John Dankworth

Saxophonist, clarinetist, band leader and arranger Sir John Dankworth CBE was one of the world’s leading jazz exponents and a composer for television and film. Amongst his many achievements, Dankworth served as musical director for Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson and Sophie Tucker, and composed and conducted many of the world’s top orchestras. Some of his most iconic compositions include themes for classic TV shows The Avengers and Tomorrow’s World, and scores for Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, The Servant and Modesty Blaise. In 1969 he and his wife, Dame Cleo Laine, founded their first charity, The Wavendon Allmusic Plan, with the aim of helping people broaden their views about music through performance and musical education. Dankworth was presented with a fellowship of the Royal Academy in 1973 and the following year appointed CBE. He was knighted in 2006, the first British jazz musician to receive this honour.