'Prepare To Be Bedazzled'

Recently, a band of volunteers at Music Street, an arts group that curate local
events and promote 'Musical Routes To Wellbeing', discovered rare
footage of the Dudley Moore Trio available for sale online and bought
it, not only because they are huge fan's of Moore’s work, but also
because as arts event organisers they felt it deserved to be shared
more widely.

 

Having
secured these quadruplex reels; tape that was used by TV companies
from the 1950's till the late 70's, the first thing they had to do
was get it digitised. Chairman of Music Street, Pete Corby said, "We
haven't touched the visuals, which are good for a tape of it's age,
but there were many audio problems that had to be fixed without
harming the original soundtrack, which is now as crisp as the day it
was recorded, and we're very pleased with the results.

As
we are all huge Pete 'n Dud fans, we were beyond excited when
Dudley's concert footage became available – it is a unique piece
and the perfect showcase of the talents of a man, whose massive
musical talent was rather overshadowed by his comedy and acting. As
soon as we watched it, we knew that something this rare and this good
had to be shared, and so the idea to put on a special tribute was
hatched."

Music
Street's resident film maker Claire Minett said, "It is a
stand alone event, a one off, so we thought where better to have it
than Hebden Bridge Picturehouse where it can be shown in style. It
has been a great opportunity for Music Street volunteers to create a
special programme around this newly discovered film that we hope will
excite all local jazz aficionados, as well as Peter Cook and Dudley
Moore fans; as we are pleased to be able to the screen the legendary
comic duo in the cult classic Bedazzled. Wittily written by Peter
Cook with an intoxicating score by Dudley Moore, Bedazzled stands
as the double acts best performance on the big screen at the
height of their creative powers."

It
promises to be a fabulous afternoon and evening of entertainment as
The Chris Ingham Quartet take the stage for a stunning homage to
Dudley's jazz as they perform and tell his story through music
magnificently.

Ingham
said, “As for Dudley, it’s simply that he is an undervalued
British musician whose work in the 1960s, as a player and composer,
was essentially whitewashed from history as his fame in other areas
grew. Our Dudley album and live shows are heartfelt efforts to
help address this historical imbalance. I was reading Alan Bennett’s
Diaries and he remarked in his entry soon after Dud passed in 2002,
at how little had been said about his prowess as a musician. Everyone
who was lucky enough to encounter it first-hand was dazzled.”

Bedazzled:
A Celebration
takes place on 25 May 2024 between 3 – 10pm at Hebden Bridge Picture House.
Tickets cost £15 or £10 for concessions and are available at
https://www.hebdenbridgepicturehouse.co.uk/movies/bedazzled-a-celebration