William A. Le Sage (20 January 1927 – 31 October 2001) was a British pianist,

vibraphonist The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

, arranger, composer and bandleader.Fordham, John. Obituary, ''The Guardian'', 2 November, 2001
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Early life

Le Sage was born in London on 20 January 1927. His father, William (1899-1951) was a drummer and his two uncles were both musicians (George - trumpet, saxophone and Ernie - guitar). He started playing the ukulele at the age of eight, and drums at fifteen. He was self-taught as a pianist.

Later life and career

Le Sage's career began in 1945, after he had returned to London after being an evacuee in Sussex, when he led a sextet. He was then a member of army bands while serving with the

Royal Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

. He played piano for the

Johnny Dankworth Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Variant ...

Seven in March 1950, but soon switched to vibraphone. He left in 1954 to join the various small groups led by the drummer

Tony Kinsey Cyril Anthony Kinsey (born 11 October 1927) is an English jazz drummer and composer. Early life Kinsey was born in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England. He held jobs on trans-Atlantic ships while young, studying while at port with Bill West i ...

, with whom he stayed until 1961. He then joined baritone sax player

Ronnie Ross Albert Ronald Ross (2 October 1933 – 12 December 1991) was a British jazz baritone saxophonist. Life Born in Calcutta, India, to Scottish parents, Ross moved to England in 1946 and was educated at the Perse School in Cambridge. He beg ...

, with whom he co-led various line-ups until 1966. During this period, Le Sage also played with Kenny Baker's Dozen. He began writing music for television and films. During the 1960s, Le Sage was with

Jack Parnell John Russell Parnell (6 August 1923 – 8 August 2010) was an English musician and musical director. Biography Parnell was born into a theatrical family in London, England. His uncle was the theatrical impresario Val Parnell. During hi ...

's ATV orchestra, the

Chris Barber Donald Christopher "Chris" Barber OBE (17 April 1930 – 2 March 2021) was an English jazz musician, best known as a bandleader and trombonist. He helped many musicians with their careers and had a UK top twenty trad jazz hit with " Petite Fl ...

Band, and led his group, Directions in Jazz. His composer credits included scores for the films ''

The Tell-Tale Heart "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843. It is related by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of the narrator's sanity while simultaneously describing a murder the n ...

'' (1960), ''

Tarnished Heroes ''Tarnished Heroes'' is a 1961 British war film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Dermot Walsh and Anton Rodgers. It was produced by Danziger Productions. The film is set in France during World War II, and concerns a British major who destroy ...

'' (1961), ''

The Silent Invasion ''The Silent Invasion'' is a low budget 1962 British film. Plot During WW II, a German garrison is stationed in the small French town of Mereux. French local Maria falls in love with German captain Eric Von Strafen. However, the romance comes to ...

'' (1961), ''

Strip Tease Murder ''Strip Tease Murder'' is a low budget 1961 British film thriller directed by Ernest Morris and starring John Hewer and Ann Lynn. Plot Diana, a stripper, is electrocuted during a dance routine on stage at the Flamingo Club. Her husband, compere ...

'' (1963) and ''

The Court Martial of Major Keller ''The Court Martial of Major Keller'' is a 1961 British film directed by Ernest Morris and written by Brian Clemens. It stars Laurence Payne, Susan Stephen and Austin Trevor. The film recounts the court martial for murder of Major Keller, a Brit ...

'' (1964). He accompanied visiting American musicians, including guitarist

Tal Farlow Talmage Holt Farlow (June 7, 1921 – July 25, 1998) was an American jazz guitarist. He was nicknamed "Octopus" because of how his large, quick hands spread over the fretboard. As Steve Rochinski notes, "Of all the guitarists to emerge in th ...

, with whom he struck up a close musical partnership, on an annual basis. In 1969, he formed the Bebop Preservation Society quintet, which he continued for more than two decades. Le Sage also worked with Barbara Thompson's Jubiaba and others. During the 1990s, he occasionally played with pianist

Tony Lee Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

's group on vibraphone. He died in London on 31 October 2001.

Discography

* ''Presenting The Bill Le Sage – Ronnie Ross Quartet'' (1963) * ''Cleopatra's Needle'' (1968) * ''

Live at the Bull – Tribute Vols. 1–2 ''Live at the Bull – Tribute Vols. 1–2'' is a 2-CD tribute album released in 2007 featuring tenor saxophonists Dick Morrissey and Spike Robinson accompanied by Bill Le Sage, Bill Eyden, Alec Dankworth, John Pearce, and Simon Morton. It was re ...

'' (2007)

References

External links

Le Sage discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Sage, Bill 1927 births 2001 deaths British jazz vibraphonists English jazz pianists British male jazz musicians Musicians from London English film score composers English male film score composers Royal Corps of Signals soldiers 20th-century British Army personnel 20th-century British male musicians