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Alan Branscombe
Alan Branscombe (4 June 1936 – 27 October 1986) was an English jazz pianist, vibraphonist, and alto saxophonist. Biography Branscombe was born in Wallasey, Cheshire (now Merseyside), in 1936. His father and grandfather were also professional musicians. He played drums with Victor Feldman in a talent show as a child. He began on alto sax at age six, and played in the army with Jeff Clyne in 1954–56. He toured and recorded with Vic Ash in 1958, recorded with Tony Kinsey in 1959, and toured Japan with Stanley Black in 1960. He worked with John Dankworth as pianist and vibraphonist intermittently between 1960 and 1972, including in the 1963 film ''The Servant''. He joined Harry South's band at Ronnie Scott's club in the mid-1960s, and played as a sideman with Tubby Hayes (1964), Stan Tracey (1966–68), Paul Gonsalves (1969), Ben Webster (1965, 1970), and Albert Nicholas (1973). Branscombe toured in Europe with Stan Getz in 1970, and played with the Lamb-Premru group arou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wallasey
Wallasey () is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England; until 1974, it was part of the historic county of Cheshire. It is situated at the mouth of the River Mersey, at the north-eastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula. At the 2011 Census, the population was 60,284. History Toponymy The name of Wallasey originates from the Germanic word '' Walha'', meaning a Briton, a Welshman, which is also the origin of the name Wales. The suffix “''-ey''” denotes an island or area of dry land. Originally the higher ground now occupied by Wallasey was separated from the rest of Wirral by the creek known as Wallasey Pool (which later became the docks), the marshy areas of Bidston Moss and Leasowe, and sand dunes along the coast. Early history Within the boundaries of the historic county of Cheshire, the area was sparsely populated before the 19th century. Horse races organised for the Earls of Derby on the sands at Leasowe in the 16th and 17th centur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stan Tracey
Stanley William Tracey (30 December 1926 – 6 December 2013) was a British jazz pianist and composer, whose most important influences were Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Tracey's best known recording is the 1965 album ''Jazz Suite Inspired by Dylan Thomas's "Under Milk Wood"'', which is based on the BBC radio drama ''Under Milk Wood'', by Dylan Thomas. Early career The Second World War meant that Tracey had a disrupted formal education, and he became a professional musician at the age of sixteen as a member of an ENSA touring group playing the accordion, his first instrument. He joined Ralph Reader, Ralph Reader's Gang Shows at the age of nineteen, while in the Royal Air Force, RAF and formed a brief acquaintance with the comedian Tony Hancock. Later, in the early 1950s, he worked in groups on the transatlantic ocean liner, liners ''RMS Queen Mary, Queen Mary'' and ''Caronia'' and toured the UK in 1951 with Cab Calloway. By the mid-1950s, he had also taken up the vibrapho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Song For Someone (album)
''Song for Someone'' is the second album led by trumpeter and composer Kenny Wheeler which was recorded in 1973 and released on the Incus label. The album was rereleased on CD on Psi Records in 2004. accessed May 31, 2016 Reception The review by Steve Loewy noted "This recording has a split personality: much of it comes from a solid, 1970s jazz big band perspective, with occasional emblems of the era (such as electric piano), and consistently solid solos, especially from the leader, trumpeter Kenny Wheeler... often known for his work in ensembles in which free improvisation is the unifying factor... Some might find it disconcerting that two seemingly disparate styles are juxtaposed t ...[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Windmill Tilter
''Windmill Tilter: The Story of Don Quixote'' is an album by trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, his first as a leader. It was recorded in March 1968 and was released in 1969 by Fontana Records. On the album, Wheeler, credited as "Ken Wheeler," is joined by the John Dankworth Orchestra. In 2010, the album was reissued by BGO Records in remastered form. In 2021 it was reissued on vinyl as part of Decca's British Jazz Explosion series, remastered and re-cut from the original master tapes by Gearbox Records. ''Windmill Tilter'' came about when Wheeler was unable to play for several months due to dental issues, and Dankworth, with whom Wheeler had toured, suggested that he put together material for an album. The recording, which was inspired by Miguel de Cervantes' ''Don Quixote'', was John McLaughlin's last session before his departure for the United States, and was Dave Holland's first recording. Reception In a review for ''All About Jazz'', John Kelman wrote that the album was "long considere ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kenny Wheeler
Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he was also active in free improvisation and occasionally contributed to rock music recordings. Wheeler wrote over one hundred compositions and was a skilled arranger for small groups and large ensembles. Wheeler was the patron of the Royal Academy Junior Jazz course. Early life Wheeler was born in Toronto, Ontario, on 14 January 1930. Growing up in Toronto, he began playing the cornet at age 12 and became interested in jazz in his mid-teens. Wheeler spent a year studying composition at The Royal Conservatory of Music in 1950. In 1952 he moved to Britain. He found his way into the London jazz scene of the time, playing in groups led by Tommy Whittle, Tubby Hayes, and Ronnie Scott. Career In the late 1950s, he was a member of Buddy Featherstonhaugh's quinte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harold McNair
Harold McNair (5 November 1931 – 7 March 1971) was a Jamaican-born saxophonist and flautist. Early life McNair was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He attended the Alpha Boys School under the tutelage of Vincent Tulloch, while playing with Joe Harriott (a lifelong friend who considered McNair his ''de facto'' younger brother), Wilton "Bogey" Gaynair, and Baba Motta's band. He spent the first decade of his musical career in The Bahamas, where he used the name "Little G" for recordings and live performances. His early Bahamian recordings were mostly in Caribbean musical styles rather than jazz, in which he sang and played both alto and tenor saxophone. He also played a calypso singer in the film '' Island Women'' (1958). In 1960, he recorded his first album, a mixture of jazz and calypso numbers entitled ''Bahama Bash''. It was around this time that he began playing the flute, which would eventually become his signature instrument. Initially he had some lessons in New York, but ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don Harper
Don Harper (192130 May 1999) was an Australian composer. Born in Melbourne in 1921, Don Harper showed an interest in music from an early age, learning to play the violin as a child. His formal study began at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, New South Wales Conservatorium of Music. In later years he would become the successful conductor of one of Australia's most popular big bands as well as being a prolific film and television composer. In 1955 he emigrated to England, and found himself much in demand for television scores. During his seven-year stay in the country he provided music and themes for ''World of Sport (UK TV series), World of Sport'', ''The Big Match'', ''Champion House'' and ''Sexton Blake (TV series), Sexton Blake'' amongst other popular series. The Don Harper Sextet also broadcast regularly on the BBC's 'Music While You Work'. Returning to Australia in 1962, Don Harper would regularly be seen performing on Australian television and on radio as well as in ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
