Thank you Bob, for your mention of drummer Nick Nichols (played with LD right up till around 1960). He did indeed get into jazz, and played in my 6-pc trad group here in Cape Town till he felt he couldn't any more. We are still friends, and in fact he lives about 2km from me. Although he is quite frail now, he still does his shopping on a bicycle. He occasionally pitches up at one of my gigs but declines the invitation to actually play. You can send him a message to riverboat@eject.co.za if you like.
Warm regards
Vernon Varty
Cape Town