How annoying is this? I know that I have seen the original programme for this concert, a small buff trifold card. Bert is listed as ‘Master Albert Torrence’. Where on earth is it? What you see in the photo is a photocopied page from ‘ Rhythm’, October 1927 which tells readers about the forthcoming concert.
‘The first festival will be held at The Wigmore Hall on Saturday December 10 at 7.30 p.m. The following great array of artists will positively appear: Messrs. Ernest Jones, Bernard Sheaff, David Milner, Ernest Douri, Tarrant Bailey Jr., Joe Morley, Samuel Skinner, Master Albert Torrence, Mario De Petrio, and Alfred Cammeyer.’
I also have a typed list of the music played, with Bert playing ‘Fairyland Schottische’ by Joe Morley.
This raises questions for me. Who discovered that this South London teenager was such a promising banjoist? After this early success (on the same bill as Cammeyer and Joe Morley!), why didn’t Bert follow it up? Sadly, there’s no one left to ask.