Al Fairweather

Al Fairweather (June 12 1927 – 21 June 1993) was a British jazz musician, born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Educated at the city's Royal High School, Fairweather completed his National Service in 1949 , serving in Egypt.

In 1952, along with Sandy Brown and Stan Greig, he went south to London recorded a number of sides for Esquire Records as the Sandy Brown and later Fairweather-Brown All Stars.

When Brown went back to Scotland to complete his architecture studies, Fairweather joined the Cy Laurie Jazz Band. His powerful, Louis Armstrong-inspired lead was a perfect foil for Laurie's Johnny Dodds approach. From 1966 to 1968, he worked for clarinetist Acker Bilk.

Following a second career as a teacher in Harrow, London, Fairweather returned to Edinburgh in 1987, where he remained and played until his death in 1993 at the age of 66.

References

• Yanow, Scott (2001). Trumpet Kings: The Players Who Shaped the Sound of Jazz Trumpet. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN 0879306084. 

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