Peter King (saxophonist)
Encyclopedia
Peter John King is an English
jazz
saxophonist
, composer
, and clarinet
tist.
In 1957 His first public appearances were playing alto in a trad jazz group at the Swan Public House, Mll Street, Kingston in a group organised by a trumpeter called Alan Rosewell, with whom he worked at the Directorate of Overseas Surveys
to perform at the opening of Scott's club in Gerrard Street, London. In the same year he received the Melody Maker
"New Star" award. He worked with Johnny Dankworth
's orchestra from 1960 to 1961, and went on to work with the big band
s of Maynard Ferguson
, Tubby Hayes
, Harry South
, and Stan Tracey
, the Brussels Big Band, and the Ray Charles
band on a European tour. He has also played in small groups with musicians such as Philly Joe Jones
, Zoot Sims
, Al Cohn
, Red Rodney
, Hampton Hawes
, Nat Adderley
, Al Haig
, John Burch
, Bill Watrous
, and Dick Morrissey
, Tony Kinsey
, Bill Le Sage
and singers such as Jimmy Witherspoon
, Joe Williams
, Jon Hendricks
, and Anita O'Day
. He is a member of Charlie Watts
' Tentet.
King's composing, deeply influenced by the music of Bela Bartok, has moved far beyond individual numbers for performance and recording, and includes an opera
, Zyklon, in collaboration with Julian Barry
. On his album Janus he presented a five movement suite for jazz quartet and string quartet, for which he wrote all the music, using the arch form familiar in classical composition. He has also made appearances on a number of pop duo Everything But The Girl
's albums, as well as on the solo album North Marine Drive
of Everything But The Girl member Ben Watt
. There have also been a few film appearances such as in, "Blue Ice" starring Michael Caine and, "The Talented Mr. Ripley", starring Mat Damon.
In 2005 Peter King won the BBC 'Musician of the Year' award.
As of 2011, King still performs regularly in jazz venues around London and the rest of the UK with his quartet, usually featuring pianist Steve Melling, and as a guest performer in other jazz bands. In April 2011 he published his autobiography Flying High, to wide acclaim.
Peter King is widely regarded as one of the world's best altoists. "A wonderful musician, Peter King is a master of his instrument. People are aware of that here in America as well as in England" (Elvin Jones, Jazz UK Magazine. September 2001). His playing on soprano saxophone is no less distinctive and powerful, and King often uses the instrument to express the more lyrical side of his music.
He is also a leading figure in the international aero-modelling world. He has competed successfully in major competitions and has written extensively about the subject. Among his other strong interests has been Formula One motor racing and his album Tamburello contains a three part composition which presents a deeply felt tribute to the late Ayrton Senna
.
alto saxophone
for many years, around 2001 he changed to a limited edition Yanagisawa
A9932Z solid silver
and phosphor bronze
alto, fitted with the same vintage metal Otto Link mouthpiece as before. His limited edition A9932Z is no longer produced by Yanagisawa, although the newer A9932J alto saxophone
is almost identical to it, except that the inside of the solid silver bell is not gold-plated and there are some minor differences in the engraving. In 2010, King is still playing the custom Yanagisawa alto, but with a metal mouthpiece hand-made by Freddie Gregory.
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
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
tist.
Early life
Peter King was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, on August 11, 1940. He took up the clarinet and saxophone as a teenager, entirely self taught. Though he began his working life as an apprentice cartographer at The Directorate of Overseas Survey (D.O.S.), he quickly decided to become a professional musician.In 1957 His first public appearances were playing alto in a trad jazz group at the Swan Public House, Mll Street, Kingston in a group organised by a trumpeter called Alan Rosewell, with whom he worked at the Directorate of Overseas Surveys
Career
In 1959, at the age of nineteen, he was booked by Ronnie ScottRonnie 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...
to perform at the opening of Scott's club in Gerrard Street, London. In the same year he received the Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
"New Star" award. He worked with Johnny Dankworth
John Dankworth
Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE , known in his early career as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist and clarinetist...
's orchestra from 1960 to 1961, and went on to work with the big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
s of Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...
, 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...
, Harry South
Harry South
Harry South was an English jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, who later moved into work for film and television....
, and Stan Tracey
Stan Tracey
Stanley William Tracey CBE is a British jazz pianist and composer, most influenced by Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk.-Early career:...
, the Brussels Big Band, and the Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
band on a European tour. He has also played in small groups with musicians such as Philly Joe Jones
Philly Joe Jones
Joseph Rudolph Jones was a Philadelphia-born United States jazz drummer, known as the drummer for the Miles Davis Quintet.Philly Joe Jones was often confused with another influential jazz drummer, Jo Jones...
, 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...
, 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...
, Red Rodney
Red Rodney
Robert Roland Chudnick , who performed by the stage name Red Rodney, was an American bop and hard bop trumpeter.-Biography:...
, Hampton Hawes
Hampton Hawes
Hampton Hawes was an American bebop and hard-bop jazz pianist, recognized as one of the finest and most influential of the 1950s.-Biography:...
, Nat Adderley
Nat Adderley
Nathaniel Adderley was an American jazz cornet and trumpet player who played in the hard bop and soul jazz genres. He was the brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley....
, 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...
, John Burch
John Burch (musician)
John Burch , was a British pianist, composer and band leader equally at home playing traditional jazz, bebop, blues, skiffle, boogie-woogie and rock....
, Bill Watrous
Bill Watrous
William Russell Watrous III is a jazz trombonist. He is perhaps best known by casual fans of jazz music for his rendition of Sammy Nestico's arrangement of the Johnny Mandel ballad "A Time for Love," which he recorded on a 1993 album of the same name...
, and Dick Morrissey
Dick Morrissey
Richard Edwin "Dick" Morrissey was a British jazz musician and composer. He played the tenor sax, soprano sax and flute.- Background :...
, Tony Kinsey
Tony Kinsey
Cyril Anthony 'Tony' Kinsey is an English jazz drummer and composer.Kinsey held jobs on trans-Atlantic ships while young, studying while at port with Bill West in New York City and with local musician Tommy Webster in Birmingham. He had a close association with Ronnie Ball early in his life; the...
, Bill Le Sage
Bill Le Sage
Bill Le Sage, born William A. Le Sage, born London - died , London, was a British pianist, vibraphonist, arranger, composer and bandleader. His credits include the score for the 1960 film The Tell-Tale Heart....
and singers such as Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.-Early life and career:James Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. He first attracted attention singing with Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta, India, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service during...
, Joe Williams
Joe Williams (jazz singer)
Joe Williams was a well-known jazz vocalist, a baritone singing a mixture of blues, ballads, popular songs, and jazz standards.-Early life:...
, Jon Hendricks
Jon Hendricks
Jon Hendricks is an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is considered one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and replaces many instruments with vocalists...
, and Anita O'Day
Anita O'Day
Anita O'Day was an American jazz singer.Born Anita Belle Colton, O'Day was admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appearances shattered the traditional image of the "girl singer"...
. He is a member of Charlie Watts
Charlie Watts
Charles Robert "Charlie" Watts is an English drummer, best known as a member of The Rolling Stones. He is also the leader of a jazz band, a record producer, commercial artist, and horse breeder.-Early life:...
' Tentet.
King's composing, deeply influenced by the music of Bela Bartok, has moved far beyond individual numbers for performance and recording, and includes an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
, Zyklon, in collaboration with Julian Barry
Julian Barry
Julian Barry is an American screenwriter and playwright best known for his Oscar-nominated script for the film Lenny about comedian Lenny Bruce, which Barry adapted from his successful Broadway play of the same name...
. On his album Janus he presented a five movement suite for jazz quartet and string quartet, for which he wrote all the music, using the arch form familiar in classical composition. He has also made appearances on a number of pop duo Everything But The Girl
Everything but the Girl
Everything but the Girl was a two-person English band, formed in Hull during 1981, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, and singer Ben Watt . They are currently inactive although vocalist Tracey Thorn hinted that they may reform someday...
's albums, as well as on the solo album North Marine Drive
North Marine Drive
North Marine Drive is the debut album and only solo effort as a recording artist to date of Ben Watt. The album was released on Cherry Red in 1983, prior to Watt's success in Everything but the Girl, and reached number one in the UK Indie Chart the same year...
of Everything But The Girl member Ben Watt
Ben Watt
Benjamin Brian Thomas Watt is a British musician, DJ, and record producer, best known as one half of the duo, Everything but the Girl.-Family:...
. There have also been a few film appearances such as in, "Blue Ice" starring Michael Caine and, "The Talented Mr. Ripley", starring Mat Damon.
In 2005 Peter King won the BBC 'Musician of the Year' award.
As of 2011, King still performs regularly in jazz venues around London and the rest of the UK with his quartet, usually featuring pianist Steve Melling, and as a guest performer in other jazz bands. In April 2011 he published his autobiography Flying High, to wide acclaim.
Peter King is widely regarded as one of the world's best altoists. "A wonderful musician, Peter King is a master of his instrument. People are aware of that here in America as well as in England" (Elvin Jones, Jazz UK Magazine. September 2001). His playing on soprano saxophone is no less distinctive and powerful, and King often uses the instrument to express the more lyrical side of his music.
He is also a leading figure in the international aero-modelling world. He has competed successfully in major competitions and has written extensively about the subject. Among his other strong interests has been Formula One motor racing and his album Tamburello contains a three part composition which presents a deeply felt tribute to the late Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
.
Horns
After playing a Selmer Mark VISelmer Mark VI
The Selmer Mark VI is a professional model saxophone that is generally considered the Selmer Company's finest saxophone. Although tastes in saxophones differ the Mk VI design is universally regarded as one of the best saxophone models ever produced by any manufacturer...
alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
for many years, around 2001 he changed to a limited edition Yanagisawa
Yanagisawa Wind Instruments
Yanagisawa Wind Instruments is a Japanese woodwind company known for its range of professional grade saxophones. Along with Yamaha they are one of the leading manufacturers of saxophones in Japan....
A9932Z solid silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and phosphor bronze
Phosphor bronze
Phosphor bronze is an alloy of copper with 3.5 to 10% of tin and a significant phosphorus content of up to 1%. The phosphorus is added as deoxidizing agent during melting....
alto, fitted with the same vintage metal Otto Link mouthpiece as before. His limited edition A9932Z is no longer produced by Yanagisawa, although the newer A9932J alto saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
is almost identical to it, except that the inside of the solid silver bell is not gold-plated and there are some minor differences in the engraving. In 2010, King is still playing the custom Yanagisawa alto, but with a metal mouthpiece hand-made by Freddie Gregory.
Discography
- 1981: In HoaglandIn HoaglandIn Hoagland is an album by Georgie Fame, Annie Ross and Hoagy Carmichael, featuring a band of leading UK jazz musicians and arrangements by Harry South...
– Hoagy CarmichaelHoagy CarmichaelHoward Hoagland "Hoagy" Carmichael was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for writing "Stardust", "Georgia On My Mind", "The Nearness of You", and "Heart and Soul", four of the most-recorded American songs of all time.Alec Wilder, in his study of the...
/Georgie FameGeorgie FameGeorgie Fame is a British rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player. The one-time rock and roll tour musician, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still a popular performer, often working with contemporaries such as Van Morrison and Bill Wyman.-Early life:Fame took piano lessons from the...
/Annie RossAnnie RossAnnie Ross is an English jazz singer, and actress, best known as a member of the trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross.-Early years:... - 1982: Bebop Live (with Al HaigAl HaigAlan Warren Haig was an American jazz pianist, best known as one of the pioneers of bebop.Haig was born in Newark, New Jersey...
, Art ThemenArt ThemenArthur Edward George 'Art' Themen is a British jazz saxophonist .Themen was born on 26 November 1939 in Manchester. In 1958 he began his medical studies at the University of Cambridge, going on in 1961 to complete his studies at St Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, qualifying in 1964...
, Kenny Baldock, and Allan GanleyAllan GanleyAllan Ganley was a respected English jazz drummer and arranger, who played with many famous names....
) (SpotliteSpotlite RecordsSpotlite Records is a British jazz record label. It was founded in 1968, originally as an outlet for Charlie Parker's Dial recordings.- External links :*...
) - 1982: New Beginning (Spotlite)
- 1983: East 34th Street (Spotlite)
- 1984: Hi Fly (Spotlite)
- 1988: Brother Bernard (Miles Music)
- 1989: Tippin' the ScalesTippin' the ScalesTippin' the Scales is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1962 but first released on the Japanese Blue Note label in 1979 and finally released in the U.S. in 1984...
(live - with Dick MorrisseyDick MorrisseyRichard Edwin "Dick" Morrissey was a British jazz musician and composer. He played the tenor sax, soprano sax and flute.- Background :...
) (Spotlite) - 1994: Tamburello (Miles Music)
- 1996: Speed TrapSpeed TrapSpeed Trap is a live jazz album by Peter King, recorded at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in September 1994, and released in 1996 under the Ronnie Scotts Jazz House label...
(Ronnie Scott's Jazz) - 1997: Big BluesBig BluesBig Blues is an album featuring Jimmy Witherspoon supported by a band of British jazz musicians. It was originally released in 1981, and was subsequently rereleased in 1997, the year Witherspoon died. - Track listing :#"You Got Me Runnin'"...
(with Jimmy WitherspoonJimmy WitherspoonJimmy Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.-Early life and career:James Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. He first attracted attention singing with Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta, India, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service during...
) - 1998: Lush Life (Miles Music)
- : Live: 90 % of 1% (Spotlite)
- 2002: Know Where You Are with the Oxford University Jazz OrchestraOxford University Jazz OrchestraOxford University Jazz Orchestra or OUJO is an award-winning jazz orchestra based in the University of Oxford, England. OUJO is one of the three official intercollegiate jazz ensembles of Oxford, alongside the Oxford University Big Band and...
- 2003: Footprints (Miles Music)
- 2006: JanusJanus-General:*Janus , the two-faced Roman god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings, and endings*Janus , a moon of Saturn*Janus Patera, a shallow volcanic crater on Io, a moon of Jupiter...
(Miles Music) (originally recorded 1997)
Further reading
- Peter King, Flying High: A Jazz Life and Beyond (autobiography). London: Northway Publications, 2011. ISBN 978-09550908-9-9
- Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather, & Brian Priestley. Jazz: The Rough Guide. ISBN 1-85828-528-3
- Richard Cook & Brian Morton. The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD 6th edition. ISBN 0-14-051521-6
External links
- [ Peter King] — discography from AllMusic
- Peter King — biography and discography from Miles Music
- Charlie Watts' tentet
- Peter King playing 'Lush Life' (unaccompanied) on his A9932Z alto sax
- King plays Charlie Parker's Grafton saxophone at Christie's auction house