I had piano tuition aged five to eight from my great Aunt Polly. When she stopped teaching I continued to play mostly bashing away making variations on simple tunes. driving the family bonkers - “Do you have to hit the keys so hard?”. I started the clarinet aged thirteen and began playing trad jazz in the school band “The Kings Jazzmen” performing in my first gigs! After saving up from summer jobs for a couple of years I had enough to buy a beaten up old Tenor sax and that was that. I spent many afternoons jamming with school mate Mark Griffths on bass and the our art teacher Colin Biggs on drums. While at school I played tenor for several years with the South Devon Jazz Workshop led by Mr John Jenkins with occasional sessions led by Mike Westbrook.
Around fifteen I got three records ordered from the local Currys - The magic of JuJu Archie Shepp, Coltrane Jazz and Outward Bound Dolpy, and really after that I never was the same again. Prior to that I had only really heard Kenny Ball and Ken Colyer on records so I was just blown away.
