Billy Amstell (20 August 1911 – 19 December 2005) was a British

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

reedist.

Biography

At ten, Amstel he played piano, and at thirteen was teaching himself how to play alto saxophone. He performed in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, before moving to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1930, working with violinist Jack Harris. During the next year, he recorded with

Roy Fox Roy Fox (October 25, 1901 – March 20, 1982) was an American-born British dance bandleader who was popular in Britain during the British dance band era. Early life and career Roy Fox was born in Denver, Colorado, United States in 1901. He ...

and

Spike Hughes Patrick Cairns "Spike" Hughes (19 October 1908 – 2 February 1987) was a British musician, composer and arranger involved in the worlds of classical music and jazz. He has been called Britain's earliest jazz composer, and was a pioneer of te ...

, and became a member of the

Ambrose Ambrose of Milan (; 4 April 397), venerated as Saint Ambrose, was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promoting Roman Christianity against Ari ...

orchestra, in which he played tenor saxophone. In the 1940s, he worked for bandleader Geraldo and in the 1950s, for the BBC Dance Orchestra. He was a studio musician in the 1960s, working with George Chisholm. He played clarinet in the 1980s, released a solo album, ''Session After Midnight'' (Zodiac, 1980), and wrote his autobiography, ''Don't Fuss, Mr. Ambrose''. He continued to perform in his nineties. His brother Mickey Amstell played saxophone. Billy Amstell was married to model and actress Tessa Amstell.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amstell, Billy 1911 births 2005 deaths British jazz saxophonists British male saxophonists 20th-century British saxophonists 20th-century British male musicians British male jazz musicians