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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 was a music educator and also her music director.
Born in Woodford, Essex, he grew up, within a family of musicians, in Hollywood Way, Highams Park, a suburb of Chingford, and attended Selwyn Boys' (Junior) School in Highams Park and later Sir George Monoux Grammar School in Walthamstow. He had violin and piano lessons before settling eventually on the clarinet at the age of 16, after hearing a record of the Benny Goodman Quartet. Soon afterwards, inspired by Charlie Parker, he learned to play the alto saxophone.
He began his career on the British jazz scene after studying at London's Royal Academy of Music (where his jazz interests were frowned upon) and then national service in the Royal Air Force, during which he played alto sax and clarinet for RAF Music Services. In July 1947, he worked on the Queen Mary in Bobby Kevin's band, and in London with Les Ayling, later in 1947, and with Tito Burns until May 1948. He attended the Paris Jazz Festival in 1949 and played with Charlie Parker. Parker's comments about Dankworth led to the engagement of the young British jazz musician for a short tour of Sweden, with the soprano-saxophonist Sidney Bechet. In 1949, Dankworth was voted Musician of the Year.
He appeared with Craig David on Later with Jools Holland on BBC Two. He set up his own record label, Qnotes, in 2003, to reissue some of his old recordings as well as new ones. They include a number with Julian Lloyd Webber, Dudley Moore and members of his family.
Dankworth and Laine's two children are both jazz musicians: Alec Dankworth is a bassist who was also a member of his father's band, and Jacqui Dankworth is a singer.
Dankworth was made a Knight Bachelor in the 2006 New Year's Honours List. He and Dame Cleo Laine were one of the few married couples where both partners held titles in their own right.
He remained an active composer into later life, and he wrote a jazz violin concerto for soloist Christian Garrick to play. This work had its world premiere at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall on 3 March 2008, in partnership with the Nottingham Youth Orchestra.
In October 2009, at the end of a US tour with his wife, Dankworth was taken ill. The couple cancelled a number of UK concert dates for the following month. Dankworth did return to the concert stage for just one solo at the London Jazz Festival at the Royal Festival Hall, London, in December 2009. He played his sax from a wheelchair. He also played in John & Cleo's Christmas Show from 17 to 20 December 2009 at 'the Stables' in Wavendon.

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