Albon Timothy (5 July 1915 – 8 December 2000) was a

Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

and calypso musician and songwriter who played numerous instruments but was best known for his

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

playing. His most successful hit as a songwriter was " Kiss Me, Honey Honey, Kiss Me", written with Michael Julien, which reached number 3 in 1959 in the charts sung by Shirley Bassey.

Background

Born in Radix,

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

, Timothy started playing the flute aged 8 years. His father was a musician and instrument maker and encouraged his progress. While working as a tailor he taught himself double bass and saxophone. He then married Alice Gachette, a business woman and seamstress, and they had a daughter called Lisa Mary Jocelyn Timothy (who became a top international model called 'Schultzi'). Timothy arrived in London from Trinidad in 1948.

Career

Timothy accompanied the calypso artist Lord Kitchener and was bandleader

Cab Kaye Nii-lante Augustus Kwamlah Quaye (3 September 1921 – 13 March 2000), known professionally as Cab Kaye, was an English jazz singer and pianist of Ghanaian descent. He combined blues, stride piano, and scat with his Ghanaian heritage. Youth ...

's featured saxophone soloist. He was also greatly involved in the emerging bebop scene in London. Here he met the famous American jazz patron and

Rothschild Rothschild () is a name derived from the German ''zum rothen Schild'' (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "with the red sign", in reference to the houses where these family members lived or had lived. At the time, houses were designated by sign ...

heiress, Baroness

Pannonica de Koenigswarter Baroness Kathleen Annie Pannonica de Koenigswarter (''née'' Rothschild; 10 December 1913 – 30 November 1988) was a British-born jazz patron and writer. A leading patron of bebop, she was a member of the Rothschild family. Personal life Kath ...

, when sharing a bill with pianist

Teddy Wilson Theodore Shaw Wilson (November 24, 1912 – July 31, 1986) was an American jazz pianist. Described by critic Scott Yanow as "the definitive swing pianist", Wilson had a sophisticated, elegant style. His work was featured on the records of many ...

. When she opened the refurbished Studio 51, London's leading modern jazz venue, he became resident bandleader, as leader of Al Timothy and his All-Stars. He co-led the Timwu-Kee Sextet with Singaporean pianist David Wu and trumpeter

Shake Keane Ellsworth McGranahan "Shake" Keane (30 May 1927 – 11 November 1997) was a Vincentian jazz musician and poet. He is best known today for his role as a jazz trumpeter, principally his work as a member of the ground-breaking Joe Harriott Quintet ...

at the Celebrity restaurant in Mayfair, a venue which became famous and hosted a broadcast of

BBC radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

's popular ''

Two-Way Family Favourites ''Family Favourites'' (remembered by its later name ''Two-Way Family Favourites'') was the successor to the wartime radio show ''Forces Favourites'', broadcast at Sunday lunchtimes on the BBC Light Programme, later BBC Radio 2 from 1945 unti ...

''. Timothy also appeared on British television's ground-breaking teen music programme, '' Oh Boy!''. His connection with De Koenigswarter brought him to New York in 1956, where she opened doors to the saxophonist, and introduced him to pianist

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

, Sonny Rollins and Ernie HenryDe Koenigswarter, Pannonica. ''Three Wishes – An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats''. Harry N. Abrams, inc. 2008, p. 304-305. On return to England he continued to work as a band leader/saxophonist and songwriter, successes included "Football Football" and "That's What Love Does For You" recorded by

Edmundo Ros Edmundo Ros OBE, FRAM (7 December 1910 – 21 October 2011), born Edmund William Ross, was a Trinidadian-Venezuelan musician, vocalist, arranger and bandleader who made his career in Britain. He directed a highly popular Latin American orchestr ...

and

David Essex David Essex (born David Albert Cook; 23 July 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. Since the 1970s, he has attained 19 Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones) and 16 Top 40 albums. Internationally, Essex had the most ...

. He also enjoyed success as a cabaret act during the 1970s and 1980s, performing at many well known nightclubs and late night venues, such as The Barn at

Braintree, Essex Braintree is a town and former civil parish in Essex, England. The principal settlement of Braintree District, it is located northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester. According to the 2011 Census, the town had a population of 41,634, ...

Later years

Al Timothy died in 2000 following complications of a stroke in 1999. He was survived by his four children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Timothy, Al Jazz tenor saxophonists 1915 births 2000 deaths 20th-century Trinidad and Tobago musicians 20th-century saxophonists