International Jazz Banjo Newsletter

I got my first good banjo from the famous British banjoist George Morris. George had played with all the famous dance bands in the 1920's and 30's, and played for 22 years with the Debroy Somers Orchestra. The banjo i bought was a Paramount Leader, which to my ears sounded exceptional. That was also the reason for buying a Paramount Leader plectrum banjo off Ebay about 2 years ago! Well, I 'bought' that Leader from Mr.Morris while my parents were on holiday and I was tending the home. At the time a was an apprentice with no income and no savings and my Dad went wild when I told him what i had done because I had no income! He finally calmed down however and made me work for the money during holidays, which was a good lesson in life for me too!
At the time I had teamed up with Rainer Noack, who had for a year lived in London in order to learn English language. During his stay he bought a wonderful Clifford Essex Paragon plectrum banjo and took lessons from Geoffrey Sisley. We were trying hard to copy the Firehouse Five + Two banjo stuff of Harper Goff and the Banjo Kings. Rainer then suggested we visit London the following year too. During that year we also looked up Mr. Morris, who was very sceptical when we rang his door bell. After some small talk he asked whether we had our banjos with us? Well, as luck would have it, we had them in the car and he asked us to play something for him. I tell you, we were not good, but our enthusiasm must have convinced him, because he was a different person afterwards! When we left he gave us a pile of old sheet music with all the Reser, Colicchio, Mandell stuff and said something like he'd trust us that we would mail everything back to him after we had copied it when we got back home to Berlin! He also suggested we send him blank reel to reel tapes so that he could copy what he had in banjo recordings for us. This really got me going! He introduced me to Reser and the other masters.
When we returned to his place the next year he called the guys I had mentioned in my previous correspondences and we played for them. The London BMG Club (Banjo, Mandolin & Guitar)under Mr. Bertie Owen arranged for another concert for BMG members while we were over. It must have been our enthusiasm and being naive in simply playing what we liked on the records, rather than stand frozen in our shoes because something was supposed to be too difficult. It was that same attitude which led me to playing with renowned pianist Keith Nichols while he toured Germany. Keith kindly claimed that I opened his eyes and love for banjo music.
Rainer Noack went back to England after I took my job here in Germany with IBM. He performed there, Howard Sheppard knows him from that time and Georgette Twain, who vividly remembers him driving her around London and stealing embassy signs and other "souvenirs" for her. Rainer finally got married and immigrated to South Africa. He took 'pride' in never writing or answering a letter, so we lost sight of each other. At one time I heard of him in Windermere in the Lake District, where I heard a banjo band whose leader, Harry Black played a Vox plectrum and whom I met in Reading later again. They had been to South Africa and run into Rainer who was still his old crazy self. Then some IBM'er from South Africa sent me an e-mail with regards from Rainer. But again, this would not yield results. When I had business relations to IBM S.A., I asked a colleague to look him up in the telephone book. I called him and we talked almost for an hour. By that time he had given up playing the banjo (I gathered that his wife was not in favour of it) and had a new hobby, astronomy. His Paragon showed up at some time with banjo dealer/collector Guenter Amendt, but it was completely beaten up, or played "down and out" I should say. It used to be such a good sounding instrument. Guenter told me - and Rainer confirmed this during our conversation - that somebody in South Africa was so thrilled with his playing that he actually gave him a Gibson (a Bella Voce I believe) as a present! Again, Rainer would play that until it fell apart, having no fret repaired or any other measure to maintain the valuable instrument. So he finally sold it and turned to
astronomy.
Mr. George Morris passed away suddenly on December 4, 1968 at the age of 77.

Best wishes,
Juergen Kulus.