The First Albert Skinner Jazz Night
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THE FIRST ALBERT SKINNER JAZZ NIGHT The star of the evening is our own resident jazzman, Tony Kinsey, who has been one of the prime movers in this initiative. Tony will be playing with his Quintet, featuring John Horler (piano), Alec Dankworth (bass), Tony Coe (tenor sax, clarinet), Jimmy Hastings (tenor sax, alto sax, flute) with Tony himself, of course, on drums. Fuller biographical details of the musicians are at the end of this piece. Suffice to say that they are among the best, and best-known, British modern jazz musicians of the post-war era, and we are fortunate indeed to have such an illustrious line-up playing in the village. It will undoubtedly be a splendid, exciting and entertaining evening, and a fitting way to remember Albert, who would have revelled in such an occasion. Tickets are £12.50 including an excellent ploughman’s supper, and they are on sale at Skinner’s Newsagents in Avenue Parade. If you have difficulty getting to Skinners during shop opening hours to buy your tickets, please contact Paul Watts on 01932 788449 or e-mail [email protected], and we try our best to make other arrangements. We are hoping for a sell-out crowd, so please get your tickets as soon as possible, so that we can make it a very special occasion. The Albert Skinner Jazz Night For further information, contact : Paul Watts 01932 788449 [email protected] THE TONY KINSEY QUINTET : BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION Tony Kinsey Sunbury is extremely fortunate to have as a resident one of the major figures of the post-war British modern jazz scene, drummer Tony Kinsey, who has added a dimension to local music events for many years. Having absorbed the new bebop in New York in the late ‘40s, Tony joined the John Dankworth Seven in 1950, leaving in 1952 to start his own group. He led a succession of line-ups, attracting most of the top musicians of his era over the years into his bands, first with a residency at the Studio 51 club, and then at the Flamingo, a residency that was to last an astonishing eight years. Influential names like Bill Le Sage, Joe Harriott, Ronnie Ross were long-time fixtures in his bands, and he recorded with many other leading jazz figures like Tubby Hayes and Jimmy Deuchar. He also toured with some of the top visiting US stars like Billie Holiday, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. He has established a substantial reputation as a composer of music for film and TV, and his performances of his big band works “Thames Suite” and “The Embroidery Suite” have been landmark local events. Tony’s relaxed and understated style ensures that the quintet’s music is never brash or flashy, but the group swings and grooves with the best of them, combining virtuoso improvisations with captivating ensemble passages. Tony Coe Tony has been a leading figure in British modern and mainstream jazz since the 50s, playing clarinet and tenor sax. He played with Humphrey Lyttleton from 1957-62 before leading his own band for a couple of years, and was then offered a job with Count Basie’s Orchestra, a move that was foiled by immigration problems. In the late 60s and early 70s he worked with John Dankworth’s big band, the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Orchestra and Stan Tracey, as well as leading his own groups. His tenor sax was in evidence on Henry Mancini’s Pink Panther movies. He is a renowned improviser, his personal style remaining distinct while he ranges across the jazz landscape from bebop to avant garde. His inspired and flowing interplay with fellow saxist Jimmy Hastings is a feature of his work with the Tony Kinsey Quintet. John Horler With a highly distinctive keyboard style, inspired initially by the playing of the great Bill Evans, John studied piano at the Royal Academy of Music, gaining a reputation on the jazz scene through his appearances on BBC’s Jazz Club. He was much in demand as a session musician, touring with visiting American stars like Bob Brookmeyer, Clark Terry, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn Art Framer and many more, while also citing the inspiration of Miles Davis and Chick Corea as important influences. He also collaborated with the top British musicians over the years – Tommy Whittle, Pete King, Ronnie Ross and Tony Coe – gigging, composing and recording regularly, as well as. For the last twenty years he has been first pianist to Sir John Dankworth and Dame Cleo Laine, and in 2002 was awarded the accolade of Critics Coice Jazz Pianist of the Year. His most recent album was with the Modern Jazz Trio alongside Sam Burgess and Mike Smith in 2007. Alec Dankworth Being the son of two of the most illustrious names in British post-war jazz could easily have been as much of a burden as an advantage as the young Alec tried to make his way in the jazz world, with the weight of expectation and some high standards to live up to. The fact that Alec has established a solid reputation in his own right as one of the best and most hard-working double bass players around is a testament to his talent. He has played and recorded with some of top names in both British and American jazz, such as Dick Morrissey, Tim Whitehead, Elphie Resnick, Buddy De Franco, Clark Terry, Alan Barnes, Dave O’Higgins, Dave Brubeck and the South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, as well as artists better known in other genres like Nigel Kennedy and Van Morrison. He currently co-leads the Generation Band with his father John, as well as performing with his own Trio and an expanded new group called Spanish Accents. Jimmy Hastings After starting his career playing on cruise liners, tenor saxist Jimmy Hastings returned to the UK to join Ken Mackintosh and then the BBC Radio Orchestra, soon renamed the BBC Big Band. During this time he starting gigging at the Bull’s Head in Barnes, playing with long-time Tony Kinsey collaborator Bill Le Sage and Dave Horler, before teaming up with Dave’s brother John in a series of bands. After going freelance, Jimmy was a ubiquitous figure in the orchestras of a string of top West End musicals, and worked with the touring orchestras of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. Tony Bennett and a host of others, while on the jazz scene working with Art Farmer, Red Rodney, Bill Berry and many more. Jimmy also had a lengthy association, along with his brother Pye, as a member of the top progressive rock act Caravan, appearing on all their albums. Having failed an audition for Humphrey Lyttelton at the start of his career, Jimmy got a call from Humph in 1993 and joined his band, playing alto sax, clarinet and flute as well as tenor. He is a member of Dankworth Generation Band and is a professor of Saxophone at the London College of Music..