Humphrey Lyttelton’s Last Chorus: An Autobiographical Medley Published by JR Books on October 25, £18.99.order this book
BOUQUETS of flowers were left outside Mornington Crescent Tube station in tribute to Humphrey Lyttelton when the jazz trumpet-playing host of I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue died a few months ago, and left his admirers still chuckling over the Radio 4 show’s mystifying London Tube station game called Mornington Crescent. Now I am pleased to report that Camden Town publishers JR Books is to publish the “ultimate” Humphrey Lyttelton book, drawing on a collection of diaries, letters, caricatures, cartoons and photos spanning 50 years.
Last Chorus, due to appear in October, chronicles the life of the jazz musician, who died in April aged 86.
Jeremy Robson, publisher at JR Books, describes the collection as “absolutely captivating and a real treasure trove” and adds: “The diaries, beautifully written in his own fine hand and often very revealing, are a work of art in themselves.” The 4-500-page book takes readers from his childhood as the son of an Eton housemaster and his time in the army, through to his life as a jazz musician playing with legendary figures such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, and his many years on the Radio 4 comedy quiz show. As well as hosting I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, Humph was also the host of BBC Radio 2’s The Best of Jazz for more than 40 years. “He was an absolutely wonderful writer—not a comma needed changing,” says Jeremy. “I have been working closely with Humph’s son Stephen on a daily basis, sifting and organising the material into what we see as the ultimate Lyttelton book. It is a real privilege to be publishing it.”
The book will also offer a rare glimpse into Lyttelton’s life. “What has been touching since he died is that thousands of people have been sending messages to the website, many of them quite young,” Jeremy reveals. “They all talk as if they knew him, and Stephen feels this book is a way of knowing him for more than just being on the radio.” GERALD ISAAMAN