Louis Stephenson
Louis George Alexander Stephenson (born June 2, 1907 in St. Ann's Parish , Jamaica , † February 3, 1994 in London ) was a British jazz musician ( saxophone , double bass , vocals ) of Jamaican origin.
Career
Stephenson visited Great Britain in 1924 as a clarinetist in the orchestra of the West Indies Regiment to perform at the British Empire Exhibition in Wembley . Back in Jamaica he played in local bands. After working as a steward on cruise ships, he settled in London in late 1935. He first appeared with Happy Blake and Leslie Thompson , in 1936 to belong to the orchestra of Ken Johnson . The following year he performed on the European continent with Benny Carter (recordings for Decca) and with Eddie South . Back in England, he worked with Fela Sowande and Marino Barretto's Conga Band in the late 1930s . After completing his military service, he worked with Cyril Blakes Knights of Rhythm (1945), Jiver Hutchinson (1946) and Clinton Maxwell (1947). After rejoining the Knights of Rhythm , he went on a European tour with Rex Stewart in 1948 (recordings for Amiga were made in Berlin ). He then played with Robert Farnon and Sid Phillips and appeared in a vocal trio with Lauderic Caton before ending his musical career in 1952 and working in a factory. In the field of jazz he was involved in six recording sessions from 1937 to 1948.
Lexical entries
- John Chilton , Who's Who in British Jazz London 2005; ISBN 978-0826472342
Web links
- Louis Stephenson at Discogs (English)
- Louis Stephenson at Allmusic (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Marc Waters: Black London: The Imperial Metropolis and Decolonization in the Twentieth Century. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2015, p. 192
- ↑ The Bands of Ken Johnson Shakehips
- ↑ Max Harrison , Charles Fox, Eric Thacker (eds.) Essential Jazz Records: Volume 1: Ragtime to Swing, Volume 1 London: Continuum, 2000. p. 221
- ^ Siegfried Schmidt-Joos : The Stasi does not swing . Halle: Mitteldeutscher Verlag 2016
- ↑ Interview with Caton and Louis Stephenson
- ↑ Tom Lord : Jazz Discography (online)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Stephenson, Louis |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Stephenson, Louis George Alexander |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British jazz musician (saxophone, double bass) of Jamaican origin |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 2, 1907 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | St. Ann's Parish , Jamaica |
| DATE OF DEATH | 3rd February 1994 |
| Place of death | London |