The sad news has been posted on various social medium platforms of the passing of multi-instrumentalist and educator Al Wood.
Although best known as a sax player Wood was also equally proficient on trumpet, trombone and other members of the brass family. He was a regular performer in both the the north west and north east, particularly in the Durham and Darlington area, and further afield.
For many years he was Deputy Head of Performance at Leeds College of Music (now Leeds Conservatoire) and many jazz stars of the future benefitted from his guidance.
More details to follow when known. Lance
1 comment :
Very sad news to hear of Al Wood’s death. I was very lucky to work alongside him in the Ken Turner Orchestra when I did a summer season at the Blackpool Winter Gardens in 1979. As well as being a really nice, friendly guy, Al was an incredibly talented and versatile musician. He was playing trombone in Ken’s band, but I was amazed when he told me that he drove over from Manchester each evening where his day-job was playing trumpet with the BBC Northern Radio Orchestra! I was even more amazed a couple of days after that when, after our Winter Gardens gig, I walked round the corner to a late-night jazz club, where Al was playing brilliant alto sax! I also have a faint memory that Al stepped in on keyboard and on bass guitar in Ken’s band on occasions when those players failed to turn up! He was also a talented (and speedy) composer and arranger. I remember one occasion when we were playing at the final session of an international dance festival. Half an hour before we were due to go on stage, Ken Turner said we needed a fanfare to celebrate the winner of the festival. So Al sat down with his pen and manuscript paper, composed a fanfare and wrote out all 16 parts for the musicians, just in time for the start of the gig! RIP.
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