Bill Le Sage

William A. "Bill" Le Sage (* 20th January 1927 in London , † 31 October 2001 ) was a British jazz - pianist , vibraphonist , arranger and composer .

Live and act

Bill LeSage was self-taught; he first worked in various small combos and then became a member of Gerald Bright's formation Geraldo's Navy and played on the transatlantic ship Queen Mary , with which he came to New York City , where he worked with Lennie Tristano .

In 1950 he was a founding member of John Dankworth's formation "Dankworth Seven", which existed until 1953, but later repeatedly experienced re-unions. It also featured bassist Eric Dawson , drummer Tony Kinsey , trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar , trombonist Eddie Harvey and tenor saxophonist Don Rendell . Le Sage also worked in John Dankworth's Big Band. In 1954 he moved to the band of drummer Tony Kinsey, with whom he stayed until 1961. He then became a co-leader of various formations, which he led with saxophonist Ronnie Ross until 1966 . During this time Le Sage also played with Kenny Baker's dozen and began composing music for film and television productions.

In the 1960s he also worked with Jack Parnell's orchestra, the Chris Barber Band, with Harold McNair and his own formations, such as Directions in Jazz , which also included four cellists. He also accompanied American musicians such as Benny Goodman , Dizzy Gillespie and Ben Webster .

In 1969 he founded the Bebop Preservation Society Quintet , which also included saxophonist Peter King and trumpeter Hank Shaw , later trumpeter Steve Waterman and alto saxophonist Gilad Atzmon .

In the 1970s / 80s Le Sage also worked in the Charlie Watts Big Band, with Johnny Scott , in Barbara Thompson's formation Jubiaba , with saxophonists Dick Morrissey , Spike Robinson , Jimmy Hastings , Art Thema and Andy Panayi , in the 1990s with the singer Barbara Jay . Shortly before his death, the three albums The Right Vibes , The Right Vibes: Final and Confirmation were made .

Discographic notes

• Presenting The Bill Le Sage - Ronnie Ross Quartet (April 1963) Le Sage (piano, vibraphone); Ross (baritone saxophone); Spike Heatley (bass); Allan Ganley (drums)

• Cleopatra's Needle (1968) Ronnie Ross, Spike Heatley, Art Elefsen (tenor saxophone), Les Condon (trumpet); Bill Le Sage; Tony Carr (drums).

• Live at the Bull - Tribute Vols. 1-2 (2007) with Dick Morrissey , Spike Robinson , Bill Le Sage, Bill Eyden and Alec Dankworth . (Live recordings from The Bull's Head , London, 1987 and 1988)
• The Right Vibes (Mainstem, 2000) with Alec Dankworth
• Confirmation (Marbil, 2001)

literature

• Bielefeld catalog 1988 & 2002
• John Chilton : Who is Who in British Jazz Continuum: London 2004 ISBN 978-0826472342
• Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings . 9th edition. Penguin, London 2008, ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0 .

Web links

• Portrait (David Taylor) ( Memento from April 30, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
• Bill Le Sage in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Obituary in The Guardian

Remarks

1. ↑ The spelling Bill LeSage is also used occasionally .