Dave Gelly
British jazz critic (born 1938)
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David "Dave" Gelly[1] MBE (born 28 January 1938) is a British jazz critic and musician. A long-standing contributor to newspaper The Observer, he was honoured at the 1999 British Jazz Awards as "Jazz Writer of the Year". Gelly is a jazz saxophonist and broadcaster, presenting a number of shows for BBC Radio 2 including Night Owls for much of the 1980s.
David Gelly | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 January 1938 Bexleyheath, Kent, England |
| Education | St Dunstan's College Downing College, Cambridge |
| Occupations | Jazz critic, musician, broadcaster |
| Instruments | Saxophone |
| Labels | Mainstem Records, Spotlight Records |
| Formerly of | New Jazz Orchestra |
Biography
Early life
Gelly was born in Bexleyheath, Kent, on 28 January 1938, and grew up in south London.[1][2] He attended St Dunstan's College, and won a scholarship to read English under F. R. Leavis at Downing College, Cambridge.[2][3]
Career
Gelly played with Art Themen,[4] George Walden[5] and Lionel Grigson[citation needed] in the Cambridge University band, and from the mid-1960s co-led his own quartets and quintets with Frank Ricotti, with Jeff Scott, and with Barbara Thompson.[6]
Gelly was a member of the New Jazz Orchestra, directed by Neil Ardley, which also featured Ian Carr, Jon Hiseman, Barbara Thompson, Mike Gibbs, Don Rendell, and Trevor Tomkins.
Gelly was also a teacher during the 1960s and 1970s at William Penn School, Dulwich.[2]
Discography
- As leader/co-leader
- 2001: Strike A Light (Mainstem Records)
- As sideman
- 1968: Le Dejeuner sur L'Herbe – The New Jazz Orchestra
- 1971: A Symphony of Amaranths – Neil Ardley
- 1973: Mike Taylor Remembered (with Jon Hiseman, Barbara Thompson, Ian Carr, Henry Lowther, Norma Winstone, Ron Mathewson, Stan Sulzmann, Alan Branscombe and Chris Pyne, among others)
- 2003: John Williams's Tenorama (Spotlite Records)
Publications
- The Giants of Jazz (Schirmer Books, 1986) with Miles Kington
- Masters of Jazz Saxophone: The Story of the Players and Their Music (2000)
- Stan Getz: Nobody Else But Me (2002) ISBN 0-87930-729-3
- Being Prez: The Life and Music of Lester Young (Equinox, 2007)
- An Unholy Row (Equinox, 2014)