Kathy Stobart
Florence Kathleen "Kathy" Stobart (born April 1, 1925 in South Shields ; † July 5, 2014 ) was a British jazz musician ( tenor , soprano , and baritone saxophone , occasionally flute and clarinet ).
Live and act
Kathy Stobart began playing alto saxophone at the age of twelve and was already on the road with Don Rico's Ladies' Swing Band at the age of fourteen and later found a permanent engagement in a dance palace in Newcastle. In 1942 she went to London , where she played in nightclubs with British musicians such as Denis Rose , Ted Heath and Jimmy Skidmore , but also members of the US Army such as Peanuts Hucko and Art Pepper . They then belonged to the Big Band of Vic Lewis , which also her first husband, Art Thompson, worked. In 1949 she founded her own combo, which included Derek Humble , Pete King , Dennis Armitage , Dill Jones and the trumpeter Bert Courtley , who died in 1969 and with whom she had been married since 1951. From 1952 onwards she only performed rarely because she devoted herself primarily to her family and raised her three sons. Occasionally she played with Humphrey Lyttelton , where she played in the place of Jimmy Skidmore and later instead of Tony Coe in 1957 . In the 1960s she also performed with John Picard . She also worked as a teacher at the City Literary Institute in London's Drury Lane .
After the death of her husband in 1969, she ended the forced break as a housewife and returned to the stage, initially in the band of Humphrey Lyttelton , in which she remained until 1978. From 1974 she had her own group together with Harry Beckett ( Arbeia , 1978 on Spotlite Jazz). From 1979 she led a band with vibraphonist Lenny Best. Stobart also played in New York City in the early 1980s ; there she performed with both Marian McPartland and Zoot Sims . In 1982 it was the attraction of the first British Women's Jazz Festival . In 1983 she recorded Movin 'and Grovin' with Humphrey Lyttelton . In 1986 she was a member of Gail Thompson's Gail Force to then lead a quintet with Joan Cunningham. In 1992 she returned to Lyttelton's band before retiring from music in 2004.
Stobart Spiel was characterized by a full, powerful sound and no frills style. It has developed from early modern jazz to mainstream . As a saxophone teacher, she taught classes in Exeter and London. Her recognition as a jazz pioneer can be seen in the fact that she was featured in the compilation Jazz Women: A Feminist Retrospective, compiled in the United States .
Discographic notes
- Saxploitation with Joe Temperley, Mick Pyne and others a. (1976)
- Arbeia with Harry Beckett, Martin Blackwell, Harvey Weston , Tony Mann, Marion Williams (1978)
Lexigraphic entries
- Ian Carr , Digby Fairweather , Brian Priestley : Rough Guide Jazz. The ultimate guide to jazz music. 1700 artists and bands from the beginning until today. Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 1999, ISBN 3-476-01584-X .
- Leonard Feather , Ira Gitler : The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press, New York 1999, ISBN 0-19-532000-X .
Web links
- Autobiographical Interview 1974 (English)
- Biography and Discography (English)
- Obituary in The Guardian of July 8, 2014
- Kathy Stobart - Obituary. Obituary in The Daily Telegraph, July 8, 2014
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Stobart, Kathy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Stobart, Florence Kathleen |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British jazz saxophonist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 1, 1925 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | South Shields , England |
| DATE OF DEATH | 5th July 2014 |