Monty Sunshine

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monty Sunshine (born April 8, 1928 in Stepney , London , † November 30, 2010 ) was a British clarinetist and band leader of the Dixieland Revival.

Monty Sunshine (Heiningen 1976)

Live and act

Sunshine was born the son of a tailor in Stepney, east London, and attended the Camberwell School of Art. As a student, he began playing the clarinet, modeled on Johnny Dodds and George Lewis . In 1949 he played in the "Crane River Jazz Band" with cornet player Ken Colyer , which was very important for the development of traditional jazz in England. In 1951 they last appeared in the original line-up at the Royal Festival Hall . After Colyer and others left to join the Christie Brothers Stompers, Sonny Morris and Monty Sunshine ran it together until 1953. In 1953, Chris Barber and Sunshine formed a band ("Ken Colyer and his Jazzmen") with Ron Bowden (drums), Lonnie Donegan (banjo) and bassist Jim Bray, under the direction of Ken Colyer, who was then returning from New Orleans which in May 1954 (after they separated from Colyer due to musical differences) became the "Chris Barber Band".

Monty Sunshine was the band's clarinetist until 1960 (his successor was Ian Wheeler from Colyer's band), whose profile he shaped as a soloist. In 1959 he had a big hit with her with his solo in Sidney Bechet's Petite Fleur . The single was a decoupling from an LP from 1956, sold millions of copies and brought Barber and Sunshine a gold record . After his time with Barber, he formed his own band (then with the trumpeter Rod Mason and the pianist Ronny Parker), which he always left in sextet form and with which he performed until about 2001. Like the bands of Chris Barber and Ken Colyer, it was one of the most famous European traditional jazz formations . After a reunion in 1975 he played several times as a guest soloist with Chris Barber. Sunshine was particularly successful in Germany and made numerous recordings.

He died on November 30, 2010.

Web links

Monty Sunshine (left) (1957)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ It originally included the brothers Ken and Bill Colyer (Skiffle Board), Sunshine, Ron Bowden, Sonny Morris (trumpet), John RT Davies (trombone). The band continued until 1957 under the direction of Sonny Morris; In 1972 they had a reunion.
  2. ↑ Pat Halcox now played trumpet in the Barber Band and clarinet with Colyer Acker Bilk
  3. ↑ Biography on Chris Barber's website
  4. ↑ comp .: Fats Waller / Clarence Williams ; but not, as stated in this precise recording, Sidney Bechet
personal data
SURNAME Sunshine, Monty
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British jazz clarinetist
DATE OF BIRTH April 8, 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH Stepney , London
DATE OF DEATH November 30, 2010