it, frequently, through the mix of interference, crackles, and slightly unworldly electronic sounds. It was usually followed by a short period of eerie silence, only contributing to the air of intrigue, before the transmitter was switched off, allowing numerous continental stations to simultaneously invade the wavelength.
It was this theme which led me, and I am sure many others, to investigate the world of not only McGriff, but other practitioners such as Jimmy Smith, as a welcome antidote to the usual Caroline fare of insipid beat groups and pallid popsters.
He, and his sound, will be missed.
One of the standout tracks from his album I've Got a Woman, Thelonius Monk's composition Round Midnight, was, for several years, the main close-down theme of the original Radio Caroline offshore pirate station in the North Sea. I cannot have been the only young teen captivated by this haunting, evocative recording, redolent of mystery and suspense, emphasised by hearing it, frequently, through the mix of interference, crackles, and slightly unworldly electronic sounds. It was usually followed by a short period of eerie silence, only contributing to the air of intrigue, before the transmitter was switched off, allowing numerous continental stations to simultaneously invade the wavelength.
It was this theme which led me, and I am sure many others, to investigate the world of not only McGriff, but other practitioners such as Jimmy Smith, as a welcome antidote to the usual Caroline fare of insipid beat groups and pallid popsters.
He, and his sound, will be missed.
