Comments on: RIP Tony Kinsey (1927-2025)

By: Alan Barton

Alan Barton — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 11:35:06 +0000

The reference to “sharp suited adventurers” rings true. I remember seeing Tony Kinsey’s group at Ronnie’s in Gerrard Street in the early 1960s. As a callow teenager I was in awe of the musicians in their Cecil Gee suits. They were, to me, the height of sophistication – and the music was pretty good too!

By: David M Gent

David M Gent — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:16:21 +0000

The first jazz club I ever visited was the Flamingo back in th early sixties. Tony Kinsey’s Quintet were billed but the sax player was unwell and the group reduced to a quartet. Then Dick Morrisey wandered in, still wearing his raincoat and carrying his sax case, and asked if he could sit in. He was welcomed and played with the band all evening. I still remember that great evening. Kinsey was also involved in the jazz and poetry scene, and I still have an EP of the quintet with the poet Christopher Logue. RIP Tony.

By: Alan Giles

Alan Giles — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 10:58:15 +0000

Really the very last link with the great old days of the London jazz scene gone – he had great players in his various quartets and quintets – Joe Harriott, Ronnie Ross, Don Rendell. In the 1970s he recorded for BBC with a big band including the likes of Hank Shaw, Louis Stewart and Peter King (by then playing alto, but back in the 1960s on tenor in a quintet with Tony and Les Condon). “The Thames Suite” on the Spotlite label included two sessions from 1974 and 1976, one of them recorded at Maida Vale for the Jazz Club strand of Sounds of Jazz. Hopefully some copies are still available as I think Spotlite is now defunct.

There is also the 6 CD “Tony Kinsey Collection 1953-1961” on Acrobat (ACSCD 6001) which includes all the greats – Jimmy Deuchar, Tommy Whittle Bill LeSage and Tubby Hayes among many stars.

97 is a great age and I am glad he stayed so active for so long.