Cunard Yanks Tall Tales 2

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Miles Apart
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A solitary figure midst a crowded stage,
A silhouette in shadow, a smoked filled shade.
Head bowed down as if in prayer, a dark moody soul standing there.
Golden horn presses to his lip, This Machiavellian prince of hip.

The music dark and elegant, stripped of all pretence,
A lonely lovers last lament so cold, so stark, intense.
The note�s seem haunted like a sad summer song,
In sunlight or in shadow, where does it belong?

In the bulling, in a church with a priest or picador,
In your heart you only know that no one can be sure.
The melody is ended, the crowd begins to cheer,
The player turns his back to them,
Were we really here?

Goodnight Miles
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By

Richard Barton
On hearing Miles Davis playing
�Concierto der Aranjuez�
At the Village Vanguard July 1961.

Liverpool
This city of the sea

This city of the sea� of tides and wind and stars�.
Grimy salt caked funnels� ragged sails and spars�.
This city of tall ships� beautiful in their splendour�.
Tired old freighters�. Tiny coal filling tenders�.

This city on the edge of an ocean�. Ships swept out on the tide�.
Bringing to her the worlds bounty�.
With only the stars as their guide�.

This city of docks and warehouses�. of brick of iron and steel�
In her harbour�. Halls of granite and marble�.
A people�. Who never learned to kneel�.

A city of passion and pride�. With wit�. Few men may own�.
But standing together�. The fool and the wise man�.
Know they are not alone�.

This city of the world� with people of every nation�.
Every colour� race and creed�.
Never did she turn away�. Those she found in need�.

This is my city�. Right or wrong�.
A city of love� laughter�. And song
So here stands a boy�. So grateful to be�. A son of this city�.

This city of the sea.

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In the mid fifties on the Liverpool to Montreal run we stopped at Qubec to discharge cargo, and some passengers. On one occasion, one of the boys found??? A small wooden box. It was about 18inches long, and about 6 inches deep. It looked lost, so he took it too his cabin{for who knows, someone may want to claim it}. Anyway, after a while no one did, so he decided to open it. You wouldn�t believe what was in it. Rosary Beads, yes Rosary Beads. As Montreal is mainly a catholic city the lad thought he would have no problem selling them. As he said these were a gift from heaven.
Unfortunately for him, not one of the shops he took them to would touch them. For some reason or another they seem to think they has been stolen.
So the guy was left with about a gross of Rosary Beads. But being a good catholic boy that he was, he did what he had intended to do when he first found them. Give them to the lads. Which he did.
You know if on our trip back home we would have hit an iceberg, with so many Rosary Beads on board, we could probably walked on water.

Then there was big Alec Humphries on the �Bittanic�, he was on the square directing passengers to there cabins. When this beautiful young woman came down the stairs. Alec turned to his mate and said, has this one sailed with us before, I seem to recognise her. GO and ask said his mate. Alec walked up to the young lady and said, excuse me, but have you sailed with us before, I seem to recognise your face. She smiled and said you probably do.
About 10minutes later the 2nd steward came storming down, right he said, I should have known it would be a F****** scouser, that told Rita Hayworth he thought he knew her. I don�t think Alec got back in the saloon that trip�

I remember in 57 doing a cruise in the Caribbean, I cant remember which port it was for sure, but it may have been Montego Bay.
Anyway, I was making my own way back to the ship when I heard it blowing, it was ready to sail.
As I hurried to get on board, I passed a group of boys in a bar. Come on I said, or we will miss the ship. A motley group in various stages of inebriation{good word that isn�t it} staggered out, but there was one guy who was out to the world. We tried to wake him but there was no chance. Anyway. Young Alf, a quiet sweet natured lad small but as strong as an Ox, bent down, picked him up over his shoulder and started to carry him back to the ship.
The ships horn blew again, and we were a couple of hundred yards from the gangway. So most of the lads ran on. Our Hero. Young Alf, picked up his steps and started to jog to the gangway. As he did the guy over his shoulder pissed himself and all over Alf.
Throw him down I said, no way said Alf, and carried him up the gangway. Dumping him on the deck still out. I�m going to get changed, I�ll speak to him tomorrow. He didn�t have to wait. Later that evening in the Pig a very shame faced and contrite laundry boy came to apologise. Forget it said Alf, down in the cabin is a load of dirty washing, I expect it back in the morning, oh and check the cabin every night, okay, Needless to say Alf�s and most of the other lads in the cabin was done every day for the rest of the cruise�

I have been asked to say a few words as an introduction to the film Liverpool�s Cunard Yanks. Liverpool in the late 40�s through the 50�s to the early 60�s has almost 25,000 seamen sailing from what was then one of the largest seaports in the world. I think we were the largest work force in the city.

This story is just a part of the personal history of some of those young men and boy, a small part is true, focusing mainly on members of the catering staff, waiters, cooks, stewards, who sailed to America. To New York, Montreal, Boston, Halifax with Cunard and CPR�and because they copied the American style their dress, their music, and often their manner were also called Cunard Yanks, and there was thousands of them.

So this film is about them, told through stories, recollections and memories of a group of their former shipmates, But it is their story, For we all walked the same streets together in New York, Montreal, Liverpool. Chased the best looking girls in the world in our local dance halls, The Grafton, Locarno, Reeces and many others. We had the same dreams and made a few of them come true. Most of us sailing from Liverpool in the late 40�s early 50�s were 15 and 16 year olds. We were leaving the city still scarred and battered from the war, so it wasn�t surprising that when we docked in America , particularly in New York, we were like kids in a giant candy store. Fascinated by the sights, sounds, and lights of Broadway.

Gob smacked by the big stores, Macy�s, Bloomingdales, Sears, Brooks Bothers, Cotlers, Tie City and dozens more. Bursting at the seams with consumer goods you couldn�t see at home, never mind buy, everything seemed bigger, brighter, better.

I think most of us were influenced by what we saw and heard, the things we bought. For each week docking in Liverpool off the liners 100�s sometimes 1000�s if there were two or three ships in, would bring a piece of America with them. For the boys it was suits, shirts, cuff links, ties, aftershave. For the wives and girlfriends, dress�s underwear, nylons, perfume. The children�s cloths, styles you would never see at home.

Then the music, the records, we brought everything back with us, Jazz, Blues, Pop, CandW, Doo Wop Rhythm and Blues. We took the best of American music and made it our own.. No wonder they called us the Cunard Yanks. Anyway these are our memories, and they can be duplicated a 1000 times, no 10,000 times.. by others in this city. We weren�t the first Cunard Yanks though I think we were the last. So in this film, we have tried to show what merchant seamen of the time were like. How we worked, how we played, dressed and danced, what we thought, and some of the things we have done.

I know some of you may bring your children and grand children along, so if at the end of the evening they turn to you and say, hay Dad/Grand Dad I can see you up there with that crowd, then we will have got it right and they will have got it right for each and everyone of you are up there with us, if only in sprit as I said we all walked the same streets together.

I hope you enjoyed the film as much as we did making it. Thank You

New York I guess it�s the first thing most lads� sailing with Cunard remembers. We all had our days and nights planned didn�t we. For me the day spent shopping, I�ve searched the record shops and supermarkets for bargains. Picked up a couple of Camden records, a budget label. Great jazz on them, Goodman, Hampton, Shaw and all at a $1.50, good value. This was how I spent a lot of my time as did a great number of the boys. The theatre, the movies, the old three for a bob on 42st. Me I haunted the jazz clubs, Birdland, Village, Vanguard, The Hickory House, Mentronome and many others. This was one of those nights, and I�ll bet an awful lot of guys will read on and say �I remember it well�.

In the evening I have a shower and dress and get ready to go out again. Tonight I�m going to spoil myself. The Hickory House on 52nd and Broadway, the best piano bar in town with first class food and superb music, the Don Shirley Duo.
We docked on Pier 92 at 12th avenue across from 52nd street. Its an easy walk past the old brownstone house�s and ten minutes later I am standing on Broadway a few yards away from the Hickory House.

As I cross over I see the Marquee outside Birdland, Stan Kenton�s playing here, that�s for me later. When I enter the club its just after nine, the club�s quite full, but the smell of prime roast beef and the piano record being played in the background. Looking like getting the night off to a good start I sit back and wait for my dinner to arrive. Beef rare, freshly carved, a side salad and a baked potato. Big Man Big, I�m at ease with the world, I dine and await the music. Don Shirley comes out followed by his bassist Richard Davis. The crowd politely applaud Don Shirley at the piano, slim immaculately dressed, looking every inch as if he was going on stage at Carnegie Hall or La Scala Milan the venues he has played before tonight. But in this club the music is superb, I don�t think many people at home have heard of him, I must admit I had not until the last few months but he is an enormous talent. His touch is delicate. On the slower numbers �I cover the Waterfront� has a classical like theme, soft and sensitive it�s nighttimes music. �I cant get Started� is almost like a concerto, �happy Talk� and �I feel Pretty� are just that, �Georgia� has a gospel feel to it, slow and soulful embellished by his faultless technique. There are several songs �satin Doll�, �I�ll remember April�, �My Funny Valentine� a couple of the Blues which he did not name and to finish the set �Water Boy�. This was something else, the bass sets the tone with some great bowling, the piano takes a call and response to the melody. It�s an impressionist sound, a combination of Symphony and soul is my only way of describing it. But its great jazz at least it is to me.

Whatever you think or feel about the music, it�s brilliantly played and beautiful to the ear. It�s after eleven comfortable in body and mind, the roast beef was excellent, almost as good as the music, I walk down the street and a few yard down is BIRDLAND. It�s a cellar down a flight of stairs, to a small room that seems to expand to the beat of the music. Stan Kenton and his Orchestra crowded onto a small bandstand, what a sight, what a sound. I got in halfway between the sets, the band was playing �The Big Chase� a fast swinging Marty Paich number that raced like mad. �Bernie�s Tune� followed than a couple of ballads, �speaking Low� and a haunting �yesterdays� with Bill Perkins and Sam Noto taking the solo honours. Then of course a couple of old warhorses Kenton fans always demanded �Artistry in Rhythm�, �Intermission Riff� finishing the set. The second set was much quieter if a Kenton band can be quiet. With a leaning to the ballad style �Speak Low�, �My Old Flame�, �End of a Love Affair� and �Street Scene� tone poems from the Kenton book. Then a selection from �West Side Story� with a Afro-Cuban flavour made sure no one was sleeping. A short Concerto to End all Concertos ended the show, a great night. Kenton�s music is exciting, demanding, the orchestrations complex and brilliant. His musicians the same, you come away from any of his shows on a high. Well this guy certainly did, believe me.