Sir John Dankworth CBE Born in London, England, in 1927, was brought up in a musical environment amongst a family of musicians. He had violin and piano lessons before settling eventually on the clarinet at the age of 16, after hearing a record of the Benny Goodman Quartet. Soon after that, inspired by Johnny Hodges, he added the alto saxophone to his armoury. Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in decreasing order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand... Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: England Travel guide to England from Wikitravel English language English law English (people) List of monarchs of England – Kings of England family tree List of English people Angeln (region in northern Germany, presumably the origin of the Angles for whom England is named) UK... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Violin The violin is a stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart. ... Steinway Model D A piano is a keyboard instrument, widely used in western music for solo performance, chamber music, and accompaniment, and also as a convenient aid to composing and rehearsal. ... A bass clarinet, which sounds an octave lower than the more common Bb soprano clarinet. ... Benny Goodman, born Benjamin David Goodman, (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was a famous Jazz musician, known as King of Swing, Patriarch of the Clarinet, and Swings Senior Statesman. // Childhood and early years Goodman was born in Chicago, the son of poor Jewish immigrants who lived on... Saxophones of different sizes play in different registers. ...

After a spell at London’s Royal Academy of Music, and another in the army, he began an illustrious career on the British jazz scene, being voted Musician of the Year in 1949. During that year he attended the Paris Jazz Festival and played with alto-sax giant Charlie “Yardbird” Parker. Parker’s comments about Dankworth led to the engagement of the young British jazzman for a short tour of Sweden with the legendary soprano-saxist Sidney Bechet. The Royal Academy of Music is a music school in London, England and one of the leading music institutions in the world. ... Jazz master Louis Armstrong remains one of the most loved and best known of all jazz musicians. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Charlie Parker Charles Christopher Bird Parker, Jr. ... Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was a Jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. ...

In 1950 Dankworth, from the very start a prolific jazz composer and orchestrator, formed a small group known as the Dankworth Seven as a vehicle for his writing activities as well as a showcase for several young jazz soloists, including himself (alto sax), Jimmy Deuchar (trumpet), Eddie Harvey (trombone), Don Rendell (tenor sax), Tony Kinsey (drums), Bill le Sage (piano), and Eric Dawson (bass). After three successful years, the Seven made way for a big band in 1953. The band was soon earning plaudits from critics worldwide and was invited to the 1959 Newport Jazz Festival. The New York Times critic said of this appearance “.... Mr. Dankworth’s group .... showed the underlying merit that made big bands successful many years ago - the swinging drive, the harmonic colour and the support in depth for soloists that is possible when a disciplined, imaginatively directed band has worked together for a long time. This English group has a flowing, unforced, rhythmic drive that has virtually disappeared from American bands.” The band went on to perform at New York’s Birdland jazz club, and shortly afterwards shared the stage with the Duke Ellington band (which at that time included Clark Terry, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves and Jimmy Hamilton) for a number of concerts. Dankworth’s band also performed at a jazz event at New York’s Lewisohn stadium where Louis Armstrong joined them for a set. 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Jimmy Deuchar (1930 - 1993), was a jazz trumpeter, born in Dundee, Scotland who found fame as a performer and arranger in the 1950s - a golden era of British jazz. ... Don Rendell (b. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every August in Newport, Rhode Island. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... In jazz, Birdland may refer to: A famous jazz club in New York City, originally located on 52nd Street, now at at 315 W. 44th St. ... Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy Duke Ellington (April 29, 1899 - May 24, 1974) was an American jazz composer, pianist and bandleader. ... Clark Terry performs with the Great Lakes Navy Band Jazz Ensemble Clark Terry (born December 14, 1920) is an American swing and bop trumpeter and flugelhorn player. ... John Cornelius Johnny Hodges (b. ... Harry Carney (1910 - 1974) was a jazz baritone saxophone player best known for his 45 year tenure in Duke Ellingtons band. ... Paul Gonsalves (1920-1974) was an American jazz saxophonist, who is largely remembered for playing a famous 27-chorus solo with the Duke Ellington Orchestra on the song Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival. ... Louis Daniel Armstrong (pronounced Luee {French pronounciation}with the S at the end silent) (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971) (also known by the nicknames Satchmo and Pops) was an American jazz musician. ...

During the ensuing years Dankworth’s friendship with Ellingtonian trumpet-player Clark Terry led to Clark being a featured soloist on Dankworth’s 1964 album The Zodiac Variations, together with Bob Brookmeyer, Zoot Sims, Phil Woods, Lucky Thompson and other guests. Other Dankworth recordings during this period featured many other respected jazz names. Some were full-time members of the Dankworth band at one time or another, like Kenny Wheeler, Peter King, Mike Gibbs and Tony Coe, while others were occasional participants such as Dave Holland, John McLaughlin and Tubby Hayes. For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... Robert Brookmeyer (born December 19, 1929) is an American jazz valve trombonist, pianist, and arranger. ... John Haley Zoot Sims was an American jazz musician. ... Philip Wells Woods (born in 1931) is an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. ... Eli (Lucky) Thompson (born in 1924) was an American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist. ... Dave Holland (born October 1, 1946) is a jazz bassist and composer. ... John McLaughlin (born January 4, 1942), also Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is a jazz fusion guitar player from Yorkshire in England. ...

In 1961 Dankworth’s recording of Galt MacDermot’s African Waltz reached the British charts and remained there for several months. American altoist Cannonball Adderley sought and received Dankworth’s permission to record the arrangement for the US market and had a minor hit as a result. The piece was also “covered” in recorded versions by 39 other bands worldwide. 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Julian Edwin Cannonball Adderley (September 15, 1928 - August 8, 1975), originally from Tampa, Florida was a jazz saxophonist of the small combo era of the 1950s and 1960s. ...

During this active period of recording, the Dankworth band nevertheless found time for frequent live appearances and radio shows, including tours in Britain and Europe with Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan and Gerry Mulligan, and concerts and radio performances with Lionel Hampton and Ella Fitzgerald. Nat King Cole in The Blue Gardenia (1953) Nat King Cole (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965) was a hugely popular American singer and jazz musician. ... Sarah Lois Vaughan (nicknamed Sassy and The Divine One), (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was considered to be one of the greatest female jazz singers of the 20th Century, along with Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. ... Gerry Muligan Gerald Joseph Gerry Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996) was an American jazz musician, composer and arranger best known for his baritone saxophone playing, but also played the piano and the clarinet. ... Lionel Hampton with George W. Bush Lionel Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002), was a bandleader, jazz percussionist and vibraphone virtuoso. ... Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996), also known as Lady Ella (the First Lady of Song), was one of the most important jazz singers of the 20th Century, the winner of thirteen Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Art presented by President Reagan and the Presidential Medal...

Dankworth’s friendship with Duke Ellington continued until the latter’s death in 1974. Since then John has recorded an album of symphonic arrangements of many Ellington tunes featuring another Ellingtonian, trumpet soloist Barry Lee Hall. Dankworth has also retained his Ellington links by performing with the Ellington Orchestra under the direction of Duke’s son, Mercer. Further symphonic albums include one with the late Dizzy Gillespie and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Dizzy Gillespie photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1955 John Birks Dizzy Gillespie (October 21, 1917 - January 6, 1993) was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. ... The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Rochester, New York. ...

Other Jazz musicians with whom John Dankworth has performed include George Shearing, Toots Thielemans, Benny Goodman, Herbie Hancock, Hank Jones, Tadd Dameron, Slam Stewart, Oscar Peterson - the list is almost endless. George Shearing (born 13 August 1919) is a well-known British jazz pianist. ... Jean Toots Thielemans (born Brussels, April 29, 1922) is a Belgian jazz artist well known for his harmonica play. ... Benny Goodman, born Benjamin David Goodman, (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was a famous Jazz musician, known as King of Swing, Patriarch of the Clarinet, and Swings Senior Statesman. // Childhood and early years Goodman was born in Chicago, the son of poor Jewish immigrants who lived on... Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is a jazz pianist and composer from Chicago, Illinois, USA. Hancock is one of jazz musics most important and influential pianists and composers. ... Born July 31, 1918 in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Hank Jones grew up in Pontiac, Michigan, where he studied piano at an early age and came under the influence of Earl Hines, Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson, and Art Tatum. ... Tadley Ewing Peake (Tadd) Dameron (February 21, 1917 – March 8, 1965) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. ... Slam Stewart Leroy Elliott Slam Stewart (September 21, 1914-December 10, 1987) was an African-American jazz bassist whose trademark style was his ability to bow the bass and simultaneously hum an octave apart. ... Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, CC , CQ , O.Ont. ...

John Dankworth’s active jazz life, which of course also includes many appearances and recordings with his wife, singer Cleo Laine, shows no signs of abating. He remains a dominant force on the British jazz scene and a known and respected figure by jazz-lovers all over the world. Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth DBE, (born Clementina Dinah Campbell on October 28, 1927 in Middlesex, England) is a scat and jazz singer and an actor. ...

Sir John was knighted in the 2006 New Years Honours List.