Brian Lemon (11 February 1937 – 11 October 2014) was a British jazz pianist and arranger.

Biography

Lemon was born in Nottingham, England. After leaving school in the 1950s, he began playing professionally at Nottingham's Palais de Danse and other local venues. He moved to London, aged 19, in 1956 to join

Freddy Randall Frederick James 'Freddy' Randall (6 May 1921 – 18 May 1999) was an English jazz trumpeter and bandleader born in Clapton, East London. Biography Born in Clapton, East London at the age of just 18 Randall led the St. Louis Four in 1939, ...

's group. After that he worked with George Chisholm, Kenny Baker and Sandy Brown. Over the years, he also worked with

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

Charlie Watts Charles Robert Watts (2 June 1941 – 24 August 2021) was an English musician who achieved international fame as the drummer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 until his death in 2021. Originally trained as a graphic artist, Watts developed an i ...

, Scott Hamilton, Buddy Tate,

Milt Jackson Milton Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999), nicknamed "Bags", was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms. He is especially remembered for his cool swinging solo ...

, Ben Webster, and Digby Fairweather. From 1961 to 1963, he led his own trio at the comedian Peter Cook’s club, The Establishment, in Soho, London. He led an octet which played songs by

Billy Strayhorn William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger, who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include "Take ...

. Lemon worked as a regular session musician with many groups which were recorded at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios in London for broadcast on Sunday night's BBC Radio 1's ''Sounds of Jazz'' introduced by Peter Clayton in the early 1970s. Lemon recorded a sequence of 27 albums for Zephyr over 10 years from 1994, though not always as leader. Lemon had a remarkable skill as an accompanist, together with his in-depth knowledge of the classic American song repertoire. Zephyr was set up by retired businessman John Bune, to specifically record Lemon's work.Obituary: Brian Lemon
''Daily Telegraph'', 5 November 2014 Lemon retired from music around 2005 after the development of severe osteoarthritis in his hands.

Adelaide Hall Adelaide Louise Hall (20 October 1901 – 7 November 1993) was an American-born UK-based jazz singer and entertainer. Her long career spanned more than 70 years from 1921 until her death and she was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Hal ...

recorded an album with The Brian Lemon Half-Dozen. A rare copy is at the British Library.

Personal life

Lemon married Debby Holley in 1965. They eventually separated although did not divorce. Holley, her son and Susan Burgess, his partner, all survive him. Lemon died in October 2014, at the age of 77.

Discography

As leader

As sideman

* 1989: '' Cookin''' * 1990: ''

Charly Antolini Meets Dick Morrissey ''Charly Antolini Meets Dick Morrissey'' is the second album recorded by Swiss drummer Charly Antolini and British tenor sax player Dick Morrissey. The tracks are jazz and standards repertoire and were recorded live at Pizza Express' Pizza on ...

'' * 1993: ''The Great British Jazz Band'' (

Candid Candid may refer to: * Candid (app), a mobile app for anonymous discussions * Candid (organization), providing information on US nonprofit companies * Candid Records, a record label * Ilyushin Il-76, NATO reporting name ''Candid'', a Soviet aircraf ...

) * 1993: ''In Town'', Spike Robinson (Hep Jazz)

References

External links

BBC Music

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lemon, Brian 1937 births 2014 deaths People from Nottingham British jazz pianists 20th-century pianists 20th-century British musicians