Man who put British jazz on the world map, John Dankworth, dies aged 82

Published on Sunday 7 February 2010 21:55

SIR John Dankworth, a totemic figure of the British jazz scene who worked as a musical director for artists including Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole, has died at the age of 82.

The composer, saxophonist and band leader, whose career spanned more than half a century, died on Saturday at hospital in London. He had been ill for several months.

Dame Cleo Laine – who married Sir John in 1958 after meeting during an audition for a spot with his band – announced her husband's death before the finale of the 40th anniversary concert at The Stables, the Buckinghamshire theatre they founded together.

Monica Ferguson, the theatre's chief executive officer, said: "(Cleo] felt that it was really important to go ahead with the show.

"She wanted to maintain a sense of the concert being a celebration; because Sir John had put a lot of thought into it, she wanted to make sure that we didn't bring the audience down.

"I think the audience had a great sense of shock. There were a lot of gasps and people I spoke to afterwards were visibly shaken and moved by it."

The concert featured performances from Dame Cleo, the couple's jazz musician children Alec and Jacqui, as well as stars including Paul O'Grady, Prunella Scales, Maureen Lipman, Timothy West and Victoria Wood.

Ms Ferguson said: "The sheer grit and will of the family, to go on in those circumstances, was astounding. They were incredibly brave."

Better known as Johnny Dankworth before he was knighted in 2006, Sir John started his own jazz orchestra in the 1950s and went on to work with the likes of Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald.

He was also a prolific composer, writing the theme tune for TV shows The Avengers and Tomorrow's World, and films including Modesty Blaise, The Servant and Saturday Night And Sunday Morning.

Jazz star Jamie Cullum paid tribute to the musician on his Twitter page, calling him a genius. He added: "Sir John Dankworth: a great man and one of our finest musicians and composers has died. Rest in peace, sir."

Jazzwise magazine hailed the performer as "one of the totemic figures of British jazz" and the country's "first major jazz musician".

His agent Jim Murtha said: "For British jazz and jazz around the world, I believe John has become such an international figure, particularly since he became Sir John Dankworth a few years ago."

Sir John was born in Woodford, Essex, in 1927 and showed early proficiency on the clarinet. After falling in love with the music of legendary US saxophonist Charlie Parker, he took up the same instrument. He won a place at the Royal Academy of Music aged 17, and after a short spell in the army, was voted British Musician of the Year in 1949.

Sir John met his wife in 1950 while auditioning singers for his band, the Dankworth Seven. They married in 1958. That decade also saw him tour the US with his jazz orchestra, sharing the bill with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He also served as musical director to jazz greats like Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald.

The musician worked with directors like Karel Reisz, Sir Peter Hall, John Schlesinger, Joseph Losey and Henry Hathaway. In 1985 Sir John founded the London Symphony Orchestra's Summer Pops, continuing to work with it as artistic director until 1990.