Dankworth Dynasty | Alec Dankworth

"Arguelles consistently finds devious routes ….. Robson’s effortless double-time demonstrating silky fluency …. Dankworth’s elegant stability, big sound, sure beat, and thoughtful spontaneity"
(John Fordham, Guardian 7/03)

Alec Dankworth (b.1960) studied at Berklee School of Music (1978) and worked with his parents from 1981-91 touring Australia, America and Europe as well as with international artists including Buddy DeFranco, Stephane Grappelli and all of the best new-generation British musicians including Dave O’Higgins, Tommy Smith and Clark Tracey. In 1986 he recorded an arrangement of Ellington’s ‘Black, Brown and Beige’ with violinist Nigel Kennedy, doubling that with a co-performance of Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’. From 1989 he joined the Pizza Express Modern Jazz Sextet (including O’Higgins, Alan Barnes and Gerard Presencer) and during the period continued to work with artists and organizations as diverse as Abdullah Ibrahim, the London Symphony Orchestra, Martin Taylor, Peter King, Dave Newton, Guy Barker, Marian McPartland and Dave Brubeck’s Quartet (1998-2002). With his father, Alec also co-led the (sensational) ‘Dankworth Generation Band’ with which he recorded two albums. More recently he has toured with drummer Ginger Baker’s ‘Jazz Confusion’ (2013) and from 2016 – in addition to busy freelancing – has led his own highly-praised ‘Spanish Accents’ featuring daughter Emily Dankworth, flamenco dancer Jesus Olmedo, saxophonist Mark Lockheart, violinist Chris Garrick, guitarist Phil Robson and drummer percussionist Demi Garcia-Sabat.

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