Harold McNair
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Harold McNair (born November 05, 1931 in Kingston, Jamaica — died March 07, 1971 in Maida Vale, North London) was a renowned saxophonist and flautist.
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[edit] Background
McNair started out at the Alpha Boys School under the tutelage of Victor Tulloch, whilst playing with Joe Harriott (a lifelong friend who considered McNair his de facto younger brother), Wilton 'Bogey' Gaynair, and Baba Motta's band. He spent the first decade of his musical career in The Bahamas, where he used the name Little G for recordings and live performances. His early Bahamian recordings were mostly in Caribbean musical styles rather than jazz, in which he sang and played.
[edit] McNair in Europe
Like many other West Indian jazz musicians of the 1950s and 1960s (eg Harriott, Dizzy Reece and Harry Beckett), McNair moved to Britain. However, before arriving in London, he toured Europe with Quincy Jones and worked on film and TV scores in Paris. Once in London, he quickly gained a reputation as a formidable player on flute, alto and tenor saxophone, leading to a regular gig at Ronnie Scott's nightclub.
His playing drew the admiration of bass player Charles Mingus, who was in London to shoot the 1961 motion picture All Night Long — a film in which McNair also had a very small part. McNair was part of a quartet Mingus formed to rehearse with during his stay in Britain. Unfortunately, the band never played live in front of a paying audience, due to a ban imposed by the UK Musicians' Union on US musicans in British nightclubs. A recording of the band exists, playing the earliest recorded version of the now famous Mingus composition Peggy's Blue Skylight, but it has never been released. The Musician's Union ban was lifted later in 1961, leading to a residency by US tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims at Ronnie Scott's club. Ironically, McNair's own quartet were also on the bill, resulting in two of his performances appearing on the album made to commemorate the gigs, Zoot Live at Ronnie Scott's. Around the same time, he also recorded with the drummer Tony Crombie and the percussionist Jack Costanzo.
[edit] Jazz Recordings
McNair briefly returned to The Bahamas, where he cut his first jazz LP entitled Up In The Air With Harold McNair, before settling back in London permanently. His first UK album as a leader, 'Affectionate Fink', was made for the fledgling Island Records in 1965. The session saw him team up with Ornette Coleman's then current rhythm section of David Izenzon (bass) and Charles Moffett (drums), for a set of standards played with hard swinging intensity. His next (self titled) album, cut for RCA in 1968, was another classic and featured probably his most famous composition, 'The Hipster', which has become a perennial fixture on the playlists at jazz clubs and was included on Gilles Peterson's recent Impressed Vol.2 compilation of 1960s British jazz.
His next album was 1970's Flute and Nut (RCA), which featured big band and string arrangements by John Cameron. This was quickly followed up in the same year by The Fence, which moved in the direction of jazz fusion. Another self-titled album was issued posthumously by the B&C label in 1972, which mixed tracks from the 1968 RCA album with later, unreleased recordings. Notable recorded works as a jazz sideman included sessions with the jazz-rock/big band ensemble Ginger Baker's Air Force and John Cameron's Off Centre. He also recorded with visiting Americans including vocalists Jon Hendricks and Blossom Dearie, drummer Philly Joe Jones and saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis.
[edit] Discography
Albums as bandleader:
- as Little G, Bahama Bash, Top Rank late 1950's
- Zoot Sims et al, Zoot Live at Ronnie Scott's, Fontana 1961 - two tracks only (with Terry Shannon, Jeff Clyne, Phil Seamen)
- Up In The Air with Harold McNair, Bahamian Rhythms 1964
- Affectionate Fink, Island 1965 (with Alan Branscombe, David Izenzon, Charles Moffett)
- Harold McNair, RCA 1968 (with Bill Le Sage, Spike Heatley, Tony Carr)
- Flute and Nut, RCA 1970 (with John Cameron)
- The Fence, B&C 1970 (with Keith Tippett, Ric Grech, Steve Winwood, Terry Cox, Danny Thompson, Tony Carr, Colin Green, Alan Branscombe)
- Harold McNair, B&C 1972
Jazz recordings as sideman:
- Quincy Jones Big Band, Swiss Radio Days Jazz Series, Vol. 1: Lausanne 1960, TCB 1960
- Tony Crombie, Whole Lotta Tony, Ember 1961
- Jack Costanzo, Equation In Rhythm, Fontana 1962 (credited as 'Little Jesus')
- Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Oh Gee: Live In Manchester, Jasmine 1967
- Philly Joe Jones, Mo' Joe - aka Trailways Express, Black Lion 1968, with Peter King, Kenny Wheeler
- John Cameron, Off Centre, Deram 1969
- Blossom Dearie, That's Just The Way I Want To Be, Fontana 1970
- Jon Hendricks, Live, Fontana 1970
- Ginger Baker's Air Force, Ginger Baker's Air Force, Polydor 1970, with Steve Winwood, Rick Grech, Denny Laine, Chris Wood, Graham Bond
[edit] Non Jazz Recordings
McNair's unique phrasing on the flute in particular led to great demand for his services among non-jazz musicians, especially during the late 1960s as the British jazz scene went through some tough times. His flute was heavily featured on the soundtrack for Ken Loach's film Kes, with music written by regular McNair collaborator John Cameron.
His most well known sideman role was as a regular contributor to Donovan's mid to late '60s recordings and as part of his touring band. He was responsible for arranging the hit single 'There Is A Mountain' from 1967, as well as playing the unforgettable flute riff. Donovan's Donovan In Concert album from 1968 features McNair's flute and tenor extensively and demonstrates some of his finest recorded work.
He also played on folk music-themed albums, including John Martyn's The Tumbler and Davy Graham's 'Large As Life and Twice As Natural'. He is also credited on albums by the rock bands Cressida, CCS, Magna Carta and Steamhammer.
[edit] Session musician credits
- Donovan, Sunshine Superman, Epic 1966
- Donovan, Mellow Yellow, Epic 1967
- Donovan, A Gift From A Flower to a Garden, Pye 1967, with Mike O'Neil, Keith Webb, Eric Leese, Jack Bruce, Mike Carr, Candy John Carr
- Donovan, Donovan In Concert, Pye 1968
- Donovan, Hurdy Gurdy Man, Epic 1968
- Steamhammer, Steamhammer, CBS 1968
- Davy Graham, Large as Life and Twice as Natural, Decca 1968, with Danny Thompson, Jon Hiseman and Dick Heckstall-Smith
- John Cameron, Kes: Original Sound Track, Trunk rec. 1968 rel. 2001
- John Martyn, The Tumbler, Island 1968
- Donovan, Barabajagal, 1969
- Al Jones, Alun Ashworth Jones, Parlophone 1969
- Magna Carta, Magna Carta, Mercury 1969
- Marc Brieley "Hello" CBS 63835 June 1969
- Rosetta Hightower HightowerCBS 1970
- Johnny Harris "Movements" Warner Brothers 1970
- Cressida, Asylum, Vertigo 1971
- Caetano Veloso, Caetano Veloso Philips 1971
- Alexis Korner "Bootleg Him" 1972
- Seven Ages Of Man "Seven Ages Of Man" Rediffusion ZS 115 1972, with Gordon Beck, Ian Green, Madelaine Bell, Rosetta Hightower, Tony Roberts, Colin Green and Pat Arnold.
[edit] Death and Legacy
McNair died of lung cancer in March 1971, at the age of 39. None of the recordings made under his own name have been reissued on CD, limiting the awareness of his outstanding musicianship. Nevertheless, he has inspired great admiration among those who have been lucky enough to hear his music, his reputation being especially high among flautists.
