Just read on the Twitter that top-class English altoist Peter King has died.
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all words are trains for moving past what really has no name -
I remember seeing him in Solihull many years ago with Alan Skidmore an Georgie Fame. Great players! RIP Peter.Originally posted by Tenor Freak View Post -
Very sorry to hear this, although Peter always appeared to be unwell, with that sallow complexion of the jazz night life salamander, but so much more apparent etched into his pock-marked complexion. He could be rather like Stephane Grapelli in the act of performing being his pick-me-up: I remember one gig, where I was posted outside to greet his arrival and steer him through the underground labyrinth to the "musician's changing room", Peter arriving with that look of utter exhaustion, explaining the lateness to traffic hold ups on the M25, and yet within five minutes of the gig he was fully back to form.
Peter was one of our giants in the music, recognised worldwide though as with Stan Tracey, with whose big band he frequently played, it was mainly in the British context he made his mark; fellow altoist Ron Caines described him as "our Phil Woods" and in general I would agree, Peter likewise having proved himself as adaptable to newer influences post 1960 than Parker's early ubiquitousness if not more so than his contemporaries, though Peter's tone was if anything better honed, more burnished than Phil's, and I would cite his phenomenal free expression flow of ideas in his solo at the start of side 2 of John Stevens's Freebop album, recorded at the 1984 Bracknell Festival, and his participation in Julian Joseph's quartet at that same festival frontlining alongside Jean Toussaint 7 years later - described by Peter as the challenge he had long been seeking - as peaks among my collection.Comment
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So sad. He was a great musician.Comment
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Saw him once in Plymouth with Martin Dale. He did an extended extraordinary solo version of Lush Life which featured extensive circular breathing - quite amazing,Comment
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Yes, extraordinary - not merely the self-accompanying but the imaginativeness of the harmonic substitutions therein employed. I'd always wanted to ask Peter if he had had Dolphy in mind as the mentor for accomplishing that.Originally posted by Heldenleben View PostComment
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With his ability to breath like that I also wonder whether he had a Dolphin in mind ? Apologies for the levity but I think jazzers enjoy a gag however lame ...Originally posted by Serial_Apologist View PostComment
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"Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
@officialronnies
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11h
Very sad to hear about the passing of great saxophonist Peter King. He played at the opening night of Ronnie Scott's back in 1959 and joined us for the celebrations of the 60th. A great loss to British jazz."
His autobiography is very good, his own life and those he played with, including fairly stark memories of Bud Powell.
RIP, a very fine player.Comment
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Peter King obituary by John Fordham:
JRComment
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Excellent obit by Fordham, for which, many thanks.Originally posted by Jazzrook View PostPeter King obituary by John Fordham:
JRComment
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From the second half of Simon Spillett's obit/appreciation...I'm just very glad to have heard him more than a few times, but especially with his peers in an informal "concert" setting, in Cardiff, just post the Barry Summer School. Spillett is right, for the price of a pint you could hear (and mix) with Peter King, Ronnie Ross, John Taylor, Henry Lowther...the lot.Originally posted by Serial_Apologist View Post
"Off-stage, King’s life was rarely easy, although the ardent love and support of his wife Linda (who predeceased him) made much of what he achieved musically possible. In 2011, a long-awaited autobiography. Flying High: A Jazz Life and Beyond lifted the lid on this always private, hugely complex personality, gifting the world an account of the highs and lows creative genius as gripping as that of Art Pepper.
King’s final years were far from comfortable. International jazz name though he was, gigs were sometimes few and far between, and with an ever lengthening catalogue of health worries, the magic he generated on every public performance came with genuine concern that his was a body close to breaking point.
When the end came it was therefore tragic but not unexpected. What Peter King left, however, is and shall forever remain timeless. His recorded legacy may not be as considerable as his talent warranted yet it contains some of the finest jazz ever made by a UK-born musician.
Nothing though can quite equal the heady thrill of hearing him live, of the pull and punch of that tone, the spiralling energy of those complex lines, and the sheer life-affirming impact of time spent in the presence of a true jazz master. These are things that seemed to have been present on the UK jazz scene for an age, often accessible for little more than the price of a pint and a raffle ticket. Now they are here no longer and we will all be that much the poorer.
Peter John King – 11 August 1940 – 23 August 2020"
BN.Comment
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A very fine musician, a very sad loss. It's true what SA said, he usually turned up looking like he'd been dragged out of bed, but performed magnificently and seemed full of vigour. RIP
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There's a short link to Peter performing at the Soho Pizza Express five years ago, which I have posted on the Jazz Videos threads.Comment
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I remember Ian Ballamy writing in his column for the old free "Jazz UK", that he and cohorts used to play a time passing game when travelling to gigs, naming what occupation jazz musicians would have if they weren't that.Ballamy came up with "1950s serial killer" for Peter King. Not based on his personality but his appearance!
Great player.Comment
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