This month: Alan Skidmore
An interview with today’s finest jazz musicians
Guided by his father, the saxophonist Jimmy Skidmore – ‘Skid’ – went professional in his teens, playing with British blues-boom pioneers Alexis Korner and John Mayall. Like several of his generation he was more appreciated in Europe, and worked with big-bands attached to German radio stations, though in the UK he was noticed as part of Mike Westbrook’s critically acclaimed Concert Band. Among many projects and associations, his award-winning quintet of the late-’60s, the all-saxophone trio SOS (with Mike Osborne and John Surman) and a stint with legendary drummer Elvin Jones’s Jazz Machine were significant highlights.
During his career there have been several radical developments in jazz and a diversification into many sub-genres. Does he feel there is still a ‘Grand Tradition’? ‘I do,’ he says, ‘if you take into account the huge legacy left by the likes of Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane etc, which is evidenced in all jazz today. The saxophone players I most admire in the UK include Paul Dunmall and Nat Birchall, both greatly influenced by Coltrane. Michael Brecker, himself very influenced by Coltrane, has had a big impact on recent generations of players.
‘It’s the spiritual side of Coltrane’s music, and the sound he produced, which has affected me most. Playing many of his compositions from different periods of his life has been an emotional and intense experience. His playing inspires me to produce music that audiences respond to and enjoy.’
Does he share Coltrane’s obsessive practice regime? ‘When I first picked up the saxophone I practised six hours a day, playing long notes and scales, with the help of my father. Nowadays I practise a little, just enough to keep my “chops” in shape.’
Now 80, together with record producer Mark Wastell, Skid is collating material for a special project with which to celebrate the occasion. ‘Working with Mark, someone I have a great deal of respect for, is a joy,’ he says. Barry Witherden
‘John Coltrane’s playing inspires me to produce music that audiences respond to’