- Allan Ganley
Allan Ganley (born Allan Anthony Ganley
11 March 1931 inTolworth ,Surrey - died29 March 2008 ) was a respected Englishjazz drummer and arranger, who played with many famous names.A self-taught drummer, in the early 1950s Ganley played in the dance band led by
Bert Ambrose . In 1953 he came to prominence as a member ofJohnny Dankworth 's band, then the most popular modern jazz group in the UK. Also in the 1950s, he worked with pianist Derek Smith,Dizzy Reece , clarinettistVic Ash ,Ronnie Scott and several visiting American musicians. Towards the end of the decade he was co-leader withRonnie Ross of a small group known as the Jazzmakers.In the early 1960s, Ganley was often with
Tubby Hayes , playing with his small groups and the occasionally assembled big band. As house drummer at Ronnie Scott's club he played with numerous leading American jazzmen, includingDizzy Gillespie ,Stan Getz ,Jim Hall ,Freddie Hubbard andRahsaan Roland Kirk . In the early 1970s he took time out to study atBerklee College of Music inBoston ,Massachusetts , then returned to the UK to form and lead a big band, which he maintained sporadically for the next 10 years.Throughout the '70s and '80s, Ganley could be seen and heard on countless broadcasts and recording dates, playing with jazz musicians of all styles, effortlessly slipping from traditional to post-bop to big band to mainstream, all the while swinging with great subtlety. In the '90s Ganley was as active as ever, playing club and festival dates throughout the UK with occasional overseas trips. The self-effacing nature of his playing made him a perfect accompanist for pianists as different as
Teddy Wilson andAl Haig and for singers fromCarol Kidd toBlossom Dearie .Although less well known for his work as an arranger, Ganley provided charts for many leading British jazzmen as well as for the
BBC Radio Big Band , thus enhancing the enormous yet understated contribution he made to the British jazz scene over the years.External links
* [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/allan-ganley-drummer-of-faultless-instinct-who-played-with-all-the-jazz-greats-804925.html Obituary in The Independent]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/03/db0302.xml Obituary in The Telegraph]
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