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Mike Westbrook
Michael John David Westbrook OBE (21 March 1936 – 11 April 2026) was an English jazz pianist, composer, and writer of orchestrated jazz pieces. The Times described him as "one of Britain's most creative, experimental and daring jazz composers".
Mike Westbrook was born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, the son of Philip Westbrook, a banker, and Vera Butler, a piano teacher. He grew up in Torquay and Plymouth, Devon and was educated privately at Kelly College in Tavistock, Devon. In his teens he fell under the influence of the trad jazz of Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller and Duke Ellington. He took up the trumpet but switched to piano and taught himself to read music. After school he had a brief spell in accountancy followed by two years' National Service, some of it in Germany, after which he went to art school in Plymouth to study painting. While stationed in Bournemouth in 1956 "he saw American jazz for the first time when Lionel Hampton's band played at the Winter gardens". He formed his first jazz band, an octet, at Plymouth in 1958 and was joined by such musicians as John Surman, Lou Gare and Keith Rowe.
He moved to London in 1963 and continued his studies at Hornsey School of Art, where he formed the 10-strong Mike Westbrook Concert Band. He led numerous bands, large and small, playing regularly at the Old Place and the Little Theatre Club at Garrick Yard, St Martin's Lane. and shared the role of house band with Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. He took a job as a teacher until an Arts Council grant enabled him to turn professional,
Westbrook became a key figure in the development of British jazz and produced several big-band records for the Deram label with the newly formed Mike Westbrook Concert Band, between 1967 and 1969. These featured such musicians as Surman, Mike Osborne and Harry Miller. The band varied in size from 10 to 26 musicians. In 1968 his band made its international debut at the Montreux Festival with Malcolm Griffiths, Alan Jackson, Harry Miller, Mike Osborne and John Surman.
His music was given exposure on BBC Radio, on the Jazz Club and Jazz Scene programmes on BBC Radio One, and he acted as a presenter and commentator on new British Jazz through 1968 and 1969. He was featured on BBC TV when Jazz Scene transferred to the BBC 2 TV service. The station broadcast The Mike Westbrook Concert Band performing 'Metropolis', based on Westbrook's impressions of first visiting London, on Tuesday 25 November 1969 from the Ronnie Scott Club. The British Arts Council awarded Westbrook a bursary to develop 'Metropolis' for an enlarged Concert Band, and the jazz suite was broadcast on BBC Radio Three on Friday 9 January 1970. Westbrook's compositions and performances were regularly broadcast by the BBC throughout the 1970s and 1980s. 'Metropolis' was recorded at Lansdowne Studios, London, on 3, 4 and 5 August 1971 and released on RCA Victor in the UK and Japan. A further major extended orchestral composition, 'Citadel/Room 315', featuring saxophonist John Surman, was recorded in March 1975.
The 1970s saw a wide range of projects. Cosmic Circus, jointly founded with John Fox, also a composer, specialised in large scale, one-off high technology shows involving high-divers, tight-rope and carnival processions. It was part of Earthrise Tour in the UK (May 1970 to October 1971). The tour included singer/vocalist Norma Winstone, who performed on several of the band's albums.
Adrian Mitchell included Westbrook in his musical Tyger on the life of William Blake for the Royal National Theatre and this became a major influence on Westbrook's work. (See paragraph on later work below). In 1972 and 1973, Westbrook also worked with his jazz-rock band Solid Gold Cadillac. The most notable result of this was the participation of Phil Minton, whose unmistakable voice featured in many of Westbrook's later projects. A live performance of Solid Gold Cadillac at the Paris Theatre in London was repeatedly broadcast by BBC Radio 6 between 2002 and 2007.
In March 1977, the Mike Westbrook Brass Band, avant-rock group Henry Cow and folk singer Frankie Armstrong merged to form the Orckestra. The ensemble performed in London and several cities in Europe, their last concert being in Bordeaux, France, in May 1978.
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Mike Westbrook
Michael John David Westbrook OBE (21 March 1936 – 11 April 2026) was an English jazz pianist, composer, and writer of orchestrated jazz pieces. The Times described him as "one of Britain's most creative, experimental and daring jazz composers".
Mike Westbrook was born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, the son of Philip Westbrook, a banker, and Vera Butler, a piano teacher. He grew up in Torquay and Plymouth, Devon and was educated privately at Kelly College in Tavistock, Devon. In his teens he fell under the influence of the trad jazz of Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller and Duke Ellington. He took up the trumpet but switched to piano and taught himself to read music. After school he had a brief spell in accountancy followed by two years' National Service, some of it in Germany, after which he went to art school in Plymouth to study painting. While stationed in Bournemouth in 1956 "he saw American jazz for the first time when Lionel Hampton's band played at the Winter gardens". He formed his first jazz band, an octet, at Plymouth in 1958 and was joined by such musicians as John Surman, Lou Gare and Keith Rowe.
He moved to London in 1963 and continued his studies at Hornsey School of Art, where he formed the 10-strong Mike Westbrook Concert Band. He led numerous bands, large and small, playing regularly at the Old Place and the Little Theatre Club at Garrick Yard, St Martin's Lane. and shared the role of house band with Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. He took a job as a teacher until an Arts Council grant enabled him to turn professional,
Westbrook became a key figure in the development of British jazz and produced several big-band records for the Deram label with the newly formed Mike Westbrook Concert Band, between 1967 and 1969. These featured such musicians as Surman, Mike Osborne and Harry Miller. The band varied in size from 10 to 26 musicians. In 1968 his band made its international debut at the Montreux Festival with Malcolm Griffiths, Alan Jackson, Harry Miller, Mike Osborne and John Surman.
His music was given exposure on BBC Radio, on the Jazz Club and Jazz Scene programmes on BBC Radio One, and he acted as a presenter and commentator on new British Jazz through 1968 and 1969. He was featured on BBC TV when Jazz Scene transferred to the BBC 2 TV service. The station broadcast The Mike Westbrook Concert Band performing 'Metropolis', based on Westbrook's impressions of first visiting London, on Tuesday 25 November 1969 from the Ronnie Scott Club. The British Arts Council awarded Westbrook a bursary to develop 'Metropolis' for an enlarged Concert Band, and the jazz suite was broadcast on BBC Radio Three on Friday 9 January 1970. Westbrook's compositions and performances were regularly broadcast by the BBC throughout the 1970s and 1980s. 'Metropolis' was recorded at Lansdowne Studios, London, on 3, 4 and 5 August 1971 and released on RCA Victor in the UK and Japan. A further major extended orchestral composition, 'Citadel/Room 315', featuring saxophonist John Surman, was recorded in March 1975.
The 1970s saw a wide range of projects. Cosmic Circus, jointly founded with John Fox, also a composer, specialised in large scale, one-off high technology shows involving high-divers, tight-rope and carnival processions. It was part of Earthrise Tour in the UK (May 1970 to October 1971). The tour included singer/vocalist Norma Winstone, who performed on several of the band's albums.
Adrian Mitchell included Westbrook in his musical Tyger on the life of William Blake for the Royal National Theatre and this became a major influence on Westbrook's work. (See paragraph on later work below). In 1972 and 1973, Westbrook also worked with his jazz-rock band Solid Gold Cadillac. The most notable result of this was the participation of Phil Minton, whose unmistakable voice featured in many of Westbrook's later projects. A live performance of Solid Gold Cadillac at the Paris Theatre in London was repeatedly broadcast by BBC Radio 6 between 2002 and 2007.
In March 1977, the Mike Westbrook Brass Band, avant-rock group Henry Cow and folk singer Frankie Armstrong merged to form the Orckestra. The ensemble performed in London and several cities in Europe, their last concert being in Bordeaux, France, in May 1978.
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