The Cornet King - Jack Mackintosh

Accompanied by brass and military bands,
with Harry Mortimer (cornet) and Jesse Stamp (trombone)
Choice Recordings Ltd: CHOICE CD1 BM1
Total Playing Time: 69.16 mins

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When considering the current interest in producing Top Ten lists in various categories, one complaint that is often heard is that the decisions tend to be biased towards more recent films, books, songs or whatever the subject happens to be. To some extent that is understandable, as people involved in the survey are more likely to have watched, read or listened to the more recent candidates, and those memories may well be freshest.

4BarsRest has also had its series of Top Ten lists, including euphonium, BBb bass, soprano and Bb cornet. Jack Mackintosh, who is featured in a CD here of recordings transferred from 78rpm originals, did not appear in the top ten cornet players, although that may have been different if those responsible for the selection had been able to hear the playing documented here.

Jack Mackintosh (1891-1979) came from Sunderland and was largely self-taught, attending his first band practice with his father at the age of  8, and joining the band when he was 13. When he was 16 he suffered a year's setback due to rheumatic fever, which left his joints twisted and led him to develop an unconventional grip and finger positioning. Despite this, he took on his first professional engagement in 1908, and played for silent films and pantomimes before joining first Hetton Colliery and then St Hildas Colliery Band, where he played as second man down from 1913.

In 1919 he was invited to join Harton Colliery as solo cornetist on a retaining fee basis, guaranteeing one rehearsal a week and all contests, but enabling Jack to keep on his position in the pit (orchestra, that is) at the Sunderland Empire. Harry Mortimer is quoted in the informative sleeve notes as describing him as "the first of the professionals", and also as "possibly the best trumpet player of them all". His contract to record solos came after Harton Colliery were asked to record "A Moorside Suite", and "Alpine Echoes" filled the fourth side of the two disc set.

Jack left the band in 1930 to become a founder member of the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Sir Adrian Boult, going on to play with the Philharmonia/New Philharmonia until 1970. He also taught trumpet at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, where amongst his pupils was a certain Ian McElligott, now with Brighouse and Rastrick Band.

What, then, of the recordings themselves? Dating from 1929 to 1933 the accompaniment is provided by Harton Colliery Band, Foden's Motor Works Band and a military band made up of players from the Scots Guards, conducted by a young Stanford Robinson. There are also two tracks with theatre organ backing, and duets with Harry Mortimer on cornet and Jesse Stamp on trombone, whose career included spells with Jack Hylton's band and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, as well as being Professor of trombone at the Royal Academy of Music. It has to be said that the recorded sound itself shows its age, with the balance in the military band items particularly featuring rather prominent bass and tinny-sounding percussion, but the transfers themselves are very clean. There has been some pitch adjustment on the tracks with brass band to bring them in line with current low pitch, which some purists may object to.

As to the playing itself, Jack Mackintosh was known for being willing to take risks, and that comes across in a number of tracks. No playing safe for him, with his own "cowboy" cadenzas often inserted at various points - "Facilita" being one example - designed to show off his technique, with lip glissandi a-plenty. His sound is clear and pure, and from his dextrous fingering and crisp double and triple tonguing it is easy to see why the recording has been entitled "The Cornet King". He is also able to darken his sound at times, and is not averse to forcing the tone to produce the required effect.

Many familiar solos and some unfamiliar are included, with Basil Windsor, John Hartmann, William Rimmer, Percy Code and Herbert L. Clarke all being represented. Arban's "Carnival of Venice" is there as well, complete with additional material by Jack himself. Comparing his performances with other players in the same repertoire, there seems to be a greater sense of spontaneity, and the feeling that each performance would be different from the previous one, rather than being meticulously calculated, polished and rehearsed. There are also a number of items from the classical and light music repertoire, enabling him to demonstrate a lyrical approach to playing sustained lines.

According to the sleeve notes, Harry Mortimer and Jack Mackintosh only got together infrequently, but there are few hints of uncertainty in the playing of their duets, and they each seem to have an almost telepathic understanding of what the other is going to do. Basil Windsor's "Jack and Jill" illustrates quite humorously the two characters tumbling down the hill, complete with the sound of the buckets falling to the ground! The accompanying groups and conductors do a good job throughout, particularly in responding to the frequent use of rubato.

This recording will be of undoubted interest to many followers of bands and brass playing, and it is good to know that another disc is about to be released ("Vintage Gems") with more tracks by Jack, together with items by Del Staigers, Harry Mortimer and Herbert L. Clarke.

Peter Bale

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