Cab Kaye facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cab Kaye
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Photo Dixie Solleveld
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nii-lante Augustus Kwamlah Quaye |
| Also known as | Cab Quaye, Cab Quay, Kwamlah Quaye, Kwamla Quaye, Nii Lante Quaye, Kab Kay |
| Born | 3 September 1921 London, England |
| Origin | Camden, London, England |
| Died | 13 March 2000 (aged 78) Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
| Genres | Jazz, blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, composer |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano, guitar, drums |
| Years active | 1936–96 |
Nii-lante Augustus Kwamlah Quaye (born September 3, 1921 – died March 13, 2000), known as Cab Kaye, was a talented English jazz singer and pianist. He mixed blues, stride piano, and scat with his Ghanaian background.
Contents
Early Life & Music Beginnings
Cab Kaye was born in Camden, London. He came from a very musical family. His great-grandfather was a drummer in Ghana. His grandfather played the organ for a church in Ghana. Cab's mother sang in English music halls. His father, Caleb Jonas Quaye, was a musician and band leader. He played piano and drums. Caleb was known for his blues piano style in London. He played with famous musicians like Sidney Bechet.
When Cab was very young, his father died in a train accident. Cab, his mother, and sister moved to Portsmouth. Cab spent three years in the hospital as a child for a health issue. He had special treatment that left a scar on his neck.
Cab learned to play the timpani (a type of drum) from a Canadian soldier. When he was 14, he started visiting nightclubs. These clubs welcomed Black musicians. He won a singing contest and got to tour with the Billy Cotton band. On this tour, he met Ellis Jackson, a trombonist. Ellis helped Cab get a job as a singer with Billy Cotton's band. In 1936, Cab recorded his first song, "Shoe Shine Boy." He used the name Cab Quay.
World War II Experiences
In 1937, Cab played drums with different bands. He sang and drummed with the Ivor Kirchin Band until 1940. They played at the Paramount Dance Hall in London. Cab was one of the few Black people there. One time, a guest was not allowed in because of their skin color. Cab refused to perform. This led to Black people being regularly accepted at the club. The Paramount Dance Hall became known as a "Harlem of London."
Soon after, Cab joined the British Merchant Navy. This group helped support the allies during World War II. While Cab was away, a bomb hit the Café de Paris nightclub. Some of his musician friends died there. His mother also died when her house was hit by a bomb.
Cab's ship was attacked in the Pacific Ocean in 1942. He was saved, but the attacks continued. These experiences stayed with him for life. Later, his plane had an accident on the way to a hospital in New York. While recovering, he played in clubs in Harlem and Greenwich Village. He met jazz legends like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. A newspaper article called him "TORPEDOED... SHIPWRECKED... INJURED... BUT HE MET ALL THE SWING STARS!"
Music After the War
In 1946, Cab Kaye sang for British troops in Egypt and India. He performed with Leslie "Jiver" Hutchinson's "All Coloured Band." After that, he was an entertainer in Belgium. In 1947, he returned to London. He sang with bands led by Vic Lewis and Ted Heath. That year, he was voted one of the top jazz musicians by Melody Maker magazine readers.
From 1948, Cab mostly led his own bands. One was called the Ministers of Swing. It included famous saxophonists Ronnie Scott and Johnny Dankworth. Cab inspired many new musicians in London. In 1949, he recorded with Keith Bird and The Esquire Six.
Cab also led Cab Kaye and his Coloured Orchestra. He co-led The Cabinettes with Ronnie Ball. These bands often played at the Fabulous Feldman Club in London. In 1948, Cab's band was the first group with Black musicians to play in Amsterdam's Concertgebouw. He then toured Europe with his All Coloured Band.
In Paris, Cab met jazz greats like Tadd Dameron and Miles Davis. Dameron even gave Cab his only piano lesson. Cab also played with guitarist Django Reinhardt. He reunited with Roy Eldridge and met Don Byas.
In the Netherlands in 1950, Cab performed with jazz trumpeter Dave Wilkins. He also recorded for Dutch radio. In 1951, he recorded in Germany. Cab often played piano for saxophonist Don Byas.
The 1950s & More Adventures
Between 1950 and 1951, Cab's Latin American Band toured Europe. In the Netherlands, Cab met Charlie Parker. He also played at Avifauna, the world's first bird park.
In 1951, Cab had a small part in a movie called Sensation in San Remo. He also organized dance contests like the cha-cha and jive. In 1952, he recorded with the Gerry Moore Trio. He played with drummer Tommy Jones and bassist Brylo Ford. In 1953, Ford and Deacon Jones played in a movie called Blood Orange.
Cab led bands with musicians from different countries. Later, he joined a musical show called Memories of Jolson. Sixteen-year-old Shirley Bassey was also in the show. Cab left the show because he felt it was unfair. He then started a booking agency for musicians. But he soon went back to playing music.
In 1953, he worked with Mary Lou Williams. His group, Cab Kaye's Jazz Septet, performed at the London Palladium. They also played with singer Billy Daniels.
Cab performed in the Netherlands in 1953. Around this time, his "Cab's Secret" hot sauce was sold in London. It was popular with his friends but didn't sell well. In Paris, he played piano for Eartha Kitt. In 1954, he played a singer in the film The Man Who Loved Redheads.
He toured England in 1954, singing with Ken Moule's band. He also toured the Netherlands in 1955–1956. In 1956, Cab played at the Sheherazade jazz club in Amsterdam. He toured Germany and England in 1957.
Cab performed on the British BBC TV show Six-Five Special in 1957. He also appeared on Oh Boy!, a show for teenagers. In 1959, he joined Humphrey Lyttelton's group in London. They recorded the album Humph Meets Cab in 1960. Cab was known for his witty singing on songs like "Let Love Lie Sleeping."
A Swinging Diplomat
On March 6, 1957, the Gold Coast became Ghana, an independent country. This was very important to Cab Kaye. He had family members in high government positions in Ghana. Cab was appointed Government Entertainments Officer. In 1961, he worked at the Ghana High Commission in London. He helped Miriam Makeba get a Ghanaian passport. Her South African passport had been taken away.
Cab started using his Ghanaian name, "Kwamlah Quaye." He worked at the High Commission during the day and played at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club at night. The BBC broadcast a special called Swinging Diplomat in 1961.
Before moving to Ghana, Cab recorded "Everything Is Go." He wrote this song with William "Bill" Davis. In this song, he played guitar for the first time. The song was a tribute to American astronaut John Glenn. In 1962, Cab moved to Accra, Ghana. He formed a duo with singer Mary Hyde.
Cab performed for Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Ghana in 1961. He also played with drummer Guy Warren and folk singer Pete Seeger. Cab performed in Accra and Lagos, Nigeria. He also played in New York. In 1964, he played with Dizzy Gillespie to support African culture.
Later Years & Amsterdam
In the early 1960s, a Ghanaian band covered Cab's song "Beautiful Ghana." It was called "Work and Happiness." This song was often played during Kwame Nkrumah's time as president.
In 1966, the government in Ghana changed. Cab had to explain his political views. His sister in Nigeria offered him a place to stay. This ended his political career. But he always believed in Pan-Africanism, the idea of a united Africa.
From 1965, he played in New York, Europe, and Africa. He performed on Ghanaian and Nigerian radio and TV. In 1968, he performed with his nephews, the Nelson Cole brothers, in Lagos. In 1996, Cab played in Lagos again with Fela Kuti.
After returning to England in 1970, Cab found that his children, Terri Quaye and Caleb Quaye, were also popular musicians. He started his second London career at Mike Leroy's Chez Club Cleo. Cab became a popular jazz musician in London. His daughter Terri sometimes sang with him. In 1974, he performed at the Black Arts Festival in London.
In the late 1970s, Cab moved to Amsterdam, Netherlands. He played with many jazz musicians there. He opened Cab Kaye's Jazz Piano Bar in Amsterdam on October 1, 1979, with his Dutch wife Jeannette. When he wasn't touring, he performed five nights a week at his bar. It became a meeting place for jazz musicians. Famous visitors included Max Roach and Oscar Peterson.
Cab played many concerts in the Netherlands. He performed four times at the North Sea Jazz Festival. He also played at the Victoria Hotel in Amsterdam. In 1987, he helped with a charity event for polio. His Jazz Piano Bar closed in 1988.
Cab's last big performance was on September 8, 1996, in Amsterdam. Many musicians and fans celebrated his 75th birthday. He had a serious illness and could no longer sing. But he played piano with many musicians. He played piano for the last time at home on March 12, 2000.
Family Life
Cab Kaye was born in London but felt he was African. He was married three times. His first wife was Theresa Austin, a jazz singer. They often performed together. They had two daughters, Terri Quaye and Tanya, and a son, Caleb Quaye.
His second wife was Evelyn, from Nigeria. They met in Ghana. Later, he had another son, Finley Quaye, born in 1974. Cab met Finley when Finley was an adult in 1997.
His third wife was Jeannette, who was Dutch. He moved to the Netherlands and became a Dutch citizen. In the 1990s, he had a serious illness that affected his ability to speak. He died on March 13, 2000, at age 78. His ashes were scattered in the North Sea and in Accra, Ghana.
Discography
As leader
- Cab Kaye and His Band, May 1951 (Astraschall)
- Cab Kaye acc. by the Gerry Moore Trio, 1 March 1952 (Esquire)
- Cab Kaye acc. by the Norman Burns Quintet, 17 May 1952 (Esquire)
- Cab Kaye with the Ken Moule Seven, 20 September 1954 (Esquire)
- Cab Kaye Trio, 23 December 1976, Today, (Riff Records, 1977)
- Cab Kaye Trio, 10 July 1981, Cab Kaye Live at the North Sea Jazz Festival 1981 (Philips)
- Cab Kaye live The Key, 20 August 1984 (Keytone)
- Cab Kaye, The Consul of Swing – Victoria Blues, 14 March 1986
- Cab Kaye in Iceland, 18 June 1986 (Icelandic national radio)
- Cab Kaye in Iceland & Africa on Ice, October 1996 (Icelandic national radio)
As sideman
- Billy Cotton and His Band, 27 August 1936 (Regal Zonophone)
- Billy Cotton & His Orchestra, A Nice Cup of Tea Volume 2, recorded 1936–1941 (Vocalion, 2001)
- Jazz at the Town Hall Ensemble, 30 March 1948 (Esquire)
- Keith Bird and The Esquire Six, 13 October 1949 (Esquire)
- Humphrey Lyttelton Quartet, 15 March 1960, Humph Meets Cab (Columbia)
- Humphrey Lyttelton and His Band, 30 March 1960 (Philips)
- Kwamlah Quaye Sextetto Africana (Melodisc, 1962)
- Kwamlah Quaye Sextetto Africana (Melodisc, 1962)
- Billy Cotton & His Band, Things I Love About the 40s, 16 June 1998
- Ginger Johnson & Friends, London Is the Place for Me, volume 4, 2006 (Honest Jon's)
- Billy Cotton & His Band, Wakey Wakey!, 6 September 2005 (Living Era)
- Humphrey Lyttelton and His Quartet Band featuring Cab Kaye, High Class 1959–60, 24 May 2011
- Kenny Ball's Jazzmen and Cab Kaye and His Quartet (Jazz Club – A BBC Programme, Complete as Broadcast in 1961), 28 September 2013 (DigitalGramophone, 2013)
