''Windmill Tilter: The Story of Don Quixote'' is an album by trumpeter

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, Order of Canada, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he w ...

, his first as a leader. It was recorded in March 1968 and was released in 1969 by

Fontana Records Fontana Records is a record label that started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records. Fontana Distribution, an independent label distributor, takes its name from the label. History Fontana began in the 1950s as a subsidi ...

. On the album, Wheeler, credited as "Ken Wheeler," is joined by the

John Dankworth Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE (20 September 1927 – 6 February 2010), also known as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist, clarinettist and writer of film scores. With his wife, jazz singer Dame Cleo Laine, he ...

Orchestra. In 2010, the album was reissued by

BGO Records BGO Records (Beat Goes On) is a British record label specializing in classic rock, blues, jazz, and folk music. In 1965, Andy Gray opened Andys Records and set up a market stall in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Year by year he opened up more shops. ...

in remastered form. In 2021 it was reissued on vinyl as part of Decca's British Jazz Explosion series, remastered and re-cut from the original master tapes by Gearbox Records. ''Windmill Tilter'' came about when Wheeler was unable to play for several months due to dental issues, and Dankworth, with whom Wheeler had toured, suggested that he put together material for an album. The recording, which was inspired by

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelist ...

' ''

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

'', was John McLaughlin's last session before his departure for the United States, and was

Dave Holland Dave Holland or David Holland may refer to: *Dave Holland (bassist) David Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English double bassist, bass guitarist, cellist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has ...

's first recording.

Reception

In a review for ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

'', John Kelman wrote that the album was "long considered a holy grail of British jazz," and stated: "Singer Norma Winstone once called Wheeler 'the Duke Ellington of our times.' It's hard to dispute the importance of a writer/trumpeter who, as early as this 1968 date, was well on his way to supporting his future collaborator's well-deserved accolade." ''AAJs Jack Kenny commented: "For those familiar with Wheeler's subsequent work, there are few surprises here. Those new to his work will find ''Windmill Tilter'' a good starting point. Wheeler is a unique voice as both a player and a composer." John Fordham, writing for ''

Jazzwise ''Jazzwise'' is a British monthly magazine focused on jazz, launched in 1997. The magazine covers a range of jazz sub-genres and provides news coverage, a national gig guide, a jazz-on-film page, feature articles, and a review section that evalua ...

'', called the recording "a classic album," and commented: "All Wheeler's signature compositional characteristics are already here... ''Windmill Tilter'' still sounds like the arrival of the contemporary-jazz gamechanger it was, and this Dankworth band was a world-class outfit." ''

Jazz Journal ''Jazz Journal'' is a British jazz magazine established in 1946 by Sinclair Traill (1904–1981). It was first published in London under the title ''Pick Up'', which Traill founded as a locus for serious jazz criticism in Britain.Roberta Freund S ...

s Derek Ansell noted that the album "never sounds like the brooding Gil Evans orchestra of those times but reminds us of it in the instrumentation and the uses made of it," and remarked: "Thoughtfully crafted flugelhorn outings and solos by McLaughlin, Dankworth and Tony Coe all combine to make this a fascinating exercise in modern big-band jazz of the late 1960s." Writing for ''Critics At Large'', John Corcelli stated: "Wheeler has created a conceptual shape to jazz music that was rarely given a voice in 1968. Fortunately, John Dankworth recognized Wheeler’s talent and gave him a chance. The result is one fine recording: music that swings and tells a story."

Track list

Personnel

– flugelhorn

John Dankworth Orchestra

– leader, saxophone, liner notes * Ray Swinfield, Tony Robert,

Tony Coe Anthony George Coe (29 November 1934 – 16 March 2023) was an English jazz musician who played clarinet, bass clarinet, and flute as well as soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones. Career Born in Canterbury, Kent, England, Coe started out on cla ...

– saxophones * Derek Watkins, Henry Shaw, Henry Lowther, Les Condon – trumpets *

Chris Pyne Christopher Norman "Chris" Pyne (14 February 1939, Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England – 12 April 1995, London) was an English jazz trombonist. Biography Pyne was the elder brother of Mick Pyne, and played piano as a child before ...

, Mike Gibbs – trombones * Alf Reece, Dick Hart – tubas * John McLaughlin – guitar *

Alan Branscombe Alan Branscombe (4 June 1936 – 27 October 1986) was an English jazz pianist, vibraphonist, and alto saxophonist. Early life Branscombe was born in Wallasey, Cheshire (now Merseyside), in 1936. His father and grandfather were also professio ...

, Bob Cornford – pianos *

– double bass * John Spooner – drums *

Tristan Fry Tristan Frederick Allan Fry (born 25 October 1946, London) is a British drummer and percussionist. Career Fry began his career by joining the London Philharmonic Orchestra as a timpanist at the age of 17. He was a founding member of a number of e ...

– percussion

References

{{Authority control 1969 debut albums Kenny Wheeler albums Fontana Records albums