[Dixielandjazz] Fwd: Another Kenny Baker--Peter Kerr

[Marek Boym]

>
> Hi,
>
I'm forwarding this to the list since Kenny Baker was one of the best
trumpet players anywhere.  He was even on some - not so great - Dixieland
albums.  But he was a wonderful swing player.  I saw him imbuing life in a
rather laclustre big band.  The band played for a while, and sounded bland.
Then Baker joined it - and it started swinging like hell!
A great musician.
Cheers

>  *From:* Peter Kerr [mailto:prkerr at mindspring.com]
> *Sent:* Wednesday, August 03, 2011 9:39 AM
> **
> *Subject:* Another Kenny Baker****
>
> ** **
>
> Hi
>
> When I saw the obit for Kenny B the fiddler, I immediately thought of
> another Kenny Baker who is no longer with us - Kenny Baker, British trumpet
> great who died in 1999 aged 78.  Kenny started young on cornet in our
> northern England brass band area and went on to play until shortly before he
> died.  Here is a Youtube clip of "Fascinatin' Rhythm from 1998 in which he's
> playing with other alumni of the Ted Heath Band, including drummer Jack
> Parnell (who's playing enticed me into becoming a drummer).  It's well worth
> a listen and a salute to all "old fogies". (and even young turks!)
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_GY-2T_eQ8&feature=related
>
> In addition, here is his entry in Wikipedia
>
> ****
> Kenny Baker (trumpeter)****
>
> From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia****
>
> *Kenny Baker***
>
> *Born*
>
> 1 March 1921
> Withernsea <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Withernsea>, Yorkshire<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire>
> ****
>
> *Died*
>
> 7 December 1999
> Felpham <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felpham>, West Sussex<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Sussex>
> ****
>
> *Occupation*
>
> Trumpeter <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trumpeter>, Composer<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composer>
> ****
>
> *Kenny Baker* was born on 1 March 1921 in Withernsea<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Withernsea>
> ,[1]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Baker_%28trumpeter%29#cite_note-0> East
> Riding of Yorkshire<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Riding_of_Yorkshire>and died 7 December 1999. He was an accomplished player of jazz trumpet,
> cornet and flugelhorn, and a composer.****
> [edit<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kenny_Baker_%28trumpeter%29&action=edit&section=1>
> ] Biography****
>
> Baker joined a brass band and by the age of 17 and had already become a
> professional musician. After leaving his home town of Withernsea<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Withernsea>,
> in Yorkshire's East Riding, for London<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London>,
> he met and began performing with the already well-known jazz musician George
> Chisholm <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Chisholm_%28musician%29>.
> While serving in the RAF <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Air_Force>during World
> War II <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II>, Baker was called up to
> do forces programmes.****
>
> Baker was first heard on record in a British public jam session in 1941 and
> quickly established a strong reputation in London clubs. He was brass band
> trained and had faultless technical command. The young Baker was lead
> trumpeter with Ted Heath<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Heath_%28bandleader%29>'s
> post war orchestra with such tours de force as 'Bakerloo Non-Stop' recorded
> for the Decca <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decca_Records> record label in
> 1946 and still well remembered with a tenor saxophone solo from Johnny Gray,
> the piece becomes an exciting feature for both Baker and drummer Jack
> Parnell <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Parnell>. In the 1950s Kenny
> led his own group called Baker's Dozen for which he played lead and solos
> and wrote the library. With this group he performed on the first regular
> jazz show on British radio, the BBC Light Programme<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Light_Programme>series 'Let's Settle For Music'.
> ****
>
> By the 1950s he was regularly performing in studios but his numerous jazz
> recordings (with a quartet for Parlophone and groups of all kinds for Nixa
> and others) are considered world-class, a confident replay of Bunny
> Berigan <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunny_Berigan> without the errors
> and range to spare. So good was Baker that when the Musicians' Union were
> trying to justify their ban on American players working in Britain, they
> were able to ask, "While we have Kenny Baker who needs Louis?". (Quote from
> BBC News). In the 1960s and 1970s he was still on call for film and studio
> work. He often appeared on BBC radio's 'Sounds of Jazz' programme introduced
> by Peter Clayton <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Clayton> in the 1970s
> with recordings made at the Maida Vale<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maida_Vale>studios in
> London <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London> and broadcast late on Sunday
> evenings.[2]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Baker_%28trumpeter%29#cite_note-1>
> ****
>
> A famous appearance on soundtrack for Baker was a long hot trumpet solo
> mimed by Kay Kendall <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Kendall> in the
> famous 1954 film called 'Genevieve'. He regularly emerged to play at jazz
> clubs often with co-trumpeter John McLevey. Baker's skills brought him wider
> prominence, starting in 1955 when he appeared at Blackpool with the
> up-and-coming comic pair of Morecambe and Wise<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morecambe_and_Wise>.
> He also went on to share top billings with other big comedy variety acts of
> the day, such as Tommy Trinder<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Trinder>,
> Benny Hill <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Hill> and Ken Dodd<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Dodd>.
> Appearing on the BBC's Big Band Special in 1962, leading British jazzman John
> Dankworth <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dankworth> said, "Everybody
> regarded him on a different level to any other trumpeter in the British
> Isles. He was a world class performer."****
>
> He formed the 'Best of British Jazz' which was a show with Don Lusher<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Lusher>and Betty
> Smith <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Smith>. This group toured
> regularly in 1976 and after the death of Harry James<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_James>in 1983, he was asked by the James Foundation to take over their orchestra.
> A small 'fighting cock' of a man (he once elbowed Benny Goodman<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Goodman>out of the way for persistently mis-judging the tempo of a Baker feature on
> British concerts) he was a world-class lead trumpeter, solo performer and
> improviser.****
>
> His career saw him play with the likes of Frank Sinatra<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sinatra>,Petula
> Clark, Sammy Davis, Jr. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sammy_Davis,_Jr.>and Tony
> Bennett <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Bennett>. He also performed on
> James Bond soundtracks and with The Beatles. In addition to this, he was
> also heard on hundreds of TV programmes including The Muppet Show<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Muppet_Show>,
> through his involvement with the Jack Parnell<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Parnell>Orchestra, which played for the now-defunct
> ATV <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_TeleVision> company.****
>
> In 1962 he recorded a light jazz set with Petula Clark at the Pye Studios
> at Great Cumberland Place live and late at night with 'the Kenny Baker Trio'
> . This has now become a classic set and has regularly been re-issued on CD.
> This set is entitled 'IN OTHER WORDS ...PETULA CLARK'****
>
> In the 1980s he provided the music for The Beiderbecke Trilogy<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beiderbecke_Trilogy>,
> starring James Bolam <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bolam>.****
>
> His famous group, 'Baker's Dozen' reformed in 1993 for four sell-out nights
> at Ronnie Scott <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronnie_Scott>'s in
> Birmingham <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham>.****
>
> He was presented with the best trumpet player title for the third time at
> the BT British jazz awards in 1999. He was also awarded the MBE in the
> Queen's Birthday Honours in 1999.****
>
> He died in a hospital close to his home at Felpham<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felpham>,
> West Sussex <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Sussex> at the age of 78
> after suffering from a viral infection for more than three weeks. He is
> survived by his third wife Sue and daughter Julie. People have said of Baker
> that 'He was to jazz what the Rolling Stones are to rock music'.****
>
> Jim Simpson, head of Big Bear Music Agency, which handled Baker's career,
> said, "It's not just the passing of good man and a wonderful musician, it's
> the end of an era musically."[3]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Baker_%28trumpeter%29#cite_note-2>
> ****
>
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> ****
>