Gary Crosby (born 26 January 1955) is a British jazz double bassist, composer, music arranger, and educator. He was a founding member of the celebrated group the

Jazz Warriors The Jazz Warriors were an English all-black London-based group of jazz musicians, that made its debut in 1986. The idea for the band came from the Abibi Jazz Arts, a London organization that promoted black music and black culture. The Jazz War ...

in the 1980s and has worked with many top international artists. Also a bandleader, record producer, company director and facilitator, he leads Gary Crosby's Nu Troop,

Jazz Jamaica Jazz Jamaica is a British jazz/reggae music group formed by musician Gary Crosby in London formed in 1991. History In 1991, inspired by the rhythms of traditional Jamaican music and the largely improvisational nature of jazz, Gary Crosby — on ...

, Jazz Jamaica All Stars and is the founder of Nu Civilisation Orchestra. Crosby is Co-founder and Artistic Director of

Tomorrow's Warriors Tomorrow's Warriors is a jazz music education and artist development organisation that was co-founded in 1991 by Janine Irons and Gary Crosby, committed to championing diversity, inclusion and equality across the arts through jazz, with a spec ...

, a talent development organisation and charity co-founded in 1991 with his partner

Janine Irons Janine Mireille Irons is a British music educator, artist manager and producer, who in 1991 co-founded with her partner Gary Crosby (bassist), Gary Crosby the music education and professional development organisation Tomorrow's Warriors, of whic ...

. In 1996 Crosby and Irons established Dune Music, a company that encompasses artist management, a record label, music publishing, and education. Crosby appeared in the 1998 ''

Teletubbies ''Teletubbies'' is a British children's television series created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for the BBC. The programme focuses on four differently coloured characters known as the Teletubbies, named after the television screens on th ...

'' episode "Double Bass", where he played his double bass for some children. Described by the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

as "a towering figure in jazz", Crosby has been the recipient of many honours, including in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

being appointed an

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for Services to Music, and in 2018 becoming the first jazz musician to be awarded the

Queen's Medal for Music The King's Medal for Music (or the Queen's Medal for Music during the reign of a queen) is an annual award, instituted in 2005, for contribution to the musical life of Great Britain. The Medal may be awarded to people of any nationality. The expe ...

Background

Born in London of Jamaican heritage, Crosby is the nephew of guitarist

Ernest Ranglin Ernest Ranglin (born 19 June 1932) is a Jamaican guitarist and composer who established his career while working as a session guitarist and music director for various Jamaican record labels including Studio One (record label), Studio One and I ...

, who performed with Jazz Jamaica at

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959. History The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sco ...

in October 2009 as part of the club's anniversary concert series. Crosby started out playing trumpet but in his teens studied with noted bassist

Peter Ind Peter Ind (20 July 1928 – 20 August 2021) was a British jazz double bassist and record producer. Early life Ind was born in Middlesex. His father was a builder. Ind began to learn the violin at the age of eight and played in his school orches ...

, going on to become a founding member in 1986 of the Jazz Warriors"Gary Crosby – The artistic side of Dune Records"
Open Sky Jazz, 23 October 2009. — a group that showcased such talented young Black musicians as

Courtney Pine Courtney Pine, (born 18 March 1964), is a British jazz musician, who was the principal founder in the 1980s of the black British band the Jazz Warriors. Although known primarily for his saxophone playing, Pine is a multi-instrumentalist, also ...

Steve Williamson Steve Williamson (born 28 June 1964) is an English saxophonist and composer (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, keyboard and composition). He has been called "one of the most distinctive saxophone voices in contemporary Britis ...

Cleveland Watkiss Cleveland Watkiss, (born 21 October 1959), is a British vocalist, actor, and composer. Biography Cleveland Watkiss was born in Hackney, East London, to Jamaican parents, and was one of nine children. He is the older brother of pianist Trevo ...

Phillip Bent Phillip Bent (born 16 September 1964) is an English jazz flautist from London, England, who was a member of the GRP All-Star Big Band. He has made references to a number of musicians as his inspiration, including Bobbi Humphrey, James Newton, K ...

, and

Orphy Robinson Orphy Robinson MBE (born 13 October 1960) is a British jazz multi-instrumentalist who plays vibraphone, keyboards, saxophone, trumpet, piano, marimba, steelpans and drums. He has written music for television, film and theatre. Career Robinson ...

Tomorrow's Warriors

In 1991, Crosby established Tomorrow's Warriors, providing a platform for talented young musicians who wished to pursue a career in jazz. Over the following years, the Tomorrow's Warriors Jazz Café Jam Session became an institution and developed four generations of Warriors, including

Denys Baptiste Denys Baptiste (born 1969) is an English jazz musician from London, England, where he was born to St Lucian parents. A graduate of Tomorrow's Warriors, Baptiste plays tenor and soprano saxophone in addition to composing. Baptiste played with ...

, J-Life and

Soweto Kinch Soweto Kinch (born 10 January 1978) is a British jazz alto saxophonist and rapper. Biography Born in 1978 in London, England, to a Barbadian father, playwright Don Kinch, and British-Jamaican actress Yvette Harris, Soweto Kinch began playin ...

.John Murph
"Do Your Own Thing: The Dune Label"
''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...

'', March 2004. In 2004, the Tomorrow's Warriors Jam Session moved to The Spice Of Life in

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

, where it remained active until Summer 2010. Tomorrow’s Warriors continues to develop the careers of young musicians and with core programmes and workshops at

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames (between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge). It comprises three main performance venues (the Royal Festival Hall including the Nat ...

, London.

Jazz Jamaica

In the early 1990s, Crosby set up Jazz Jamaica, a group of Jamaican jazz musicians, in which young musicians played alongside such seasoned talent as ska trombonist Rico Rodriquez and trumpeter

Eddie Thornton Edward Thornton (born 1931), better known as "Tan Tan", is a Jamaican trumpeter, whose career began in the 1950s. Biography Thornton was born in 1931 and attended the Alpha Boys School.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) ''The Rough Guide to ...

Dune Music

In 1996, Crosby and his partner, Janine Irons, established The Dune Music Company Ltd, a commercial company comprising four divisions: artist management, record label, music publishing, and education. Artists associated with Dune Music include Jazz Jamaica All Stars, Soweto Kinch, Denys Baptiste,

Abram Wilson Abram Wilson (August 30, 1973 – June 9, 2012) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist raised in New Orleans and based in London where he also taught music in schools. Early life Wilson was born to Willie C. Wilson Jr and his wife Dor ...

Andrew McCormack Andrew McCormack (born 24 March 1978) is a British jazz pianist. Biography McCormack recorded his debut album ''Telescope'' in 2006 and was awarded BBC Jazz Awards Rising Star in the same year. The London Symphony Orchestra commissioned a pie ...

Empirical Empirical evidence for a proposition is evidence, i.e. what supports or counters this proposition, that is constituted by or accessible to sense experience or experimental procedure. Empirical evidence is of central importance to the sciences and ...

and J-Life.

Awards

In 1998, Gary Crosby's Nu Troop won the award for Best International Ensemble at the Jazz à

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Ocho Rios Ocho Rios (Spanish for "Eight Rivers") is a town in the parish of Saint Ann on the north coast of Jamaica, and is more widely referred to as ''Ochi'' by locals. Beginning as a sleepy fishing village, Ocho Rios has seen explosive growth in the ...

Jazz Festival, Jamaica, for Consistent Contribution to Music in Jamaica, thereby securing a place in the Jamaica Jazz Hall Of Fame. In 2006, Jazz Jamaica was given the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Ensemble. In 2007, Crosby received the BBC Radio Jazz Award for Services to Jazz. In 2009, Gary Crosby was appointed an

in the

Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...

. In 2012, Crosby received the Parliamentary Award for Jazz Education. Citing Crosby's nomination for the award, presenter

Paul Gambaccini Paul Matthew Gambaccini (born April 2, 1949) is an American-British radio and television presenter and author in the United Kingdom. He has dual United States and British nationality, having become a British citizen in 2005. Known as "The Grea ...

said: "Gary has been making his mark as a jazz educator and bass player since 1991 when he formed the group ‘Tomorrow’s Warriors’ as a platform for young musicians who want to pursue a career in jazz. The ethos is to encourage young people from all backgrounds but there is a positive move to encourage people of the African diaspora. Many women have come through the Warriors' training bands and have now secured places at leading music colleges. Gary Crosby through his organisation and outstanding teaching has achieved in 20 years what many would think would take a lifetime in regards to ethnic minorities and gender imbalances." In September 2017, Crosby was named by the

British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors The Ivors Academy (formerly the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy exists to support, protect, and campaign for the interests ...

(BASCA) as one of 12 recipients (including Michael Gibbs, Paulette Long,

Emeli Sandé Adele Emily Sandé, ( ; born 10 March 1987), known professionally as Emeli Sandé, is a Scottish singer and songwriter. Born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, and raised in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, by an English mother and a Zambian fathe ...

Martyn Ware Martyn Ware (born 19 May 1956) is an English musician, composer, arranger, record producer, and music programmer. As a founding member of both the Human League and Heaven 17, Ware was partly responsible for hit songs such as " Being Boiled" and ...

and others) of a Gold Badge Award , which celebrates the unique contribution of those who have supported or inspired the UK songwriting and composing community. In 2018, Crosby was awarded the

– the first jazz musician to receive the honour since it was established in 2005 – which was presented in a special audience at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

on 10 July 2019. In 2019, Crosby was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music and dance conservatoire based in London, England. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. The conservatoire has ...

. In 2021, he was awarded an honorary doctorate, "Doctor of Music honoris causa", by the

University of London Institute in Paris The University of London Institute in Paris (ULIP; ) is a central academic body of the University of London located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It is currently the only British university institute in continental Europe. History The in ...

References

External links

Gary Crosby website.

Dune Music website.

Tomorrow's Warriors website.
* Zane Ralph

''Boo Boo Magazine''. * Ammar Kalia
"Gary Crosby: 'Young, black men had to be intimidating – they were terrified'"
(interview), ''The Guardian'', 27 August 2019. {{DEFAULTSORT:Crosby, Gary 1955 births Living people British jazz double-bassists Male double-bassists British male jazz musicians Officers of the Order of the British Empire English people of Jamaican descent Black British musicians Musicians from London British music educators British jazz bandleaders British record producers 21st-century double-bassists 21st-century British male musicians Jazz Warriors members Nu Troop members