JOHN DANKWORTH

In a career that spans more than fifty years as a performer, composer and conductor, John Dankworth combines confidence and virtuosity with eclecticism and unpredictability.

It is unlikely that there is a British musician better known for a wider range of musical activities. For many years now his name has been synonymous with the crossing of musical barriers. Indeed he started achieving quite surprising musical breakthroughs of this sort at a time when such events were rare occurrences.

Born in 1927, John Dankworth showed early proficiency on the clarinet and by the age of 17 had entered London’s Royal Academy of Music. Benny Goodman was his first idol, but he soon became impressed by the work of the great Charlie Parker, and took up the saxophone as a result. He was voted Musician of the Year in Britain in 1949, the beginning of a succession of such honours, which included top composer, arranger and leader of both small and big bands, and was to continue unabated for the next fourteen years in Britain. Later the accolades took on different and often more international forms. During this period Dankworth’s recording activities included two hit records, “Experiments with Mice” (1956) and “African Waltz” (1960).

In 1959 Dankworth’s large jazz orchestra played several engagements in the United States, the first of countless such visits by its leader. The trip included a week-long concert season sharing the bill with the Duke Ellington Orchestra in its heyday.

Around this time John first began devoting his musical attentions to the film world. And so began a decade or so of dozens of movie scores, including “Saturday Night and Sunday Morning”, “The Servant”, “Morgan”, “Accident” and “Modesty Blaise”, working for directors like Karel Reisz, Peter Hall, John Schlesinger, Joseph Losey and Henry Hathaway.

During this time he also served as musical director for Nat “King” Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Sophie Tucker and many others. His composing career extended to the theatre, with commissions in Britain from the National Theatre and The Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as two musicals both involving his wife, singer Cleo Laine. Since then there has been an opera/ballet for Houston Ballet, several works for choir and orchestra, a set of symphonic variations for the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a piano concerto and a string quartet.

In 1985 Dankworth founded the London Symphony Orchestra’s Summer Pops, with which he continued to be associated as Artistic Director until 1990. He has continued to conduct symphony orchestras throughout the world, including the majority of the great American and Canadian organisations, as well as in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Holland and, of course, Great Britain. John lives with his wife, Dame Cleo Laine, in Wavendon, Buckinghamshire, where in 1969 they founded their first charity, The Wavendon Allmusic Plan, with the aim of helping people broaden their views about music through performance and musical education. In the converted stable block in the grounds of their home they established an arts centre that has since become internationally renowned. The Stables, Wavendon has been host to many world famous artistes, from Vladimir Ashkenazy to George Shearing, and some of today’s top professional musicians and singers have benefited from its education projects in the early stages of their careers. With the aid of an Arts Council lottery grant the new Stables theatre, built adjacent to the original stable block, opened its doors in October 2000 and continues to provide performers, students and audience alike with a centre of musical excellence second to none. The organisation, administered by a board of honorary trustees that includes John Dankworth and Cleo Laine, currently produces an annual programme featuring nearly 200 concerts and 300 education sessions. Having realised their original vision, John and Cleo decided in 1999 to set up a further charity. The Wavendon Foundation was formed with the objective of raising funds to benefit both individual young artistes in need of financial aid, and organisations seeking support for music education projects. A major activity of the trust is the annual Wavendon Garden Season, a programme of summer events staged under a purpose-built canopy in the Dankworths’ garden.

John has been awarded honorary Doctorates by the University of Cambridge, the University of York and the Open University, and in the USA by Boston’s Berklee College of Music. He is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music and Leeds College of Music. Elected a member of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, he received the Freedom of the City of London in 1994. He was also awarded the Company’s Silver Medal for Lifetime Contribution to British Jazz, and has been honoured in the annual British Jazz Awards a number of times for his achievements in and services to British Jazz. His services to music have earned him a CBE and a Knighthood from Her Majesty the Queen.

John Dankworth continues to travel the world playing, conducting, composing - and continuing his untiring search for musical perfection.

Publications: Jazz in Revolution (Constable, 1998) Sax from the Start (Kevin Mayhew, 1996) JOHN DANKWORTH JAZZ BIOGRAPHY

Born in London, England, in 1927, Dankworth was brought up in a musical environment amongst a family of musicians. He had violin and piano lessons before settling eventually on the clarinet at the age of 16, after hearing a record of the Benny Goodman Quartet. Soon after that, inspired by Johnny Hodges, he added the alto saxophone to his armoury.

After a spell at London’s Royal Academy of Music, and another in the army, he began an illustrious career on the British jazz scene, being voted Musician of the Year in 1949. During that year he attended the Paris Jazz Festival and played with alto-sax giant Charlie “Yardbird” Parker. Parker’s comments about Dankworth led to the engagement of the young British jazzman for a short tour of Sweden with the legendary soprano-saxist Sidney Bechet.

In 1950 Dankworth, from the very start a prolific jazz composer and orchestrator, formed a small group known as the Dankworth Seven as a vehicle for his writing activities as well as a showcase for several young jazz soloists. After three successful years, the Seven made way for a big band in 1953. The band was soon earning plaudits from critics worldwide and was invited to the 1959 Newport Jazz Festival. The New York Times critic said of this appearance “.... Mr. Dankworth’s group .... showed the underlying merit that made big bands successful many years ago - the swinging drive, the harmonic colour and the support in depth for soloists that is possible when a disciplined, imaginatively directed band has worked together for a long time. This English group has a flowing, unforced, rhythmic drive that has virtually disappeared from American bands.” The band went on to perform at New York’s Birdland jazz club, and shortly afterwards shared the stage with the Duke Ellington band (which at that time included Clark Terry, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves and Jimmy Hamilton) for a number of concerts. Dankworth’s band also performed at a jazz event at New York’s Lewisohn stadium where Louis Armstrong joined them for a set.

During the ensuing years Dankworth’s friendship with Ellingtonian trumpet-player Clark Terry led to Clark being a featured soloist on Dankworth’s 1964 album “The Zodiac Variations”, together with Bob Brookmeyer, Zoot Sims, Phil Woods, Lucky Thompson and other guests. Other Dankworth recordings during this period featured many other respected jazz names. Some were full-time members of the Dankworth band at one time or another, like Kenny Wheeler, Peter King, Mike Gibbs and Tony Coe, while others were occasional participants such as Dave Holland, John McLaughlin and Tubby Hayes.

In 1961 Dankworth’s recording of Galt MacDermot’s “African Waltz” reached the British charts and remained there for several months. American altoist “Cannonball” Adderley sought and received Dankworth’s permission to record the arrangement for the US market and had a minor hit as a result. The piece was also “covered” in recorded versions by 39 other bands worldwide.

During this active period of recording, the Dankworth band nevertheless found time for frequent live appearances and radio shows, including tours in Britain and Europe with Nat “King” Cole, Sarah Vaughan and Gerry Mulligan, and concerts and radio performances with Lionel Hampton and Ella Fitzgerald.

Dankworth’s friendship with Duke Ellington continued until the latter’s death in 1974. Since then John has recorded an album of symphonic arrangements of many Ellington tunes featuring another Ellingtonian, trumpet soloist Barry Lee Hall. Dankworth has also retained his Ellington links by performing with the Ellington Orchestra under the direction of Duke’s son, Mercer. Further symphonic albums include one with the late Dizzy Gillespie and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.

Other Jazz musicians with whom John Dankworth has performed include George Shearing, Toots Thielemans, Benny Goodman, Herbie Hancock, Hank Jones, Tadd Dameron, Slam Stewart, Oscar Peterson - the list is almost endless.

John Dankworth’s active jazz life, which of course also includes many appearances and recordings with his wife, singer Cleo Laine, shows no signs of abating. He remains a dominant force on the British jazz scene and a known and respected figure by jazz-lovers all over the world. JOHN DANKWORTH

John Dankworth's career as performer, composer and conductor spans almost fifty years. It is unlikely that there is a British musician better known for a wider range of activities.

Born in 1927, Dankworth studied clarinet at London’s Royal Academy of Music. His early career led to a succession of honours and to two hit records. His composing career has covered film, theatre, ballet and musicals, works for choir and orchestra, symphonic variations, piano and clarinet concerto and string quartet.

He lives in Buckinghamshire with his wife, vocalist Dame Cleo Laine. Here, in 1969, they founded the Wavendon Allmusic Plan, a vision that led to the establishment of The Stables,Wavendon as an internationally renowned arts centre. Since the opening of its new building in October 2000 with the aid of lottery finance, the theatre continues to provide performers, students and audience alike with a centre of musical excellence second to none.

Dankworth founded the London Symphony Orchestra’s Summer Pops in 1985 and has continued to work with symphony orchestras worldwide. His active jazz life, including many appearances and recordings with Cleo Laine, shows no sign of abating, and he remains a dominant force on the British jazz scene and a figure known and respected by jazz-lovers the world over.

Publications: Jazz in Revolution (Constable, 1998) Sax from the Start (Kevin Mayhew, 1996)