Tony Coe

Infobox musical artist
Name = Tony Coe

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Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name = Anthony George Coe
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Born = Birth date and age|1934|11|29|df=y
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Origin = Canterbury, England, UK
Instrument = Clarinet
saxophones
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Genre = Bebop
Post bop
Hard bop
Occupation = Musician
Composer
Director
Producer
Years_active = 1950s – present
Label = Storyville Records
Hep Records
Hathut Records
Associated_acts = The Lonely Bears; The Melody Four
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Anthony George Coe (born 29 November 1934 in Canterbury, England) is a Director [Endgame by Samuel Beckett (1989), Director/Producer] , Producer [Conjuring Shakespeare (1997), Producer] , Composer [Camomille (1988), Composer] and Jazz musician who is gifted on clarinet, bass clarinet, and tenor saxophone.

Tony began his performing career playing with Humphrey Lyttelton's band from 1957 to 1962. In 1965 Count Basie offered him a place in the Basie Band sax section. He has since played with the John Dankworth Orchestra , The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band, Derek Bailey's "Company", Stan Tracey, Michael Gibbs, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Bob Brookmeyer and performed under Pierre Boulez as well as leading a series of groups of his own, including Coe Oxley & Co, together with drummer Tony Oxley.

He has also worked with Matrix, a small ensemble formed by clarinettist Alan Hacker, with a wide-ranging repertoire of early, classical and contemporary music, the Danish Radio Big Band, Metropole Orchestra and Skymasters in Holland.

Tony's extensive experience in recording is heard on such films as "Superman II", "Victor/Victoria", "Nous irons tous au paradis", "Leaving Las Vegas", "Le Plus beau métier du monde", "The Loss of Sexual Innocence" and he is the featured tenor sax soloist in Henry Mancini's music for the "Pink Panther" films. He also composed the film score for "Camomille".

In 1975 a grant from the Arts Council enabled him to write "Zeitgeist", an extended, large scale orchestral work fusing jazz and rock elements with techniques from European Art Music.

Among the awards he has received are an honorary D Mus, the prestigious Danish Jazzpar Prize 1995 (the first non-American to receive this prize).

Tony’s son is radio broadcaster Gideon Coe.

Citing Paul Gonsalves as an influence, Tony Coe is especially noted for his versatility.

"Tony Coe is one of the most remarkable and brilliant musicians in the world. The sheer range of his musical activity… …is staggering and testifies to an awe-inspiring instrumental mastery." Humphrey Lyttelton [LP liner notes for "Coe-Existence", originally released on Lee Lambert, 1978, www.whatmusic.com (8040180048272)]

"Coe is a player of astonishing versatility and brilliance." Ian Carr [Jazz: the Essential Companion, London, 1987 (ISBN 9780135092743)]

References

External links

* [http://www.zahzah.com/artists/coet.htm Tony Coe on Zah Zah]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:t69hs38ba3bg~T1 All Music]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168673/ IMDB]