0071 HARRY KLEIN 1928 -2010 [Harry Klein Quartet] FLAC 4(12.47)

Contributed by bluebird

Harry Klein, one of the early baritone sax players in British modern jazz, died recently aged 82 after an illness of several months.
Harry started as an alto player in 1944 (not taking up the baritone sax until 1950) and after spells in the usual dance bands of the day he played with the Kirchin Band, Kenny Baker, Ronnie Scott, Victor Feldman and the Jack Parnell Big Band during the 1950s.
He formed his own Quintet in 1953, played with a Tommy Whittle Group in 1954 and was later part of the Jazz Today Unit.  In 1960 he co-led The Jazz Five with Vic Ash.
Thereafter Harry played mainly as a freelance session musician appearing regularly on radio and TV but making occasional appearances with the Big Band of his friend Johnny Spence.  Because of health problems he confined himself to the smaller alto sax from the mid 1990s and was still playing local gigs in the early 2000s. He also appeared as a non-musical extra in a number of films and TV plays.
Klein could not be really considered as part of the ‘bebop’ scene in the UK, nor was he a musical innovator, although he played with many of the modernists of the day and whilst he appeared on many records there was only a handful of dates where he recorded as leader.  His first recordings with a Ralph Sharon group in 1949 remain un-issued and he did not record again until 1952 with Kenny Baker.
He tells the story of first hearing Charlie Parker play in New York when he was working on the liner ‘Mauretania’ and Leon Calvert, who was with him, telling Parker that Klein played the alto sax. Charlie invited Harry to come along the next night to sit in. Needless to say, Harry got cold feet at that point and decided that was not for him. He did describe Parker as ‘a very nice man’ though.
He won the Melody Maker award for best baritone sax between 1953 and 1957 but was later perhaps overshadowed by Ronnie Ross, a much more fluent and inventive musician.
The story of how he came to join the Stan Kenton Band in 1956 is told elsewhere on this blog and you can hear him solo in some of the recordings made by that band during their European Tour.
In this short musical tribute this is Harry with his regular, but short- lived quartet of 1955 and his typical gruff, choppy style is heard here to good effect.  It comes from an elusive and scarce ep issued by Nixa and one which now surely cries out for re-issue.

Harry Klein - baritone
Derek Smith - piano
Sammy Stokes - bass
Allan Ganley - drums

01 Liggin'
02 It Ain't Necessarily So
03 Four and No More
04 Darn That Dream

Label: Nixa NJE 1022
Recorded: July 25 1955
Lineage: EP>FLAC