Danny Moss

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Dennis "Danny" Moss (born August 16, 1927 in Redhill , Surrey , † May 29, 2008 in Perth ) was a British jazz musician ( tenor saxophone ).

Moss, the son of a toolmaker, taught himself to play the saxophone as an autodidact . After school, he first played in Wally Roger's quintet from 1943. After military service from 1945 to 1948, where he played in a military orchestra , he became a member of the Vic Lewis Orchestra , then with Tommy Sampson, from where Ted Heath engaged him with seven other musicians. He then played with Johnny Dankworth , with whom he performed at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1959 , but also with Alex Welsh . In 1962 Dankworth could no longer finance a permanent band. Moss therefore worked at Humphrey Lyttelton . Since the mid-1960s he has mainly played with his own quartet and often accompanied his wife, the singer Jeanie Lambe . Since 1970 he has also been active for Alexis Korner's CCS . He has also recorded with Tony Bennett , Ella Fitzgerald , Bing Crosby , Sarah Vaughan and Rosemary Clooney . In 1980 he was one of the founding members of the Pizza Express All Stars , with whom he also performed at the jazz festival in Nice, but also played in the Big Band of Charlie Watts . In 1989 he and his wife settled in Australia , where he has been touring successfully since 1983. In 2003 he made a highly regarded duo with Stan Tracey . The bass player Danny Moss jr. is his son.

Moss felt at home in the traditional line of Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster . The Independent counts him among the handful of top tenor saxophonists from Great Britain.

Discographic notes

  • At University College Oxford (MacJazz, 1985) duo with Brian Lemon
  • Weaver of Dreams (Nagel-Heyer, 1994) with Brian Lemon , Butch Miles
  • Good Life (Progressive, 1996)
  • A Swingin 'Affair (Nagel-Heyer, 1996, with the " Buddha's Gamblers ")
  • At University College Oxford (Macjazz, 2003)
  • Just You, Just Me (Avid, 2003) with Stan Tracey
  • Easy to Remember (Nifnuf, 2006)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Moss, Danny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Moss, Dennis (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British jazz saxophonist
DATE OF BIRTH August 16, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Redhill
DATE OF DEATH May 29, 2008
Place of death Perth