Thursday, April 01, 2010

KATHY STOBART, A GREAT JAZZER


British jazz saxophonist Florence Kathleen "Kathy" Stobart, was born on April 1, 1925 in South Shields, England and her concentration is on tenor sax. Stobart first learned piano as a child.


After picking up saxophone, she first played locally in Newcastle and then in London in the 1940s with Denis Rose, Ted Heath and Jimmy Skidmore. Later that decade she played with Art Pepper and Peanuts Hucko. She played with pianist Art Thompson in the late 1940s, and was married to him briefly.



She toured with Vic Lewis in 1949 and led her own group in 1950-51; among its members were Derek Humble, Dill Jones and Bert Courtney; she was married to Courtney from 1951 until his death in 1969.


In the 1950s and 1960s she went into semiretirement to raise her family. From 1969 to 1977 she played with Humphrey Lyttelton. Following this she led her own groups, with Harry Bekett, John Burch and Lennie Best, among others. Aside from this she has played with Johnny Griffin, Al Haig, Earl Hines, Buddy Tate, Zoot Zims, Marian McPartland and Dick Hyman.



Kathy received the award for Services to Jazz at the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group Awards 2005.


Kathy is considered the best female sax player in the UK. Check it out!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1SeqoRXyu0
Reference - Leonard Feather and Ira Giler, The Biographical Encyclopedia od Jazz.

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