ken sykora - the man with the jazz guitar

[johncorrigan]

I noticed in the newspaper listings this weekend that a film about the life of Ken Sykora is released this coming week.

http://forargyll.com/2012/05/dunoon-studio-cinema-screens-film-on-ken-sykora-the-man-with-the-jazz-guitar/

In the 80s and early 90s he was one of my Radio Scotland stopping points taking me to previously unheard music in his relaxed, informative and easy style. It was years later that I found out Ken had been a guitarist of some renown. He used to have a brilliant 15 minute lunchtime programme two days a week on Radio Scotty, always with a fine theme and hearing his voice again on this clip reminded me how much I loved those wee shows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98hlzkUIVw4

[cloughie]

He was one of those names from way back - on the long list of Whatever happened to... Now I know, Thanks!

[Alyn_Shipton]

Some debate as to whether he ever presented Jazz Record Requests, but he certainly did do Jazz Club and various other BBC programmes. Ken will be heard (playing his guitar) on JRR on 2 June.

[Byas'd Opinion]

The films's well worth seeing if it ever appears anywhere near you. It's a mixture of straight biography, reminiscences by people who knew him, and some attractive animation.

He'd an interesting, if not entirely untroubled life: jazz musician, jazz broadcaster, hotelier and chef, presenter of a very good food programme on Radio Scotland. There's some fine music on it, with Sykora's early records having people like Jimmy Skidmore playing on them. I gather that his giving up the guitar was because he was having problems with his hands (Dupuytren's contracture).