Alan Skidmore


Alan Richard James Skidmore is an English jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of saxophonist Jimmy Skidmore.

Career

He was born in London, England. Skidmore began his professional career in his teens, and early in his career he toured with comedian Tony Hancock. In the 1960s, he began frequently appearing with the BBC Radio Big Band, then worked with Alexis Korner, John Mayall, and Ronnie Scott. Commissioned by the BBC in order to represent the UK at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Skidmore formed a group with Harry Miller, Tony Oxley, John Taylor, and Kenny Wheeler. This group won three of six awards at Montreux, following which Skidmore was invited to record an album of the group's performances, forming the basis for Once Upon a Time. In the early 1970s, he started a saxophone-only band with John Surman and Mike Osborne. He has also worked with Mose Allison, Kate Bush, Elton Dean, Georgie Fame, Mike Gibbs, George Gruntz, Elvin Jones, Van Morrison, Stan Tracey, Charlie Watts, and Mike Westbrook.

Discography