Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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DANKWORTH, John

(b 20 September 1927, London; d there 6 February 2010) UK alto sax, leader, composer. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music; joined 'Geraldo's navy' (young musicians playing on Cunard liners with Geraldo's band werre able to visit NYC and hear bop first hand). He guested with Ted Heath, won a Melody Maker poll '49 and formed the Johnny Dankworth Seven '50. Vocalist Cleo Laine joined '51 (they married '58) and Don Rendell on tenor '53: it became a bigger band from that year. Singles included hits with novelty 'Experiments With Mice' '56 ('Three Blind Mice' in styles of various bandleaders) and 'African Waltz' '61. He played Birdland NYC, Newport Jazz Festival '59; spent more time on composing and studio work in the '60s.

His many compositions included a ballet Lysistrata for Bath Festival '62; The Diamond And The Goose for choir, soloists, orchestra with words by Benny Green; musicals Boots With Strawberry Jam '68 with Green (based on Shaw), Colette '79 for Cleo; film scores included Saturday Night And Sunday Morning '60, The Servant '63, Darling '65, Morgan '66 etc. Pieces for orchestra What The Dickens, Zodiac Variations and A Million Dollar Collection were written and recorded '60s; he regarded them as a trilogy and once said that he would be pleased to be judged by them. Dickens was a hit, bumping Stan Getz's Jazz Samba from the top of the UK jazz chart, he received Ivor Novello awards '64 for Dickens and for The Avengers TV theme. He converted stables at his Buckinghamshire home to music rooms and ran Wavenden Allmusic Plan workshops for young musicians there since '70.

Tribute Side By Side By Sondheim was premiéred there, going on to become a smash hit. Other LPs included A Lover And His Lass '76 with Cleo; Fair Oak Fusions, a nine-part work for cello (Julian Lloyd Webber) and small group including five reeds; quintet Gone Hitchin'; Metro with Rod Argent; Octavious, an octet with Paul Hart; he has also written a string quartet and a piano concerto. See also Cleo Laine. Their son, bassist Alec Dankworth (b 14 May 1960, London) is prominent on the UK jazz scene; John and Alec have recorded together live at Ronnie Scott's Club in the feisty, swinging Generation Big Band's Nebuchadnezzar '93 and Rhythm Changes '95, both on Ronnie Scott's Jazz House label. John made his first appearance at the Proms '97, playing his own music with his sextet, Laine, the BBC Big Band and BBC Concert Orchestra. Daughter Jacqui's mellow soulful voice is also highly regarded; her tribute album to poet A.E. Housman was on Spotlite.