Allan Ganley
Encyclopedia
Allan Ganley was a respected English
jazz drummer and arranger, who played with many famous names.
A self-taught drummer, in the early 1950s Ganley played in the dance band led by Bert Ambrose. In 1953 he came to prominence as a member of Johnny Dankworth's band, then the most popular modern jazz group in the UK. Also in the 1950s, he worked with pianist Derek Smith
, Dizzy Reece
, clarinettist Vic Ash
, Ronnie Scott
and several visiting American musicians. Towards the end of the decade he was co-leader with Ronnie Ross
of a small group known as the Jazzmakers.
In the early 1960s, Ganley was often with Tubby Hayes
, playing with his small groups and the occasionally assembled big band. As house drummer at Ronnie Scott's club he played with numerous leading American jazzmen, including Dizzy Gillespie
, Stan Getz
, Jim Hall
, Freddie Hubbard
and Rahsaan Roland Kirk
. In the early 1970s he took time out to study at Berklee College of Music
in Boston
, Massachusetts
, then returned to the UK to form and lead a big band, which he maintained sporadically for the next 10 years.
Throughout the '70s and '80s, Ganley could be seen and heard on countless broadcasts and recording dates, playing with jazz musicians of all styles, effortlessly slipping from traditional to post-bop to big band to mainstream, all the while swinging with great subtlety. In the '90s Ganley was as active as ever, playing club and festival dates throughout the UK with occasional overseas trips. The self-effacing nature of his playing made him a perfect accompanist for pianists as different as Teddy Wilson
and Al Haig
and for singers from Carol Kidd
to Blossom Dearie
.
Although less well known for his work as an arranger, Ganley provided charts for many leading British jazzmen as well as for the BBC Radio Big Band, thus enhancing the enormous yet understated contribution he made to the British jazz scene over the years.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
jazz drummer and arranger, who played with many famous names.
A self-taught drummer, in the early 1950s Ganley played in the dance band led by Bert Ambrose. In 1953 he came to prominence as a member of Johnny Dankworth's band, then the most popular modern jazz group in the UK. Also in the 1950s, he worked with pianist Derek Smith
Derek Smith (musician)
Derek Smith is an English jazz pianist.Smith played piano from a very young age, and worked professionally from age 14. In the 1950s he played with many noted British jazz musicians, such as Kenny Graham, John Dankworth, and Kenny Baker, then moved to New York City in the middle of the decade...
, Dizzy Reece
Dizzy Reece
Alphonso Son "Dizzy" Reece is a hard bop jazz trumpeter with a distinctive sound and compositional style.Reece was born 5 January 1931 in Kingston, Jamaica, the son of a silent film pianist. He attended the Alpha Boys School , switching from baritone to trumpet at 14...
, clarinettist Vic Ash
Vic Ash
Victor "Vic" Ash , is an English jazz saxophonist and clarinetist.Ash began playing professionally in 1951 when, together with Tubby Hayes, he joined the band of Kenny Baker, with whom he played until 1953...
, Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott was an English jazz tenor saxophonist and jazz club owner.-Life and career:Ronnie Scott was born in Aldgate, east London, into a family of Russian Jewish descent on his father's side, and Portuguese antecedents on his mother's. Scott began playing in small jazz clubs at the age of...
and several visiting American musicians. Towards the end of the decade he was co-leader with Ronnie Ross
Ronnie Ross
Albert Ronald "Ronnie" Ross was a jazz baritone saxophonist.Ross moved to England in 1946 and began playing tenor saxophone in the 1950s with Tony Kinsey, Ted Heath, and Don Rendell. During his tenure with Rendell he switched to baritone saxophone...
of a small group known as the Jazzmakers.
In the early 1960s, Ganley was often with Tubby Hayes
Tubby Hayes
Edward Brian "Tubby" Hayes was an English jazz multi-instrumentalist, best known for his tenor saxophone playing in groups with fellow sax player Ronnie Scott and with trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest British jazz instrumentalists.- Early life :Hayes was born...
, playing with his small groups and the occasionally assembled big band. As house drummer at Ronnie Scott's club he played with numerous leading American jazzmen, including Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
, Jim Hall
Jim Hall (musician)
James Stanley Hall is an American jazz guitarist.-Biography:Educated at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Hall moved to Los Angeles where he began to attract national, and then international, attention in the late 1950s...
, Freddie Hubbard
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
and Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Rahsaan Roland Kirk was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played tenor saxophone, flute and many other instruments...
. In the early 1970s he took time out to study at Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, then returned to the UK to form and lead a big band, which he maintained sporadically for the next 10 years.
Throughout the '70s and '80s, Ganley could be seen and heard on countless broadcasts and recording dates, playing with jazz musicians of all styles, effortlessly slipping from traditional to post-bop to big band to mainstream, all the while swinging with great subtlety. In the '90s Ganley was as active as ever, playing club and festival dates throughout the UK with occasional overseas trips. The self-effacing nature of his playing made him a perfect accompanist for pianists as different as Teddy Wilson
Teddy Wilson
Theodore Shaw "Teddy" Wilson was an American jazz pianist whose sophisticated and elegant style was featured on the records of many of the biggest names in jazz, including Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.-Biography:Wilson was born in Austin, Texas in...
and Al Haig
Al Haig
Alan Warren Haig was an American jazz pianist, best known as one of the pioneers of bebop.Haig was born in Newark, New Jersey...
and for singers from Carol Kidd
Carol Kidd
Carol Kidd, MBE is a Scottish jazz singer.She came to prominence in the mid 1970s, as the vocalist in the band led by vibrophonist / saxophonist Jimmy Feighan. In 1990, she released her award-winning album, The Night We Called It a Day. She has subsequently performed and recorded extensively on...
to Blossom Dearie
Blossom Dearie
Blossom Dearie was an American jazz singer and pianist, often performing in the bebop genre and remembered for her girlish voice.-Early career:...
.
Although less well known for his work as an arranger, Ganley provided charts for many leading British jazzmen as well as for the BBC Radio Big Band, thus enhancing the enormous yet understated contribution he made to the British jazz scene over the years.