Alan Skidmore | |
---|---|
Birth name | Alan Richard James Skidmore |
Born | London, England | 21 April 1942
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation | Musician |
Instrument | Saxophone |
Years active | 1950s–present |
Website | alanskidmore |
Alan Richard James Skidmore (born 21 April 1942) [1] is an English jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of saxophonist Jimmy Skidmore. [1]
He was born in London, England. [1] Skidmore began his professional career in his teens, and early in his career he toured with comedian Tony Hancock. [2] In the 1960s, he began frequently appearing with the BBC Radio Big Band, [3] then worked with Alexis Korner, John Mayall, and Ronnie Scott. [4] Commissioned by the BBC in order to represent the UK at the Montreux Jazz Festival, [5] Skidmore formed a group with Harry Miller, Tony Oxley, John Taylor, and Kenny Wheeler. [2] This group won three of six awards at Montreux, following which Skidmore was invited to record an album of the group's performances, forming the basis for Once Upon a Time. [5] In the early 1970s, he started a saxophone-only band with John Surman and Mike Osborne. [2] He has also worked with Mose Allison, Kate Bush, Elton Dean, Georgie Fame, Mike Gibbs, George Gruntz, Elvin Jones, Van Morrison, Stan Tracey, Charlie Watts, and Mike Westbrook. [2] [6]
Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards.
Tony Oxley was an English free improvising drummer and electronic musician.
Mthutuzeli Dudu Pukwana was a South African saxophonist and composer.
John Douglas Surman is an English jazz saxophone, clarinet, and synthesizer player, and composer of free jazz and modal jazz, often using themes from folk music. He has composed and performed music for dance performances and film soundtracks.
Michael John David Westbrook is an English jazz pianist, composer, and writer of orchestrated jazz pieces. He is married to the vocalist, librettist and painter Kate Westbrook.
Paul William Rutherford was an English free improvising trombonist.
Harold Simon Miller was a South African jazz double bassist, who lived for most of his adulthood in England.
The Brotherhood of Breath was an English-South African big band established in the late-1960s by South African pianist and composer Chris McGregor, an extension of McGregor's previous band, The Blue Notes.
Mark Charig is a British trumpeter and cornetist.
Nick Evans is a Welsh former jazz and progressive rock trombonist.
Chris Laurence is an English musician. Born in London, he studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and primarily works with jazz and classical music. In the classical world he was principal double bass with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields orchestra until 1995, playing on many of their recordings ranging from the film Amadeus to Benjamin Britten's Curlew River. He has recorded with many jazz artists, including trombonist J. J. Johnson, Tony Coe, Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughan, Clark Terry, Johnny Mathis, and Lena Horne. His most recent recordings include John Surman's The Spaces in Between (2007), Kenny Wheeler's The Long Waiting (2012) and Songs for Quintet on ECM Records, and Norma Winstone's Manhattan in the Rain (1998). He has also recorded music for television, film, and albums, most notably Leaving Las Vegas (1995), Ken Loach's Looking for Eric (2009), The Constant Gardener (2005), Howard Shore's score for Hugo (2011), and most recently was featured on the soundtrack of Mike Leigh's Mr. Turner (2014). In 2007, he recorded a CD with his own jazz quartet titled New View, released on the Basho label along with Frank Ricotti (vibes), John Parricelli (guitar), Martin France (drums), and featuring Norma Winstone (vocals).
Michael Evans Osborne was an English jazz alto saxophonist, pianist, and clarinetist who was a member of the band Brotherhood of Breath in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Bracknell Jazz Festival was a major showcase for British modern jazz in the 1980s. The festival was known for attracting a largish audience for free improvisation, modern jazz composition and all kinds of British modern jazz in general.
Thomas Henry Lowther is an English jazz trumpeter who also plays violin.
How Many Clouds Can You See? is the second album by English saxophonist John Surman featuring Harry Beckett, Alan Skidmore, Barre Phillips, and Tony Oxley recorded in 1970 and released on the Deram label.
This is a list of releases by Cuneiform Records.
Bremen to Bridgwater is a double-CD live album by South African pianist and composer Chris McGregor's big band Brotherhood of Breath. It was recorded in 1971 and 1975 in Bremen, Germany, and Bridgwater, England, and was released on CD by Cuneiform Records in 2004.
Eclipse at Dawn is a live album by South African pianist and composer Chris McGregor's big band Brotherhood of Breath. It was recorded on November 4, 1971, at the Berliner Jazztage in Berlin, and was released on CD by Cuneiform Records in 2008.
Travelling Somewhere is a live album by South African pianist and composer Chris McGregor's big band Brotherhood of Breath. It was recorded on January 19, 1973, at Lila Eule, a jazz club in Bremen, Germany, and was released by Cuneiform Records in 2001. The recording took place eight days before the concert heard on Live at Willisau.
Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath is the debut album by South African pianist and composer Chris McGregor's big band of the same name. Produced by Joe Boyd, it was recorded in 1970, and was issued on LP by the short-lived Neon imprint of RCA Records in 1971 as the label's second release. In 2007, it was reissued on CD by Fledg'ling Records.