Ashley Kozak

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Ashley Kozak (c.1930 – 2008) was a British jazz bassist, record producer and artists' manager, best known as having been Donovan's manager.

After working, and recording, with Tony Crombie and His Orchestra in 1954, together with leading UK-based jazz musicians such as Crombie, Dizzy Reece, Joe Temperley and Harry South, Kozak went on to join the Vic Ash Quartet which recorded with Maxine Sullivan. He later joined the Don Rendell Sextet (1954–55) and The Ivor and Basil Kirchin Band (1955–56), together with Stan Tracey. He would return to record with Tony Crombie in the late 50s.

By 1962 he was leading his own quartet, which included Harry South and Dick Morrissey, and which spent 9 months in India.

Shortly after their return, Kozak started working as an executive at Brian Epstein's NEMS Enterprises as well as managing artists such as Shawn Phillips (1965–67), Donovan (1965 to May 1968), and the duo Michael-Claire (1968).

He produced Marc Brierley's debut album Hello (1969), the band Clear Blue Sky (1970–71), and put together the band Tranquility, a “hybrid of pop, rock and English folk music” 1971 - 1974.

Kozak died in 2008.

Discography

• Maxine Sullivan, voc; acc. by Vic Ash Quartet: Vic Ash, cl; Ralph Dollimore, p; Ashley Kozak, b; Ralph Green, d - London, February (1954)
• Rockin' with The Rockets - Tony Crombie and His Rockets (Red Morris, Jimmy Currie, Ashley Kozak, Red Mitchell, Clyde Ray) - Columbia 33S 1108 (1957)

References

• Ashley Kozak at Allmusic