Mike Hennessey (25 February 1928 – 16 August 2017) was an English music journalist and

jazz pianist Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instru ...

. Born in London as the third of four children, Hennessey, who came from a musical family, began learning piano at the age of six. After his military service, he began working as a journalist. He wrote for jazz magazines in Europe and North America and worked for 27 years as a correspondent and international editor for the US magazine ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', before retiring in 1994. He specialised in international copyright and intellectual property, and advocated strengthening of copyright protection for the music industry. He co-founded '' Music Week'' and ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' and wrote biographies of jazz musicians Kenny Clarke and Johnny Griffin. As a pianist he was a member of Chas Burchell's band, with which he recorded two albums. He also joined the Paris Reunion band with Nat Adderley, toured with Adderley, Billy Mitchell,

Arthur Blythe Arthur Murray Blythe (May 7, 1940 – March 27, 2017) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer. He was described by critic Chris Kelsey as displaying "one of the most easily recognizable alto sax sounds in jazz, big and round, with a f ...

Benny Golson Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a performer, before launch ...

, Keter Betts, Jimmy Cobb, and Jan Harrington, and worked as an accompanist for Buddy DeFranco, Nathan Davis, Johnny Griffin, Duško Gojković, and Ronnie Scott. He moved to Germany and lived in

Durchhausen Durchhausen is a town in the district of Tuttlingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. The design and development center of Allegion Allegion plc is an American Irish-domiciled provider of security products for homes and businesses. Though it c ...

from 1998 until his death in 2017 after a brief illness. He was married to the German concert agent Gaby Kleinschmidt.

Publications

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Discography

* ''Shades of Chas Burchell'' (In+Out, 1993) * ''Unsung Hero: The Undiscovered Genius of Chas Burchell'' (In+Out, 1995)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hennessey, Mike English music journalists Jazz writers English biographers English magazine editors English jazz pianists Musicians from London English expatriates in Germany 1928 births 2017 deaths