LLANDUDNO JAZZ FESTIVAL

 

Don Weller, born in Thornton Heath, in the South London borough of Croydon is a British jazz musician, tenor saxophonist and composer.

 

Career

Don Weller began learning clarinet at the age of 14, and was classically educated on it for four or five years, soloing in Mozart's Clarinet Concerto at Croydon Town Hall when aged 15. He began playing in Dixieland bands around the Croydon area, but later switched to tenor saxophone[3] and played in Kathy Stobart's rehearsal band.

 

In the 1970s his jazz-rock group Major Surgery played only Weller's compositions. This was followed by a quartet with drummer Bryan Spring. At the same time he worked regularly with pianist Stan Tracey, and also with Harry Beckett and in a quintet with Art Themen. Renowned for his versatility, he has played with artists such as Alan Price, Tina May and Charlie Hearnshaw.

 

He played saxophone on the 1973 album Allright on the Night by British hard rock band Tucky Buzzard.

 

He appears as lead sax (with Tower of Power backing him on horns)on the instrumental track "Nascimento" of Cat Stevens' 1978 LP Back To Earth.

 

In 1981 he stood in for Michael Brecker when the Gil Evans Orchestra played at the Bracknell Jazz Festival, subsequently touring the UK and recording with one of the band's trumpeters, Hannibal Marvin Peterson, added on to the Weller–Spring Quartet. He also played and recorded with Evans' British Orchestra in 1983.

 

Also in the 1980s, together with his friend and fellow tenor sax Dick Morrissey, Weller was a regular member of Rocket 88, the boogie-woogie fun band set up by Ian "Stu" Stewart and Bob Hall, appearing on the band's only album.

 

He has been involved with the films Absolute Beginners and Stormy Monday both as performer and composer. He won the 'Top Tenor' award in 1994, 1996 and 1998.[clarification needed] He formed a big band to perform his "Pennine Suite" at the 1996 Appleby Jazz Festival, and since then the band has regularly appeared at other jazz festivals. A recent project is his 'Electric Jazz Octet'.

 

Selected discography

1980: Commit No Nuisance - (with Bryan Spring)

1981: Poem Song – (with Marvin Peterson)

1987: A Little Blue (Miles Music) - (with the Quartet)

1996: The Don Weller Big Band (33 Jazz Records)

2001: Cannonball (ASC) - (Alan Barnes with the Don Weller Band)

2003: The Way You’re Going To Look Tomorrow Morning (Trio)

2007: Precious Time (Trio) - (with drummer Dave Barry)

2007: Nine Songs (Trio) - (with Bobby Wellins)