Most know him as Mr. Cleo Laine, but if anything John Dankworth was probably more accomplished as a jazz musician, and certainly better known on the UK side of the Atlantic. If you think you’ve never heard his work before, just think back to the British series The Avengers–that stunning musical opening, a vibraphone progression that shifts to string accompaniment before it hits its stride with a blare of trumpets, is his. And of course he’s accompanied and arranged for Dame Cleo for years. The man was the last word in UK jazz. RIP.
Dankworth with the missus…