Ray Warleigh RIP

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

London Jazz News:

"Sad to report that the Australian-born
saxophonist and flautist Ray Warleigh died of
cancer yesterday September 21st, He moved to
the UK in 1960 and was a ubiquitously in-
demand session musician in jazz, blues, rock
and commercial music. He was a regular
member of Paz for over 40 years.
Recent great moments which will stay in the
memory were his inspired solo-ing on the title
track of Kenny Wheeler's The Long Waiting: solo
starts at [2:04] , and a duo album with Tony
Marsh released in 2009.

Geoff Castle has written:
"Very sad news.......... My dear friend in music for
many years Ray Warleigh died yesterday. I first
saw Ray perform in 1966, when I was 16. He was
playing with a big band possibly the Ray Pemru
and Bobby Lambe band, for a BBC Jazz Club radio
broadcast at the Paris Studio in Lower Regent
Street. I was immediately struck by his beautiful
soulful alto tone. A few years later in 1973 I was
knocked out when he joined our Latin band Paz
playing every Sunday at the Kensington pub for 8
years. Ray was a true improviser, a master of
melodic invention. Some of my favourite
recordings with Ray were the free tracks that we
used to improvise in the studio with Paz on the
early albums such as The Buddha, Where is Ron
and The Horrors. His flute and piccolo playing
was also absolutely beautiful. Ray was a
wonderful person to know as a friend and an
inspiring player to work with. He will be sorely
missed by all who knew him..... RIP."

Alyn mentioned this yesterday and also Richard Williams. I think Ray played in all kinds of jazz situations and was on a bunch of neo-folk records (Nick Drake etc) as the goto alto/flute guy.

BN.

[Serial_Apologist]

London Jazz News:

"Sad to report that the Australian-born
saxophonist and flautist Ray Warleigh died of
cancer yesterday September 21st, He moved to
the UK in 1960 and was a ubiquitously in-
demand session musician in jazz, blues, rock
and commercial music. He was a regular
member of Paz for over 40 years.
Recent great moments which will stay in the
memory were his inspired solo-ing on the title
track of Kenny Wheeler's The Long Waiting: solo
starts at [2:04] , and a duo album with Tony
Marsh released in 2009.

Geoff Castle has written:
"Very sad news.......... My dear friend in music for
many years Ray Warleigh died yesterday. I first
saw Ray perform in 1966, when I was 16. He was
playing with a big band possibly the Ray Pemru
and Bobby Lambe band, for a BBC Jazz Club radio
broadcast at the Paris Studio in Lower Regent
Street. I was immediately struck by his beautiful
soulful alto tone. A few years later in 1973 I was
knocked out when he joined our Latin band Paz
playing every Sunday at the Kensington pub for 8
years. Ray was a true improviser, a master of
melodic invention. Some of my favourite
recordings with Ray were the free tracks that we
used to improvise in the studio with Paz on the
early albums such as The Buddha, Where is Ron
and The Horrors. His flute and piccolo playing
was also absolutely beautiful. Ray was a
wonderful person to know as a friend and an
inspiring player to work with. He will be sorely
missed by all who knew him..... RIP."

Alyn mentioned this yesterday and also Richard Williams. I think Ray played in all kinds of jazz situations and was on a bunch of neo-folk records (Nick Drake etc) as the goto alto/flute guy.

BN.

Thanks for letting us know Bluesie - but how come this passed me by, and everyone else it seems?

R.I.P. Ray

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Thanks for letting us know Bluesie - but how come this passed me by, and everyone else it seems?

R.I.P. Ray

There was a good obit in the Guardian a few days ago by Richard Williams. Very respectful.

BN.

[Serial_Apologist]

There was a good obit in the Guardian a few days ago by Richard Williams. Very respectful.

BN.

This is it:-

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/24/ray-warleigh

I would recommend people to play the clip in that obit - a lovely version of "I Remember You" that Ray shows both his indebtedness to and his independence from Julian Adderley. That was from an album co-led with Tommy Chase in 1977 which I have not previously come across. Two years earlier previously he had recorded "Chemistry" alongside Trevor Watts, Kenny Wheeler and Jeff Clyne under John Stevens's name for Konnex - the interweaving altos demonstrating different adaptations of Ornette's improvising conception and, occasionally in Ray's case, phraseology: he's the one who always gets left out when mention is made of the "triumvirate" of leading British alto players from that era: Osborne, Watts and Dean; and for me it is the latter album that really demonstrated his unfailing fecundity of ideas.

I only met him once - this was at the Vortex, at one of the promotional gigs for the duo album with Tony Marsh mentioned in the above. In speaking to him was made very much aware of his introvertedness, while also gleaning something of the perfectionism also mentioned by Williams, following a first set which, clearly to everyone present, had not gone the way in which Ray would have liked - fortunately he was more than able to make up for this in the set that followed that break.

Here is the Telegraph's obituary, which makes up in factual detail where Richard Williams does in capturing the spirit of the guy:-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11888530/Ray-Warleigh-saxophonist-obituary.html

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

This is it:-

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/24/ray-warleigh

I would recommend people to play the clip in that obit - a lovely version of "I Remember You" that Ray shows both his indebtedness to and his independence from Julian Adderley. That was from an album co-led with Tommy Chase in 1977 which I have not previously come across. Two years earlier previously he had recorded "Chemistry" alongside Trevor Watts, Kenny Wheeler and Jeff Clyne under John Stevens's name for Konnex - the interweaving altos demonstrating different adaptations of Ornette's improvising conception and, occasionally in Ray's case, phraseology: he's the one who always gets left out when mention is made of the "triumvirate" of leading British alto players from that era: Osborne, Watts and Dean; and for me it is the latter album that really demonstrated his unfailing fecundity of ideas.

I only met him once - this was at the Vortex, at one of the promotional gigs for the duo album with Tony Marsh mentioned in the above. In speaking to him was made very much aware of his introvertedness, while also gleaning something of the perfectionism also mentioned by Williams, following a first set which, clearly to everyone present, had not gone the way in which Ray would have liked - fortunately he was more than able to make up for this in the set that followed that break.

Here is the Telegraph's obituary, which makes up in factual detail where Richard Williams does in capturing the spirit of the guy:-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obit...-obituary.html

I listened to Terry Smith's "Fall Out" album from '69 prompted by this. Both Ray and Terry's first albums were sponsored by Scott Walker who was given a free hand by Phillips to produce anyone he liked. Nice albums if a little too safe with the Terry Smith pitching for later Wes plus full band territory. But the then cream of British jazz having their moments. Outstanding Warleigh solo on the Smith album. Would make a good R3/JRR tribute and to a (brief) time major labels took a chance on Brit jazz.


BN.

[cloughie]

I listened to Terry Smith's "Fall Out" album from '69 prompted by this. Both Ray and Terry's first albums were sponsored by Scott Walker who was given a free hand by Phillips to produce anyone he liked. Nice albums if a little too safe with the Terry Smith pitching for later Wes plus full band territory. But the then cream of British jazz having their moments. Outstanding Warleigh solo on the Smith album. Would make a good R3/JRR tribute and to a (brief) time major labels took a chance on Brit jazz.


BN.

I remember him from the Keef Hartley Band and Big Band. RIP.

[burning dog]

Ray Warleigh was one of those musicians who was a genuine all rounder (sometimes this phrase is misused for a jazz musician who plays straight bop and a bit of "outside" post-bop) I was underwhelmed when I borrowed that Terry Smith album from the library in the 70's ( I was used to a Mike Westbrook or Mike Gibbs style of big band)- but listening now it's fine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1liK_T_uYE