4 Observer Wednesday, February 28,2007
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Goodbye,
jazz man
Family's tribute
to 'loveable rogue' who jammed with the qreatest
A CHARISMATIC
jazz man who jammed with Roy Castle and Bruce Forsyth, and swapped one-liners with legendary
funnyman Bob Monkhouse, passed away
on Monday.
Pianist Donald
Preston, 74, from Schaffer House, Maidenbower,
was described by family as a 'loveable
rogue who could charm the birds out of the trees'. His
son David Preston, 46, from Billinghurst, said his dad, who, in his
prime, tickled the ivories in Crawley's pubs and clubs six times a week,
would be sadly missed. He
said: "He could be the life and soul of the party and most people knew
him for that. He had a really good
sense of humour and absolutely loved his music. I suppose he
was a bit of a Jack the Lad, he loved a drink and the ladies!
By MATT GAW
through
music, swapping the church organ for the
hip beats of the Crawley jazz scene
- The Don Preston Trio - seen regularly in Sussex clubs.
David explained: "Dad was never destined
for the Army, his hayfever putting paid to National Service. He juggled his part-time
job as a cinema projectionist at the Embassy in Crawley
and cinemas in Redhill, where he met his wife Brenda. "He also entertained cinemagoers
on the theatre organ, rising majestically out of the floor, with all its
coloured lights and thunderous sounds."
But David claimed it's through the
'wild times' in Crawley's clubs and pubs that most people will remember their
much-missed dad, 'drinking scotch and coke and playing cracking jazz' in the Crawley
Club on Brighton Road and the old Grasshopper in Tilgate. Most famous of all was
Don's appearances in the seventies at the Stoods Motel at Hickstead. It was here
that the man with the sparkling eyes shone alongside the likes of Roy Castle,
Mike and Bernie Winters, Bob Monkhouse and Bruce Forsyth.
But when Brenda, his wife, died
in 1983 things started to slow down for the popular jazz man. After several operations on his hands
to relieve stiffening tendons, Don's playing career began to wane and with it
his health. Don leaves a son and daughter and three grandchildren.
matthew.eawiS).
CHARMING: Jazz man Don Preston
"He was a real character. He will
be sadly missed by a lot of people. Don was a loveable rogue, someone who could
charm the birds out of the trees."
His daughter Julie Richardson, 42
added: "He could be as cantankerous an individual as any Victor Meldrew, but then
he would smile and twinkle with those blue eyes and say, 'Sorry I didn't mean
if and you couldn't help but forgive him, however cross you were." Born in
1932 at The Mount Farm, Ifield, Don spent his early years playing with older cousin,
George Styles, who went on to be decorated with the George Cross after defusing
several IRA bombs.
But Donald marlp his nnma
Thank
You
St Catherine's
Hospice wishes to extend
thanks to all who
have sent
donations in memory of loved
ones during
January 20O7. These totalled