Pete King (saxophonist)
Encyclopedia
Peter "Pete" Stephen George King (23 August 1929; Bow, London
– 21 December 2009) was a British jazz tenor saxophonist. He was the manager of London's famous jazz club, Ronnie Scott's, for almost 50 years.
in 1947, before going on to join the bands of Kenny Graham, Teddy Foster, and Leon Roy.
In 1948, he was first tenor in George Evans
' Saxes ‘n’ Sevens with Tony Arnopp, Kenny Clare
and Les Evans.
He played with Oscar Rabin
1948–1950 and Kathy Stobart
1950–1952. In September 1952 he recorded with the Ronnie Scott
Quintet, which also included Dill Jones
, Lennie Bush
, and Tony Crombie
. While playing with the various bands Scott formed in the latter half of the 50s, King was also a member of Jack Parnell
's band, and shortly afterwards, together with other musicians left to form Scott's nine piece orchestra featuring Scott and King on tenor saxes and other leading jazz musicians including Derek Humble
(as), Jimmy Deuchar
(tp), Ken Wray (tb), Benny Green (bs), Lennie Bush
(b), and Tony Crombie (d).
In 1956, both King and Scott were members of the Victor Feldman
Big Band.
After the break-up, in 1959, of Tubby Hayes' and Ronnie Scott's The Jazz Couriers
, of which King had been the manager, he and Scott opened Ronnie Scott's jazz club and King effectively gave up playing to run the club, which he continued to do for several years after Scott's death in 1996.
Besides being responsible for the day-to-day running of the club, King was instrumental to the negotiations between the Musicians' Union
and the American Federation of Musicians
to lift the former's ban on American musicians. Although there had been occasional exchanges for specific concerts, i.e. Stan Kenton
and Louis Armstrong
, the new deal provided for more regular exchanges of British and American players. As a direct result of the deal, the Tubby Hayes
Quartet went off to play at the Half Note Club
in New York and Zoot Sims
was booked for a month-long residency at Ronnie's in November 1961. The success of the agreement led to leading saxophonists, including Sonny Stitt
, Stan Getz
, Johnny Griffin
, Roland Kirk, Al Cohn
, Ben Webster
and Benny Golson
, following suit.
Bow, London
Bow is an area of London, England, United Kingdom in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a built-up, mostly residential district located east of Charing Cross, and is a part of the East End.-Bridges at Bowe:...
– 21 December 2009) was a British jazz tenor saxophonist. He was the manager of London's famous jazz club, Ronnie Scott's, for almost 50 years.
Biography
After serving in the second world war, King returned to London and took tenor sax and clarinet lessons. His first professional work was with Jiver HutchinsonJiver Hutchinson
Leslie George "Jiver" Hutchinson was a Jamaican jazz trumpeter and bandleader.Hutchinson played in the band of Bertie King in Jamaica in the 1930s, then moved to England, where he played with Happy Blake's Cuba Club Band. In 1936 he played in Leslie Thompson's Emperors of Jazz and in 1938 with Ken...
in 1947, before going on to join the bands of Kenny Graham, Teddy Foster, and Leon Roy.
In 1948, he was first tenor in George Evans
George Evans (bandleader)
George Evans, born London, died February 16, 1993, was an English jazz bandleader, arranger and tenor saxophonist.Having started playing ukelele-banjo, he moved on to the saxophone at 14, and was doing local gigs at age 15...
' Saxes ‘n’ Sevens with Tony Arnopp, Kenny Clare
Kenny Clare
Kenneth 'Kenny' Clare was an English jazz drummer. He should not be confused with Kenny Clarke, whose band he played in....
and Les Evans.
He played with Oscar Rabin
Oscar Rabin
Oscar Rabin was a Latvian born English bandleader and musician. He was notable for being the musical director of the Oscar Rabin Band....
1948–1950 and Kathy Stobart
Kathy Stobart
Florence Kathleen "Kathy" Stobart is a British jazz saxophonist. Her concentration is on tenor sax.Stobart first learned piano as a child. After picking up saxophone, she first played locally in Newcastle and then in London in the 1940s with Denis Rose, Ted Heath and Jimmy Skidmore. Later that...
1950–1952. In September 1952 he recorded with the 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...
Quintet, which also included Dill Jones
Dill Jones
Dillwyn Owen Paton Jones, or Dill Jones , was a Welsh jazz stride pianist.-Biography:Jones was born in Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire, on 19 August 1923. He was brought up in New Quay on the Cardiganshire coast. Music was in the family as his mother was a pianist and his aunt played organ at the...
, Lennie Bush
Lennie Bush
Leonard Walter "Lennie" Bush was an English jazz double-bassist.Bush contracted polio as a child and as a result possessed a limp for the rest of his life...
, and Tony Crombie
Tony Crombie
Anthony John "Tony" Crombie was an English jazz drummer, pianist, bandleader and composer. He was regarded as one of the finest jazz drummers and bandleaders, and occasional but very capable pianist and vibraphonist, to emerge in Britain, and as an energising influence on the British jazz scene...
. While playing with the various bands Scott formed in the latter half of the 50s, King was also a member of Jack Parnell
Jack Parnell
John Russell Parnell was an English bandleader and musician.-Biography:Parnell was born into a theatrical family in London....
's band, and shortly afterwards, together with other musicians left to form Scott's nine piece orchestra featuring Scott and King on tenor saxes and other leading jazz musicians including Derek Humble
Derek Humble
Derek Humble was an English jazz alto saxophonist.Humble was born at Livingston, Durham, England and played professionally from his teenage years. He was working with Kathy Stobart by 1950 and played with Vic Lewis in 1951 and Jack Parnell in 1952...
(as), Jimmy Deuchar
Jimmy Deuchar
James "Jimmy" Deuchar was a jazz trumpeter and big band arranger, born in Dundee, Scotland. He found fame as a performer and arranger in the 1950s and 1960s...
(tp), Ken Wray (tb), Benny Green (bs), Lennie Bush
Lennie Bush
Leonard Walter "Lennie" Bush was an English jazz double-bassist.Bush contracted polio as a child and as a result possessed a limp for the rest of his life...
(b), and Tony Crombie (d).
In 1956, both King and Scott were members of the Victor Feldman
Victor Feldman
Victor Stanley Feldman was a British jazz musician, best known as a pianist.-Early history:...
Big Band.
After the break-up, in 1959, of Tubby Hayes' and Ronnie Scott's The Jazz Couriers
The Jazz Couriers
The Jazz Couriers were a British jazz quintet formed in April 1957 and which disbanded in August 1959.The quintet's first line-up consisted of Tubby Hayes and Ronnie Scott on tenor saxophones, with Terry Shannon , Malcolm Cecil and Bill Eyden and made their debut on the opening night at the new...
, of which King had been the manager, he and Scott opened Ronnie Scott's jazz club and King effectively gave up playing to run the club, which he continued to do for several years after Scott's death in 1996.
Besides being responsible for the day-to-day running of the club, King was instrumental to the negotiations between the Musicians' Union
Musicians' Union (UK)
-About the MU:The Musicians' Union is an organisation which represents over 30,000 musicians working in all sectors of the UK music business.-Campaigns:The MU stages regular campaigns in relation to relevant musical and industrial issues...
and the American Federation of Musicians
American Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada...
to lift the former's ban on American musicians. Although there had been occasional exchanges for specific concerts, i.e. Stan Kenton
Stan Kenton
Stanley Newcomb "Stan" Kenton was a pianist, composer, and arranger who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator....
and Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
, the new deal provided for more regular exchanges of British and American players. As a direct result of the deal, the 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...
Quartet went off to play at the Half Note Club
Half Note Club
The Half Note was a jazz club located at 289 Hudson Street in New York City.The club was known for showcasing up-and-coming jazz musicians in the 1950s and 1960s, defraying its costs with live radio broadcasts on Friday nights, hosted by Alan Grant....
in New York and Zoot Sims
Zoot Sims
John Haley "Zoot" Sims was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor and soprano.-Biography:He was born in Inglewood, California, the son of vaudeville performers Kate Haley and John Sims. Growing up in a performing family, Sims learned to play both drums and clarinet at an early age...
was booked for a month-long residency at Ronnie's in November 1961. The success of the agreement led to leading saxophonists, including Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt
Edward "Sonny" Stitt was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was also one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums in his lifetime...
, 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...
, Johnny Griffin
Johnny Griffin
John Arnold Griffin III was an American bop and hard bop tenor saxophonist.- Early life and career :Griffin studied music at DuSable High School in Chicago under Walter Dyett, starting out on clarinet before moving on to oboe and then alto sax...
, Roland Kirk, Al Cohn
Al Cohn
Al Cohn was an American jazz saxophonist and arranger and composer.-Biography:Alvin Gilbert Cohn was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was initially known in the 1940s for playing in Woody Herman's Second Herd as one of the Four Brothers, along with Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, and Serge Chaloff...
, Ben Webster
Ben Webster
Benjamin Francis Webster , a.k.a. "The Brute" or "Frog," was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist. Webster, born in Kansas City, Missouri, was considered one of the three most important "swing tenors" along with Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young...
and Benny Golson
Benny Golson
Benny Golson is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger.-Biography:While in high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Golson played with several other promising young musicians, including John Coltrane, Red Garland, Jimmy Heath, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones, and...
, following suit.
External links
- http://vzone.virgin.net/davidh.taylor/peking.htm
- Pete King – Daily Telegraph obituary
- Pete King: manager of Ronnie Scott's jazz club – Times obituary
- Pete King: The power behind the throne at Ronnie Scott's jazz club – Independent obituary