Sandy Brown (musician)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sandy Brown (born February 25, 1929 in Izatnagar, India , † March 15, 1975 in Edinburgh ) was a British jazz clarinetist, composer, band leader and singer as well as writer, architect and sound engineer.

Live and act

Sandy Brown was born in India to Scottish parents and grew up in Edinburgh. His father was a railroad engineer. As a clarinetist, Brown was self-taught; he attended the Royal High School (Edinburgh). After serving in the National Service , he studied architecture at the Edinburgh College of Art . There he formed his first band in 1949 with his school friend Al Fairweather , to which Stan Greig also belonged.

In 1953 Brown and Fairweather moved south with their band and eventually performed at the newly built Royal Festival Hall in London; Brown then returned to Edinburgh to complete his studies, but Fairweather stayed in London. After graduating, Brown came back to London and worked as a sound engineer at the BBC and revived his band. During this time he also worked with musicians such as the pianist Sammy Price . In 1954 the Sandy Brown / Al Fairweather All Stars were created ; they became one of the most successful mainstream jazz groups on the British scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s . In it u played a. Dick Heckstall-Smith , John McLaughlin , Kenny Wheeler , Terry Cox as well as trombonist Tony Milliner , tenorist Tony Coe and pianist Brian Lemon . The band released albums such as McJazz , Dr McJazz or The Incredible McJazz .

Eventually, Brown decided to focus more on his second career as a recording studio architect, but kept coming back to the jazz scene for club and festival appearances. In 1971 he recorded one last album with the Brian Lemon Trio. Illness ended his career in the 1970s.

Brown has also played with Henry Red Allen , Diz Disley , Humphrey Lyttelton , Earle Warren , Eddie Durham and Pee Wee Russell during his musical career . His writings were published by Faber & Faber under the title The McJazz Manuscripts .

Discographic notes

  • McJazz (Dormouse, 1957)
  • McJazz and Friends (Lake, 1956–58) with Dick Heckstall-Smith
  • McJazz Lives On (EMI, 1957-63)
  • Dr McJazz (Columbia, 1961)
  • Work Song (Lake, 1962–68) with Kenny Wheeler , George Chisholm , Tony Coe, Brian Lemon, John McLaughlin
  • In the Evening ( Hep Records , 1971)

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Brown, Sandy
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British jazz musician
DATE OF BIRTH February 25, 1929
PLACE OF BIRTH Izatnagar, India
DATE OF DEATH March 15, 1975
Place of death Edinburgh