Dragon Interview: The Surrey Uni Student Who Became a Renowned Jazz Drummer

Published on: 29 Oct, 2024
Updated on: 30 Oct, 2024

Jazz drummer Gordon Wellard with his band

Following his reunion with prog rock band TT Transmission, Dragon reporter David Reading caught up with another face from his past – jazz drummer Gordon Wellard, who he last interviewed in the late 1970s when Gordon played with the Brains Trust.

Gordon’s current band, the Gordon Wellard Septet, will be playing at Guildford’s Electric Theatre on Wednesday, November 13. Here, he chats about his rich and varied music career.

So how did it all start for you?

It started at Surrey University where I was a first-year biology student. In 1974 I played in a student band, Habilis, at the University Free Festival. From there I joined another ex-university band, Moon Mouse, which renamed itself the Brains Trust in 1977. It all took off from there.

Can you pick out one track that was your first inspiration?

This was probably “Meeting of the Spirits” by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, which I listened to as a student at Surrey. Their guitarist and leader, John McLaughlin, had a jazz background so I came to jazz through jazz rock and progressive music like Hatfield and the North.

Tell us about your gig at the Electric Theatre?

The gig is billed “The Gordon Wellard Septet plays Art Blakey”. We will feature music written and arranged for Blakey’s Jazz Messengers by their last pianist, Geoffrey Keezer. The Jazz Messengers were a jazz combo that existed for over 35 years beginning in the early 1950s, ending when their long-time leader, drummer Art Blakey, died in 1990.

In September this year Geoffrey sent me a new arrangement of “BHG” for my 70th birthday – a tune he wrote for the great trumpet player Roy Hargrove. We will be playing this at the Electric Theatre. The guys in the band are actually playing some of the same handwritten charts used by Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.

I have a long association with Guildford. In 1978 I launched the Guildford Jazz Appreciation Body, with gigs in the Civic Hall bar. But I was unable to attract funding and audience turn-out was low. There were only three gigs.

Gordon Wellard

What were some of the highlights of your jazz career?

From 1980 onwards, I played with The City Lit Big Band led by Cathy Stobart; played at the Dunkirk International Jazz Festival competition with jazz group Keyhole, winning second prize; performed Ebony Concerto with the Morley College Big Band; became peripatetic drum teacher for the Youth Service and the Boys Brigade; and played at the Messina Jazz Festival in Sicily on the same bill as Chick Corea.

My first sextet featured the incredible American alto player Bob Martin, who was recorded on the CD “Round Midnight” in 1998. This was followed in 1999 by The Language of Jazz featuring Bob Martin and tenor player Ed Jones in my first Septet, with young trumpet player Steve Fishwick.

Who’s in the current band?

The line-up varies according to availability but there is a core of myself, bass player Alex Keen and pianist Nick Tomalin.

Alex has backed many of the UK’s top jazz instrumentalists including Tony Coe, Jim Mullen, Henry Lowther, Alan Barnes, Theo Travis and Kit Packham.

Nick has appeared on The South Bank Show with legendary British pianist George Shearing. He has had his arrangements played by ex Jazz Messenger Jean Toussaint.

We also have Henry Collins (trumpet), who has toured with Amy Winehouse, Tom Jones and Michael Buble.

Jamie O’Donnell (alto) studied with ex Jazz Messenger sax man Jean Toussaint before becoming a private student of the incredible American alto player Bob Martin. Jamie has played around Europe with the Glenn Miller Memorial Orchestra, the Pasadena Roof Orchestra and The Frank Griffith and the Gareth Lockrane Big Bands.

Aldevis Tibaldi (saxophone) trained at the Tartini Conservatoire in Italy. He has a recent CD of the music of Duke Ellington entitled “Tell Duke”, which has been getting rave reviews.

A change of trombone sees veteran Nick Mills replacing young Oli Martin. Nick has his own trombone quintet Trombonism and another Blue Note Project dedicated to the music produced on the famous record label.

We understand you initiated a programme to take jazz into schools, and that Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts played a part.

The Jazz in Schools Project, which I set up as a charity, ran from 1999 to 2001. My band visited primary and secondary schools to demonstrate jazz and we even had an item on BBC TV South East. Visits were funded from my CD sales plus donations.

Word was passed around the jazz community and double bassist Dave Green approached his friend Charlie Watts on my behalf. Charlie became a donor helping to fund visits to schools by my Septet. Unfortunately the Arts Council turned down my application for funding so the project was short-lived as the money ran out.

We understand that health issues almost ended your musical career. Are you happy to talk about that?

In January 2021 I developed atrial fibrillation (a heart condition). My local surgery couldn’t see me until I could supply a negative Covid test, and during this time I had a stroke. Damage to the heart left me walking around like a 90 year old for 10 months until I had a cardiac ablation operation. Within four months my heart was back to 95 per cent normal. Thankfully I can still play the drums.