John Dankworth: Jazz Man, RIP

 So the World has lost another great Jazz man. As so many of the pioneering musicians become elderly, such deaths are inevitable. However, such was Johnny's talent that he warrants at least a few epitaphs.  

Sir John Dankworth's death was announced by his wife of 52 years, Cleo Laine. Johnny as he was affectionately known died on 6th February aged 82. Of course the knighthood came not so long ago, so what about starting at the beginning.

John was born in Woodford, Essex, England. As a young man Dankworth played the piano and violin before moving onto his signature instrument the saxophone. He also played the clarinet. By the time that Dankworth was 17 he had secured a place at the Royal Academy of Music which was to be interrupted by a short spell in the army. It was after all the Second World War.

Dankworth's studying paid off and in 1949 he was voted British musician of the year.1949 also saw John playing saxophone at the Paris Jazz Festival with one of the men who had inspired him to play the sax. This was legendary Jazz man Charlie Parker.

In 1950 Dankworth met his future wife Cleo Laine. She was of many singers auditioning to join Dankworth's band The Dankworth Seven.

By the time John and Cleo married in 1958 the seven piece band had become a big band orchestra.

As a child in the fifties I remember John Dankworth and Cleo Laine well. My Dad loved all types of music but particularly liked Jazz. Not truly modern Jazz, but the Dankworth's music suited him.

The Dankworth's would often appear on British television and then in recent years dropped from view. Of course they had other fish to fry plus the years were moving on.

John Dankworth is famous for many musical ventures such as :-

• He appeared at the 1959 Newport Jazz Festival.
• He played at New York's Birdland jazz club with the celebrated Duke Ellington Orchestra.
• They were joined by Louis Armstrongfor a set at New York's Lewisohn stadium.
• The band had two top ten hits, Experiments with Mice in 1956, and African Waltz in 1961.
• John wrote the theme tune for British hit TV show The Avengers
• He was a musical director for both Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald
• He composed film scores, for such sixties films as, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, The Servant and Modesty Blaise.
• A 1959 visit to the States saw them sharing the bill with jazz great, Duke Ellington.
• Along with his wife, Cleo, Johnny founded their own charity in 1969, The Wavendon Allmusic Plan. This led to the establishment of the Stables arts centre, in the grounds of their Buckinghamshire home.
• He was awarded the CBE in 1974.
• Dankworth also served as Pops Musical Director, of the San Francisco Symphony and Rochester, Philharmonic, in the United States.
• At the age of 66 he formed yet another large orchestra, the Dankworth Generation Band, this time with his son Alec.
• The following year received the Freedom of the City of London.
• In November 2009, Sir John played saxophone at the London Jazz Festival. He did this from a wheelchair.

Sir John Dankworth was a multi talented musician and I have only skimmed over his very full life. With a love of music that went far beyond his beloved Jazz the world had certainly lost a fine musician.

Finally.

In the New Year's honours list of 2006 John was finally knighted and became Sir John.It is probably fitting to close this Hub with what he said about his knighthood.

"It's so nice for jazz to get something like this."

"As far as I know I'm the first from the jazz world to get a knighthood.

"I've played jazz for 65 years, with the great jazz men," he continued. "For some reason I've been in the right place at the right time."

RIP Sir John Dankworth 1927-2010