English jazz saxophonist
Alan Skidmore |
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| Birth name | Alan Richard James Skidmore |
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| Born | (1942-04-21) 21 April 1942 (age 81)
London, England |
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| Genres | Jazz |
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| Occupation(s) | Musician |
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| Instrument(s) | Saxophone |
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| Years active | 1950s–present |
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| Website | alanskidmore.info |
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Musical artist
Alan Richard James Skidmore (born 21 April 1942)[1] is an English jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of saxophonist Jimmy Skidmore.[1]
Career
He was born in London, England.[1] Skidmore began his professional career in his teens, and early in his career he toured with comedian Tony Hancock.[2] In the 1960s, he began frequently appearing with the BBC Radio Big Band,[3] then worked with Alexis Korner, John Mayall, and Ronnie Scott.[4] Commissioned by the BBC in order to represent the UK at the Montreaux Jazz Festival,[5] Skidmore formed a group with Harry Miller, Tony Oxley, John Taylor, and Kenny Wheeler.[2] This group won three of six awards at Montreaux, following which Skidmore was invited to record an album of the group's performances, forming the basis for Once Upon a Time.[5] In the early 1970s, he started a saxophone-only band with John Surman and Mike Osborne.[2] He has also worked with Mose Allison, Kate Bush, Elton Dean, Georgie Fame, Mike Gibbs, George Gruntz, Elvin Jones, Van Morrison, Stan Tracey, Charlie Watts, and Mike Westbrook.[2][6]
