Francisco "Frank" Antonio Deniz (31 July 1912 – 17 July 2005) was a British jazz guitarist. He performed in London from the 1930s, and in the 1950s gave radio broadcasts. With his brothers
José Deniz
José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ).
In French, the name ''J ...
(1913-1994) and
Laurence Deniz (1924-1996) he formed the Hermanos Deniz Cuban Rhythm Band.
Life
Early life and career
Deniz was born in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
in 1912. His father, Antoni Deniz, was African, born in
Cape Verde
Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...
; he was a seaman, and married in Cardiff Gertrude Blanch, of English and African-American descent. They were amateur musicians, Antoni playing violin and Gertrude playing piano; on Sundays, Portuguese Africans met at their home in
Butetown
Butetown (or ''The Docks'', ) is a district and community (Wales), community in the south of the city of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. It was originally a model housing estate built in the early 19th century by John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marqu ...
in Cardiff to play traditional Portuguese music, sea shanties and other music. Frank's brothers José William ("Joe") and Laurence Richard ("Laurie") also became musicians.
[Wilmer, Val (30 July 2005). "Frank Deniz". '']The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''.
From the age of 15 he joined his father on sea voyages. In 1931 his father was taken ill and Deniz was forced to leave him in hospital in
Odessa
ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...
, where he died. Between voyages he played music, inspired by jazz guitarists
Teddy Bunn and
Eddie Lang
Eddie Lang (born Salvatore Massaro; October 25, 1902 – March 26, 1933) was an American musician who is credited as the father of jazz guitar. During the 1920s, he gave the guitar a prominence it previously lacked as a solo instrument, as p ...
.
[
In Cardiff he married in 1936 Clara Wason, a pianist. They moved to London, and found work as musicians in ]Soho
SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...
; in 1937 they played for a time in the orchestra of Ken "Snakehips" Johnson. Deniz later played at Adelaide Hall
Adelaide Louise Hall (20 October 1901 – 7 November 1993) was an American-born UK-based jazz singer and entertainer. Her career spanned more than 70 years from 1921 until her death. Early in her career, she was a major figure in the Harlem Ren ...
's Florida Club in Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...
, where he played with pianist Fela Sowande
Chief Olufela Obafunmilayo "Fela" Sowande MBE (29 May 1905 – 13 March 1987) was a Nigerian musician and composer. Considered the father of modern Nigerian art music, Sowande is perhaps the most internationally known African composer of works ...
.[Hepple, Peter (9 August 2005). "Frank Deniz". '']The Stage
''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...
''. Val Wilmer
Valerie Sybil Wilmer (born 7 December 1941) is a British photographer and writer specialising in jazz, gospel, blues, and British African-Caribbean music and culture. Her notable books include ''Jazz People'' (1970) and ''As Serious As Your Life ...
wrote in an obituary: "... in Soho they encountered other people of colour forced to live by their wits.... the Denizes wanted none of it, and, through musicianship and character, distanced themselves from limiting, pre-ordained roles."[
]
1940s and later
Deniz joined the Merchant Navy in May 1940, in between voyages playing music with contemporaries including Eric Winstone and Edmundo Ros
Edmundo Ros OBE, FRAM (7 December 1910 – 21 October 2011), born Edmund William Ross, was a Trinidadian-Venezuelan musician, vocalist, arranger and bandleader who made his career in Britain. He directed a highly popular Latin American orche ...
, and forming his own band, the Spirits of Rhythm. In 1944 he was wounded when his ship was torpedoed on approaching Anzio.[
]Stanley Black
Stanley Black OBE (14 June 1913 – 27 November 2002) was an English bandleader, composer, conductor, arranger and pianist. He wrote and arranged many film scores, recording prolifically for the Decca label (including their subsidiaries ''Lond ...
, leader of the BBC Dance Orchestra from 1944, was beneficial to his career by employing him regularly and introducing him to others in the music business.[ Deniz joined ]Harry Parry
Harry Owen Parry (22 January 1912 – 18 October 1956) was a Welsh jazz clarinetist and bandleader.
Biography
Parry was born in Bangor, Wales. He played cornet, tenor horn, flugelhorn, drums, and violin as a child, and began on clarinet and s ...
's Radio Rhythm Club Sextet, which had a regular radio series. He formed in 1953, with his brothers, the Hermanos Deniz Cuban Rhythm Band, which gave regular broadcasts in the 1950s regularly through to the 1970s.[
Deniz composed music for the film with his brother Laurence, '']Our Man in Havana
''Our Man in Havana'' (1958) is a novel set in Cuba by the British author Graham Greene. Greene uses the novel to mock intelligence services, especially the British MI6, and their willingness to believe reports from their local informants.
Th ...
'' (1959). He accompanied Hoagy Carmichael
Hoagland Howard "Hoagy" Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor, author and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s and 1940s, a ...
on a tour of Britain.[
]
Later years
In later years he played with the Hermanos Deniz band at the Talk of the Town; this continued for many years until his retirement in 1980.[
In retirement the Denizes lived in Spain during the summer, until Clare contracted ]Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...
in the 1990s, and Deniz then became her carer. Deniz died on 17 July 2005 at his home in Stanstead Abbotts
Stanstead Abbotts (alternatively Stanstead Abbots) is a village and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, England; it lies on the county boundary with Essex. At the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 1,983 ...
, Hertfordshire; he was predeceased by his wife and his brothers. He was survived by daughters Lorraine and Claire (cellist Clare Deniz).[
]
References
External links
*
Hermanos Deniz Cuban Rhythm Band
at the British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deniz, Frank
1912 births
2005 deaths
British jazz guitarists
British people of Cape Verdean descent
British people of African-American descent
People from Butetown