1. William Charles "Diz" Disley was an Anglo-Canadian jazz guitarist and banjoist.
25 Facts About Diz Disley
1. 2.
Diz Disley is best known for his acoustic jazz guitar playing, strongly influenced by Django Reinhardt, for his contributions to the UK trad jazz, skiffle and folk scenes as a performer and humorist, and for his collaborations with the violinist Stephane Grappelli.
3.
William Charles Disley was born, to Welsh parents then overseas for work, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
4.
Diz Disley moved to London and joined Mick Mulligan's band with George Melly.
5.
Diz Disley worked with most of the trad jazz bands of the day, including those of Ken Colyer, Cy Laurie, Sandy Brown, Kenny Ball, and Alex Welsh.
6.
That same year Diz Disley played the conductor in the Harrison Marks film The Chimney Sweeps, a slapstick comedy starring Pamela Green.
7.
Diz Disley was employed by the BBC as compere for a number of shows, including introducing The Beatles on their first London concert.
8.
Diz Disley played guitar accompaniment to Mike Absalom on the latter's 1968 album, Save the Last Gherkin for Me.
9.
Karl Dallas reported Diz Disley as having "single-handedly created a revival of interest in the music of Stephane Grappelli, which has taken him to Carnegie Hall, Australia, and New Zealand".
10.
The Diz Disley Trio accompanied Grappelli for another five years until Diz Disley was forced to take a break in 1979 after breaking his wrist when he was knocked down by a motorcycle in London.
11.
Diz Disley's replacement was a young Martin Taylor, who toured with Grappelli for ten years.
12.
Grappelli and Diz Disley had walk-on parts as gypsy musicians and were suitably attired for the occasion, but the soundtrack to the movie was never released.
13.
In 1984 Diz Disley was instrumental in forming a club quintet for Nigel Kennedy, who was starting to explore other musical styles.
14.
In 1986, Diz Disley formed the Soho String Quintette with Johnny Van Derrick, Nils Solberg, Jeff Green, and David Etheridge.
15.
Diz Disley painted several portraits of jazz musicians, including Illinois Jacquet, in the style of the Cubists.
16.
Diz Disley ran a jazz bar there from 1988, between trips to the UK for continued performances.
17.
Diz Disley led his own groups and made overseas tours until suffering a heart attack and the onset of dementia.
18.
Diz Disley's style was frequently compared to Django Reinhardt's, particularly the single-string soloing.
19.
Diz Disley's contributions are most easily discernible in the solo introductions to certain swing tunes and in acoustic guitar solos backed by the other rhythm guitar and double bass.
20.
Diz Disley was very much a one-off "character" and remembered for his personality traits and eccentricities.
21.
Diz Disley had the ability to make large sums of money and then be completely penniless.
22.
Diz Disley drove and slept in a Rolls-Royce hearse with a sack of carrots and a juicer, believing that carrot juice would offset the effects of alcohol.
23.
Diz Disley arrived at clubs and discovered he got the week of his performance wrong.
24.
Diz Disley frequently arrived at folk clubs without his guitar, borrowing one from the audience, upon which he would play quite unaffected by any instrumental inadequacies.
25.
Diz Disley addressed most people he met as "Dear Boy".