Kenny Baker (jazz musician)

Kenny Baker (born March 1, 1921 in Withernsea , Yorkshire , † December 7, 1999 in Felpham , West Sussex ) was a British jazz musician ( trumpet , flugelhorn , cornet ) and composer .

Live and act

Kenny Baker played in a wind group as a teenager and became a professional musician at the age of 17. He left his hometown in Yorkshire and moved to London , where he worked with George Chisholm . During the Second World War he served in the RAF ; During this time his first recordings, which were made at a public jam session in 1941 and made him known in the London club scene. Baker then was the lead trumpeter in Ted Heath's post-war orchestra; he was heard on 'Bakerloo Non-Stop', which was recorded for Decca 1946.

In the 1950s, Kenny Baker led his own formations such as the Baker's Dozen , with whom he had a regular jazz show on the BBC program in the Let's Settle For Music series .

In the 1950s he and his quartet regularly recorded records for parlophones . In 1954 he worked on the soundtrack of the film Genevieve . In the 1960s and 1970s he worked mostly as a studio musician, a. a. for film music, and has appeared several times on the BBC radio show Sounds of Jazz . In 1962 he played in the BBC's Big Band Special, which was directed by John Dankworth . In the 1970s he founded the touring show Best of British Jazz with Don Lusher , Betty Smith and Tony Lee . The group performed regularly until 1976 and was later revived several times.

In the course of his career he has also worked on the recordings of Frank Sinatra , Sammy Davis Jr. , Tony Bennett and The Beatles . He has also been involved in some James Bond soundtracks and has appeared on numerous television programs such as the Muppet Show . In the 1980s he worked on the soundtrack for the TV series The Beiderbecke Trilogy . In 1993 he reorganized his Baker's Dozen with Alan Barnes , Brian Dee, Richard Edwards and Bruce Adams and performed with her at Ronnie Scott 's Club in Birmingham ( The Boss Is Home , 1994). In 1989/90 he recorded the ten-album Louis Armstrong Collection , which interpreted all the sessions directed by Armstrong, with the original vocals being added by Armstrong afterwards. In 1993 an homage to trumpeters from the New Orleans to Swing era, such as Red Nichols and Harry James, followed .

In 1999 he was named Best Trumpeter at the BT British Jazz Awards . In the same year he was also awarded the MBE .

Discographic notes

• Birth of a Legend '41 -'46 ( hep Records ) with George Chisholm , Buddy Featherstonehaugh , George Shearing , Dick Katz , Vic Lewis , Jack Parnell
• The Half Dozen / After Hours (Lake 1955/57) with George Chisholm, Bruce Turner, Derek Collins
• Play Not Quite Two Dozen (Jasmine, 1955) with Tommy McQuater , Keith Christie , Bill Le Sage
• Easy Jazz (Vocalion, 1974) with Brian Lemon
• The Louis Armstrong Collection (Magic Music, 1989/90)
• Tribute to the Great Trumpeters (Horatio Nelson, 1993)
• Ain't Misbehavin ' (Zephyr, 1997)

literature

• Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings . 8th edition. Penguin, London 2006, ISBN 0-14-102327-9 .

Web links

• Obituary on the BBC
• Obituary in the Guardian
• Scotsman Newspaper 1999