there was a young saxophone player working for the BBC in the morning and at the Talk of the Town in the evening. The one day, his BBC Jazz Club producer Roger Eames asked him if he’d like to take a band to the Montreux Jazz Festival. He formed a quintet, went to Switzerland and won three of the six awards up for grabs – press prize, best group and best soloist. On his return with all these gongs, he was offered a recording contract with Decca Records’ Deram label, home of ‘progressive music’. That player was Alan Skidmore and his story is told in the sleeve notes to a reissue of that first album Once Upon a Time.
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Reissue producer Tony Higgins met with Alan to talk about his career in general and the way his first album as a leader came into being. The new version will be released in October 2026 as part of Decca’s British Jazz Explosion series. As well as containing tracks that still sound fresh, there’s an extensive account of Skidmore’s sixty years as a professional jazz player and insights into his influences and musical styles and preferences. A great listen and a great read too! Watch this space for release details later in the year.
Photo credit: Tony Higgins Words: Mike Raggett
Alan Skidmore 