I became hooked on jazz at the age of two. Not possible? OK then, I became hooked before I was born. An explanation. One of my mother’s brothers was Sid Phillips – arguably our finest Dixieland clarinettist, a great arranger, the man who introduced Artie Shaw to Buddy Rich, a member of Louis Armstrong’s UK All Stars, and spotted by Bob Wilber at the Paris Jazz Festival lecturing Charlie Parker, who was listening intently (oh to have been a fly on that wall!) Her youngest brother was Woolf Phillips, a terrific trombonist who recorded with Coleman Hawkins, jammed with Django, and, when he became musical director at the London Palladium, conductor for Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman who weren’t permitted to bring their own bands.

When my mother wasn’t playing stride piano, she was telling me stories about Hawkins, Fats and Connee Boswell. So I grew up with jazz – at the age of eleven joined my school jazz society, religiously attended Ellington and Basie gigs in my teens, met Hawkins, heard Wes at Ronnie’s Old Place when I was 14, and bought every record I could lay my hands on.

Once I began playing tenor, I found myself jamming with Philly Joe Jones (you play like Joe Henderson!), refusing to lend Hank Mobley my horn, and getting to know the greats of UK and US jazz.

My main career has been as a composer/arranger/conductor for movies and records. But I’ve never stopped playing jazz – with everyone from Chet Baker to Jon Batiste via Bud Freeman! I started my big band in 1985 and have led ensembles all over the world – during lockdown I wrote my autobiography, “Hidden Man”, and decided to arrange some of my ‘hits’ for the all-star line-up. Some were already jazz oriented – “Oh So Quiet” , “Moondance”, “Ole Devil Called Love”. Some were less obvious – James Bond theme, “Walking in the Air”, “Bright Side of Life” – but with an 18-piece line up encompassing the best of British jazz and two great vocalists we have lift off!

The crew will be at Pizza Express Dean Street at lunchtime on Saturday 14 October and the Kenton Theatre Henley on 25 October – featuring the terrific vocals of Rebecca Poole and Iain MacKenzie as well as some of our finest jazz stars playing my arrangements. Hope to see some of you along the way – do say hi!

The post John Altman (Big Band in London 14 Oct, Henley 25 Oct) first appeared on UK Jazz News.

Twenty-five years ago, I was the historical (or should that be hysterical?) music advisor for a small studio movie entitled Titanic. My job entailed going through the 1911 White Star Line playlist, selecting a combination of light orchestral period pieces, classical overtures and contemporary Broadway and popular songs, rearranging them for a five-piece ensemble, recording and producing I Salonisti in Zurich and moving rapidly on to pastures new. Why am I mentioning this? Because two years later the movie was released and promptly became a major talking point wherever one went. For two years I had told people I had worked on Titanic – the usual response was ‘what’s that’ – and now I couldn’t escape it, although I had to struggle to raise any memories!

In February 2020 I was asked by Hans Zimmer to add big band brass touches to several cues in the next James Bond movie, No Time to Die. Then came the pandemic and I began writing my memoirs (*) . All thoughts of 007 and No Time to Die were shelved, seemingly indefinitely. Suddenly the film is everywhere – earlier today ‘out and about’ I heard people discussing when they were going to see it. Thus far I have done four interviews and am writing this piece – the soundtrack album only came out today!

So why me? All thanks to the fine composer Lorne Balfe who suggested to Hans that, given my history with the music of Bond (I had arranged and conducted the score for Goldeneye and had stepped in to compose the music for the Tank Chase through St. Petersburg sequence when the producers had decided to replace the composer’s original attempt – with the composer’s approval I will add lest it seem I was offering myself as a ready-made substitute!). On Goldeneye I had viewed the sequence on the Friday, composed on the Saturday, orchestrated on the Sunday, had the parts copied on the Monday, recorded on Tuesday night, dubbed on the Wednesday and the film was screened on the Friday! It proved to be the only cue in the movie that featured a brass section – and what a section! The trumpets alone were Derek Watkins, Kenny Wheeler, Kenny Baker, Guy Barker and Steve Sidwell. Guy said to me ‘I’ve gone to heaven – playing the James Bond them sat between Derek and KW.’

Hans is a great friend and was wary of contacting me in case I thought the request might be construed as demeaning. On the contrary I was delighted to add my ideas to the opening Gun Barrel theme and the big chase sequences. I was then asked if I would stay on and take charge of re-recording all the brass cues in the film so that there could be greater separation in the mix. The brass section was a delight – wonderful to see familiar friends like Mike Lovatt, Tom Walsh, Tom Rees-Roberts, Andy Crowley, Andy Wood and Mark Nightingale – equally at home playing straight orchestral music and big band jazz. Job done and placed on the back burner of my memory. Until this week!

One additional piece of trivia. My jazz quartet in recent years has occasionally featured a vocalist. Monty Norman, one-time band singer and of course composer of the James Bond theme. Not, alas, at the same time that it featured on piano a lad named Jacob Collier. Whatever happened to him?

The post Putting Some Big Band Brass into ‘No Time To Die’ first appeared on UK Jazz News.