Jack Simpson: An Ear for Jazz, an Eye For Lorraine

Jazz records, tapes, books, videos, CDs, posters and other paraphernalia line the walls of two rooms of Jack and Lorraine Simpson's cozy home. Autographed photos of Count Basie, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Wynton Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy de Franco and other jazz greats smile down from the walls. Simpson points to a framed 78-rpm record, a classic 1937 Benny Carter and Coleman Hawkins recording, explaining that this was the first jazz record he ever purchased.

Born in Blackburn, England in 1924, and raised largely in Leeds, Simpson became enamored with jazz and the U.S.A in his early teens . His interest was sparked by American movies, especially the Andy Hardy series with Mickey Rooney, and by a London Times pictorial supplement about a royal visit to the States.

WW II began in 1939 when Simpson was 15. "Assuming I got through the war OK," he recalls,
"the way I saw it was, no matter how smart you were, or how hard you worked, if you were in a certain strata of life, that's where you were going to stay... I wanted to have a better life. I made it clear to my folks that I wanted to go to America."

A 4½-year stint in the RAF, an interest in electronics and an American girl pen pal played pivotal roles in Simpson's future.

When the air raids started, his parents evacuated him to a town 25 miles north . Becasue Jack, an only child, was unhappy there, his family relented and brought him home. He went to work in a department store, eventually in the service department repairing radios. Evenings were spent listening to English dance bands playing American swing and jazz tunes on his radio at home.

In 1942, when he turned 18, he was inducted into the RAF and trained at the Royal Technical College to become a wireless mechanic. Eventually he was sent to India, where he perfected his American facade, tailoring his uniforms to look more like GI clothes and altering his speech to sound more American. Manning the record player in the mess hall every day, he impersonated a disk jockey and sounded so American he was nicknamed "Yank."

After the war, he announced that he still wanted to immigrate to America. His mother reluctantly helped him arrange his transportation. Marion, one of three American girl pen pals, got her father to fill out all the necessary affidavits and an immigration visa was issued. Marion met Simpson at LaGuardia Airport when he landed in December, 1947 and helped him locate a rplace to live.

In time, Simpson landed a job with RCA in the Bronx, installing television sets. "I can never forget the sound of me carrying these 12-15-foot poles to the roofs of these buildings., Simpson remembers. " Clang, clang, clang - all the way up the stairs to the fifth or sixth floor. Then I was on the roof and I could look down and see the skyline of Manhattan. And I thought, 'I'm here. I'm really here!'"

The relationship with Marion ultimately soured and Simpson connected with a group of young men from Long Island. He was renting an attic room in a friend’s family home, and Lorraine, his future wife, was the young sister of his friend. They first met when he was 25 and she was 14, and it turned into a romance a few years later.

His favorite memory of his early years in America? "I’ve never forgotten that moment - the first time I kissed Lorraine." After that kiss, realizing he was in love with her, he moved out of the house because it seemed improper to stay there. But the relationship continued and they married two years later. After baby girl Corey was born, Simpson transferred in 1958 to Florida as manager of RCA's Cape Radio Communications. Sons John, Jeff and Kenny were born in Florida. Kenny, a veterinarian and John, who owns an exterminating business, live in the area. Corey works for a Connecticut publishing firm and Jeff, a saxophone player, teaches music in a school in Marietta, Georgia

Simpson says Lorraine "inspired me to do most of the significant things I've done." For example, as a result of Lorraine's urging, in 1967 Simpson sold the idea for his first radio show to WRKT-FM, calling it "Jazz on the Beach." Today he can claim the longest sustained jazz radio show in the area and "Enchanted Lady," his theme song, can be heard on both WUCF in Orlando and WFIT in Melbourne.

Lorraine, a social worker for the Community Action Agency, organized a group of disadvantaged children into a singing group called the "Junior Messengers." She convinced her husband to put on a jazz fundraiser on their behalf. It was held at the Carnival Club in 1970, featuring Ira Sullivan, Howard McGee and Bert Francis. Simpson produced benefit jazz concerts in Cocoa Beach for the next 30 years. Also in 1985 Simpson and Alan Simms formed the Jazz Society of Brevard. Simpson remained as Senior Director until 1995.

After a lifetime of enjoying jazz, Simpson is hard pressed to identify his favorite musical memories but he especially remembers being invited by Joe Rico, a renown jazz disc jockey to participate in a jazz festival held at a jai alai fronton in Miami. "My guy to introduce was George Benson," Simpson recalls, "and I was able to interview Brubeck and Gerry Mulligan. Miles Davis wouldn’t talk to me. That was my first exposure to big time jazz."

Simpson’s choice of a favorite musician is more difficult. He considers Coleman Hawkins, Art Pepper and Charlie Parker, but decides, "I cannot ignore Dizzy Gillespie and his big band records of 1948-49."

His favorite record of all time? "Prince Albert" by Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. "It’s based on the chord changes of ‘All the Things You Are’ and has jazz greats Kenny Durham, Hank Mobely and Horace Silver…I could listen to that a lot. I still get kicks out of what they do with this tune."