Tony Lee (pianist)
Encyclopedia
Tony Lee was a British jazz pianist
who played with the likes of Tommy Whittle
, Tom Jones
, Dusty Springfield
, Barney Kessel
, Sonny Stitt
, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis
, Terry Smith
, Tubby Hayes
, Dick Morrissey
and legendary UK drummer Phil Seamen
.
He appeared on at least two recordings with Seamen - Phil Seamen Now! . . . Live! (1968) and on Phil Seamen Meets Eddie Gomez (1968), a live recording featuring US bassist Eddie Gomez
.
His solo debut, Electric Piano (1971), earned many comparisons to the works of Burt Bacharach
. He made at least four other LPs
, including Tony Lee Trio (British Jazz Artists Vol. 1), probably the quintessential album of his career (1976), Street of Dreams (1979), Hey There (1992) and The Tony Lee Trio Live at the Station (2002), prior to his death from cancer
in 2004.
He had a long-lasting association of some 40 years with bassist Tony Archer in the Tony Lee Trio. Lee and Archer also played together in the sextet The Best of British Jazz formed in the early 1970s with Jack Parnell
(drums), Kenny Baker
(trumpet), Don Lusher
(trombone) and Betty Smith (tenor sax). The sextet recorded two albums - The Best of British Jazz and The Very Best of British Jazz.
Despite his sketchy knowledge of musical theory, he was a complete master of his instrument, and blessed with large hands, (he could stretch an 11th with ease), his solos ranged from effortless large block chords to delicate single note figures, all played in a lyrical style, and swinging like a garden gate. He was arguably the greatest British exponent of the Erroll Garner
piano style, though his playing embraced a much wider compass.
He learned the rudiments of the piano from his elder brother, who was self-taught and preferred to use the black keys rather than the white. As a consequence, he became fluent in keys such as G flat and B natural, before moving on to more standard keys, leaving him with the ability to transpose effortlessly his entire repertoire into any key. He played for many years at The Bull's Head
in Barnes, South West London, a few miles from his home in Kingston-Upon-Thames, Surrey.
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
who played with the likes of Tommy Whittle
Tommy Whittle
Tommy Whittle is a British jazz saxophonist.Whittle was born in Grangemouth, Scotland and started playing clarinet at age 12 before taking up the tenor saxophone at 13. He moved to Chatham, Kent at 16 and in 1943 started playing in the dance hall band of Claude Giddins in nearby Gillingham...
, Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
, Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
, Barney Kessel
Barney Kessel
Barney Kessel was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA. Generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century, he was noted in particular for his vast knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies...
, 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...
, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis
Eddie Davis (saxophonist)
Edward Davis , who performed and recorded as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.-Biography:...
, Terry Smith
Terry Smith (British jazz guitarist)
Terence 'Terry' Smith is a British Jazz guitarist.-Biography:Twice winner of the Melody Maker Music Polls, Smith spent the early 1960s playing with the Tony Lee Trio, before becoming Scott Walker's musical director and accompanying The Walker Brothers on their Japan tour in 1968...
, 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...
, 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 :...
and legendary UK drummer Phil Seamen
Phil Seamen
Phillip William "Phil" Seamen was an English jazz drummer.With a solid background in big band music, Seamen played and recorded in a wide range of musical contexts with virtually every key figure of 1950s and 1960s British jazz...
.
He appeared on at least two recordings with Seamen - Phil Seamen Now! . . . Live! (1968) and on Phil Seamen Meets Eddie Gomez (1968), a live recording featuring US bassist Eddie Gomez
Eddie Gomez
Edgar "Eddie" Gómez is a Puerto Rican jazz double bassist born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, perhaps most notable for his work done with the Bill Evans trio from 1966 to 1977.-Biography:...
.
His solo debut, Electric Piano (1971), earned many comparisons to the works of Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
. He made at least four other LPs
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, including Tony Lee Trio (British Jazz Artists Vol. 1), probably the quintessential album of his career (1976), Street of Dreams (1979), Hey There (1992) and The Tony Lee Trio Live at the Station (2002), prior to his death from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 2004.
He had a long-lasting association of some 40 years with bassist Tony Archer in the Tony Lee Trio. Lee and Archer also played together in the sextet The Best of British Jazz formed in the early 1970s with Jack Parnell
Jack Parnell
John Russell Parnell was an English bandleader and musician.-Biography:Parnell was born into a theatrical family in London....
(drums), Kenny Baker
Kenny Baker (trumpeter)
Kenny Baker was born on 1 March 1921 in Withernsea, East Riding of Yorkshire and died 7 December 1999. He was an accomplished player of jazz trumpet, cornet and flugelhorn, and a composer.-Biography:...
(trumpet), Don Lusher
Don Lusher
Don Lusher OBE was a jazz and big band trombonist best known for his association with the Ted Heath Big Band...
(trombone) and Betty Smith (tenor sax). The sextet recorded two albums - The Best of British Jazz and The Very Best of British Jazz.
Despite his sketchy knowledge of musical theory, he was a complete master of his instrument, and blessed with large hands, (he could stretch an 11th with ease), his solos ranged from effortless large block chords to delicate single note figures, all played in a lyrical style, and swinging like a garden gate. He was arguably the greatest British exponent of the Erroll Garner
Erroll Garner
Erroll Louis Garner was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His best-known composition, the ballad "Misty", has become a jazz standard...
piano style, though his playing embraced a much wider compass.
He learned the rudiments of the piano from his elder brother, who was self-taught and preferred to use the black keys rather than the white. As a consequence, he became fluent in keys such as G flat and B natural, before moving on to more standard keys, leaving him with the ability to transpose effortlessly his entire repertoire into any key. He played for many years at The Bull's Head
The Bull's Head
The Bull's Head, Barnes, often referred to as "The Bull", is a London jazz club that was one of the first and most important jazz venues in Britain...
in Barnes, South West London, a few miles from his home in Kingston-Upon-Thames, Surrey.