Tony Kinsey

Last updated

Tony Kinsey
Birth nameCyril Anthony Kinsey
Born (1927-10-11) 11 October 1927 (age 96)
Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s)Musician
Composer
Instrument(s)Drums
Years active1950-Present
Labels Decca
Parlophone
KPM Music
Boosey and Hawkes
Spotlight Music [1]

Cyril Anthony Kinsey (born 11 October 1927) [2] is an English jazz drummer and composer.

Contents

Early life

Kinsey was born in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England. [2] He held jobs on trans-Atlantic ships while young, studying while at port with Bill West in New York City and with local musician Tommy Webster in Birmingham. He had a close association with Ronnie Ball early in his life; the two even had a double wedding together.

Career

Kinsey led his own ensemble at the Flamingo Club in London through the 1950s, and recorded on more than 80 sessions between 1950 and 1977, including with Tubby Hayes, Bill Le Sage, Ronnie Scott, Johnny Dankworth, Tommy Whittle, Joe Harriott, Lena Horne, Frank Holder, Ella Fitzgerald, Ben Webster, Clark Terry, Harry Edison, Buddy DeFranco, Billie Holiday, Oscar Peterson, and Sarah Vaughan. He performed at European jazz festivals both as a drummer and as a poet. He did some work as a session musician in the 1950s and 1960s, playing on records by Eddie Calvert, Cliff Richard, and Ronnie Aldrich. Kinsey was also a founder member of The John Dankworth Seven in 1950. [3]

He was a resident at the Florida Club, Leicester Square, in the 1950s and had his own trio from 1963 to 1965. In the mid-1980s, he performed regularly with jazz vibraphone player Lennie Best at venues in the London area, including the South Hill Park Cellar Bar in Bracknell.

Kinsey also branched into composition; a string quartet composition of his is used in the short film On the Bridge, and he wrote arrangements for big bands in addition to music for over 100 commercials. His Quintet for string quartet and harmonica, "Reflections", has been recorded by Gianluca Littera and the Quartetto Energie Nove. [4] Later in his life, Kinsey wrote music for a musical based on the life of George Eliot. He continues to play drums. [5]

In 2012, Kinsey appeared in the documentary film No One But Me , discussing jazz musician Annie Ross. [6]

Personal life

Kinsey was a member of the Masonic Lodge and Chapter of Asaph 1319 and was presented with his 50 years Certificates for both by Lt Col Stephen Braden PAGSwB on 3 April 2023.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Wheeler</span> Canadian composer and musician

Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Oxley</span> British jazz drummer and electronic musician (1938–2023)

Tony Oxley was an English free improvising drummer and electronic musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Dankworth</span> English jazz composer and musician (1927–2010)

Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE, also known as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinettist and writer of film scores. With his wife, jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, he was a music educator and also her music director.

Allan Anthony Ganley was an English jazz drummer and arranger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club</span> Jazz club in Soho, London, England

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter King (saxophonist)</span> British jazz musician (1940–2020)

Peter John King was an English jazz saxophonist, composer, and clarinettist.

Philip William Seamen was an English jazz drummer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Drew</span> English jazz drummer

Martin Drew was an English jazz drummer who played with Ronnie Scott between 1975 and 1995 and with Oscar Peterson between 1974 and 2007.

Anthony John Kronenberg, known professionally as Tony Crombie, was an English jazz drummer, pianist, bandleader, and composer. He was regarded as one of the finest English jazz drummers and bandleaders, an occasional but capable pianist and vibraphonist, and an energizing influence on the British jazz scene over six decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominic Alldis</span> Musical artist

Dominic Alldis is a jazz pianist, orchestral conductor, and arranger. He is also a business speaker and founder of Music & Management.

William A. Le Sage was a British pianist, vibraphonist, arranger, composer and bandleader.

Albert Ronald Ross was a British jazz baritone saxophonist.

Clark Tracey is a British jazz drummer, band leader, and composer.

Alan Branscombe was an English jazz pianist, vibraphonist, and alto saxophonist.

Keith Ronald Christie was an English jazz trombonist. He was the brother of Ian Christie.

Henry Shalofsky, better known as Hank Shaw was an English bebop jazz trumpeter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Rae (musician)</span> Scottish jazz drummer, composer, and band leader

John Rae is a jazz drummer, composer, and band leader.

Simon Richard Spillett is a British jazz tenor saxophonist. He has won the BBC Jazz Awards Rising Star (2007), Jazz Journal's Critics' Choice album of the Year (2009), the British Jazz Awards Top Tenor Saxophonist (2011), and Services to British Jazz award (2016).

Arthur Albert Ellefson was a Canadian jazz saxophonist who worked in the UK during the 1950s and 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Holder (musician)</span> British musician

Frank Holder was a Guyanese jazz singer and percussionist. He was a member of bands led by Jiver Hutchinson, Johnny Dankworth and Joe Harriott.

References

  1. ↑ Tony Kinsey record labels Discogs.com Retrieved 20 June 2020
  2. 1 2 Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 241. ISBN   0-85112-580-8.
  3. ↑ Tony Kinsey Biography Henrybebop.co.uk Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  4. ↑ Dynamic CDS7965, reviewed at MusicWeb International
  5. ↑ Tony Kinsey Biography, AllMusic , Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  6. ↑ "Tony Kinsey « No One But Me". Noonebutme.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.