Peter Charles Strange (19 December 1938
– 14 August 2004)
was an English
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 ...
trombonist, arranger and composer.
Biography
Born in
Plaistow, Newham
Plaistow ( or ) is a suburban area of West Ham, East London, England, within the London Borough of Newham. It adjoins Upton Park, London, Upton Park to the north, East Ham to the east, Beckton to the south, Canning Town to the south-west and ...
, London, England,
Strange played violin as a child before switching to trombone as a teenager.
His first major gig was with Eric Silk and his Southern Jazz Band when he was just 18 years old.
In 1957, Silk's clarinetist Teddy Layton split off and formed his own band, and Strange went with him. He was called up for
National Service
National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...
in 1958 and became a bandsman in the
Lancashire Fusiliers
The Lancashire Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that saw distinguished service through many years and wars, including the Second Boer War, and the World War I, First and World War II, Second World Wars. It had many diffe ...
, whilst serving in Cyprus. Following this Strange played with Sonny Morris, Charlie Gall, and Ken Sims, then joined
Bruce Turner
Malcom Bruce Turner (5 July 1922 – 28 November 1993) was an English jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader.
Biography
Born in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire, England, and educated at Dulwich College, he learned to play the clarine ...
from 1961 to 1964.
After 1964, Turner went into partial retirement for about 10 years, playing off and on with
Freddy Randall,
Joe Daniels, and
Ron Russell, but not carrying any full-time associations. He returned to play with Turner again permanently in 1974, and in 1978 co-founded the
Midnite Follies Orchestra with
Alan Elsdon.
In 1980, he founded the five-trombone ensemble, Five-A-Slide,
which featured
Roy Williams and
Campbell Burnap.
Pete Strange Biography
''AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
'' Retrieved 21 May 2020.
Strange joined Humphrey Lyttelton's band in 1983, and remained with the ensemble until he died. With the other members of the Lyttelton band, he performed on the 2001 Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...
album '' Amnesiac''. He also played with his own side group, the Great British Jazz Band.
Pete Strange died of cancer in Banstead
Banstead is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It is south of Sutton, London, Sutton, south-west of Croydon, north of Reigate, south-east of Kingston-upon-Thames, and south of Central London.
On the North Dow ...
, Surrey
Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
, in August 2004, aged 65.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strange, Pete
1938 births
2004 deaths
English jazz trombonists
British male trombonists
20th-century British trombonists
20th-century English male musicians
English male jazz musicians
Midnite Follies Orchestra members