I first heard Allan Ganley when he was a member of tenor saxophonist Tubby Hayes’ excellent quintet from 1962-64, a group that also featured Jimmy Deuchar on trumpet and pianist Gordon Beck and bassist Freddie Logan.

A friend had just installed an FM radio in his car - a rarity at the time - and a local DJ who had a penchant for tenor saxophonists offered a series of selections from Tubby’s Live at Ronnie Scott’s LP and Allan’s crisp snare drum attack just knocked me out. When his turn came to solo, Allan played the tune and not just a bunch of drum rudiments. I’ve been a fan ever since.

[I found out later when I had the chance to meet Allan during a business trip to London that the reason for this “crispness” was that he played a piccolo snare drum on that recording. The smaller 3” x 13” snare drum (as compared to 5 ½ x 14”) gives off a crackling, almost exploding popcorn sonority.]

One of the reasons for Allan’s heightened musicality was that he had actually studied theory and harmony and was a fairly accomplished pianist as well.

Given this background, at some point it was logical for Allan to try his hand at developing and writing for his own big band. What was illogical was how long it took for this to eventuate.

Of course, the economics of getting a big band together are not easy to accommodate so Allan had to essentially settle for a rehearsal band which occasionally appeared in public.

But when it did come together in one of its occasional public appearances it appeared in fine style. It came as no surprise that everyone in the British Jazz world wanted to be part of Allan aggregation which resulted in a 20 piece big band!! [5 trumpets; five trombones; five saxes; 4 rhythm and a musical director].

The following comments drawn from the insert notes that accompany The Allan Ganley Jazz Legacy JuneTime CD [Vocalion CDSML 8454] explain how this recording came into existence and also capture in fine style some words of appreciation about Alan’s music and musicianship.

“Allan was a well-respected and well-loved musician. His writing is highly regarded, and audiences and musicians alike have enjoyed the distinctive and original sound of his big band music for the past thirty years. The recording of June Time enables all his fans to continue to enjoy this music that they love and admire.

Huge thanks go to all the musicians who have given of their time so generously and made this the fabulous album that we wanted it to be. Our heartfelt gratitude also goes to the album's sponsors - Tony & Claire Laughton, Keith Mansfield, Brian & Val Peerless, Ben Darnton (Ben's Collectors Records), Nigel & Deborah Tully, John & Poppy Horler, Milt Robinson and Bernard David - without whom the making of this album would not have been possible. And finally, our love and appreciation to the 'executive' team of Cliff Hardie, Andy Panayi, Mark Nightingale, John Horler and in particular Keith Mansfield, who worked so hard and gave their time and knowledge so generously to make this happen - June & Allison Ganley.

Vic Ash, clarinetist:"Allan was a brilliant jazz drummer, arranger and composer and, more importantly for me, he was my best and dearest friend for over fifty-five years. I have played all the charts on this CD in the past and am so very sorry that it was not possible for me to play them again on this CD. I know it will be a great and well deserved success."

Keith Mansfield: 'June Time' producer: "Allan was a highly regarded and much-loved musician, whose writing is respected worldwide. The Allan Gonley Jazz Legacy will ensure that musicians and audiences alike, who have delighted in the distinctive and original sound of Allan's big band music throughout the post thirty years, have the opportunity for this to continue."

June Ganley: "I have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm from musicians, friends and fans to launch The Allan Ganley Jazz Legacy. This album ensures that Allan's outstanding composing and arranging talent will live on. I know that he would be incredibly proud that, through the album's sales and his bursary fund, his legacy is helping to develop the musical talent of the future."

Sir John Dankworth: "No one in his generation was more gifted or more dedicated to the creation of jazz than Allan Ganley, one of our music's finest drummers and most original composers. I am proud to have been a friend of this remarkable musician."

And trombonist Mark Nightingale wrote these descriptions of the tracks on the CD which also reflect the high esteem in which Allan was held by his peers as well as the  anticipation and excitement that playing in his big band generated.

“Hearing Allan's cheery tones on the other end of the phone, asking if you were available for a date with his big band, was always a thrill. Those dates were like musical gold dust, little highlights in the year that nobody wanted to miss. Almost uniquely Allan was loved and respected by everyone he worked with, a feeling no less abundant on the recording date for this CD.

Victor, the opening track, is dedicated to one of Britain's most successful jazz exports to the USA, Victor Feldman, who during his formative years in the UK was close friends with Allan. The opening phrase hits you right between the eyes and then we settle into a statement of the melody, which is very evocative of the 1960s. 

My Shining Hour is a great example of how Allan could take a jazz standard and treat it with inventiveness and craftsmanship whilst remaining sympathetic to the essence of the song. For instance, although in the key of F, he modulates the last eight bars of each chorus into A-flat, not only giving a lift at that point, but also providing a very satisfying change back to the original key at the top of each chorus.

Allan's lovely wife June is the inspiration for the title track of the CD. June Time is a beautiful and charming bossa nova with a melody that gently unfurls revealing many layers. As this particular chart was originally written for the Cliff Hardie Jazz Orchestra, it's not surprising that the melody is carried by the trombone. The arrangement takes a more unexpected turn when it transcends into swing time for a while and the ensemble climaxes in glorious style

I don't know where the title Don't Mention It comes from, but the melody certainly sticks in your mind. This tune conjures up special memories for me as I had a long-running gag with Allan where I would try to quote it in as many solos as possible on a gig. Needless to say, good humour always abounded when Allan was around.

Dedicated to Allan's close friend the wonderful guitarist Jim Hall, Gentle Jim is a very catchy medium-slow swinger that starts subtly and, in typical Ganley style, is allowed to develop in a natural and unhurried way, without pretension.

Allan had a knack of choosing interesting, but not overexposed standard tunes to arrange. Indeed he never failed to find creative versions of, and ways around, their chord sequences. In Two for the Road he yet again managed both and, coupled with Gordon Campbell's sublime trombone playing, this track is a real treat.

I remember Allan's uncontained, boyish excitement at the birth of his granddaughter Ella. He was totally enamoured from the word go, and we all knew it was only a matter of time before he would write something for her. Once toddling, Ella used to say to her granddad, "Let's Run Around," and that spirit of fun and playfulness is captured in Allan's composition.

John Horler and Allan have had a very long friendship and musical association, not least of all whilst in Cleo Laine's and John Dankworth's rhythm section together. Allan's arrangement of John's composition Those Days starts with a wonderful rubato exploration of the tune by the composer, and then kicks off in a subdued half-feel swing version of the melody, before more solo piano on an altered version of the sequence. Despite being the same tempo as a couple of other tracks on the CD, Allan captures the mood of the piece precisely, giving it an easily distinguishable flavour.

Allan always kept himself fit throughout his life, with his love of tennis and, in more recent years, golf. He also used to enjoy a walk local to his home near Ascot racecourse that took him Around the Track, hence the title of the next piece. Unusually the melody begins on baritone saxophone and double bass, and develops from there. This chart is also a great example of Allan's creative use of rhythmic figures when writing backgrounds for solos. These are a delight to play over, acting like punctuation marks and giving the soloist a series of helpful kicks into their next idea.

Allisamba has a joyous and uplifting theme, which I can only imagine was how Allan felt after the birth of his daughter Allison, to whom the tune is dedicated. This happy atmosphere is added to by the samba rhythm, and perhaps the underlying elation is also the reason that he included a whole chorus of drum solo - something that I have never heard in any of his other charts. Allan never played the drums with his own big band, preferring to simply stand out-front, conduct when necessary, and enjoy listening to the guys in the band playing. I know he particularly loved Mike Smith's drumming.

Julian Siegel is featured on the beautiful standard ballad My One and Only Love. The introduction is cleverly constructed from a series of fragments of the melody, and this idea is woven through the whole arrangement, helping to provide a luscious background for Julian's sensitive interpretation of the tune.

Without doubt Allan was most at home, and even positively excelled at medium swing tempos. This was a musical territory that he really made his own, both as an arranger and as a drummer. One Morning in May is a perfect example of this. You just can't imagine the rhythmic placement of the notes in the melody being any better in order to make it swing more, and it's so rewarding both to play and listen to.

One of Allan's most endearing and admirable qualities was the way he always showed encouragement and interest in what his colleagues were doing, especially those of a younger generation. This generosity of spirit was typified the last time we saw each other, when he announced that he was midway through writing a solo chart for me 'as a gift just because he felt like it'. After his untimely death, that score of Detour Ahead came to light and is presented here as a poignant last offering on the CD.

I think nearly all of us in the band must have said to Allan at one stage or other, "You must make a CD; these charts are simply too good not to be put down for posterity." His sense of decency and pride prevented this ever happening, as he always insisted he'd have to pay everyone the full Musicians' Union rate, which was prohibitively expensive despite everyone being willing to do it just for him. Thank goodness we've done it now, although it's such a shame he never got to hear it. Nevertheless, I'm sure he's up there somewhere looking down on us all with a huge smile on his face!”

© Mark Nightingale 2009

John Fordham’s obituary of Allan Ganley appeared in the April 7, 2008 edition of The Guardian and contains a succinct overview of the highlights of his career as well as more praiseworthy comments about Allan the person and the musician.

Allan Ganley: Leading British jazz drummer, composer and arranger

“The old jazz joke goes: "Mummy, mummy, when I grow up I want to be a drummer." Mummy answers: "Don't be daft, you can't do both.""When did we last play together?" a distractingly loud drummer asks the legendary swing saxophonist Lester Young during an interval. "Tonight," comes the reply. Allan Ganley, the great British drummer, composer and arranger, who has died aged 77 after an operation to fit a pacemaker, was the diametric opposite of the bull-in-a-china-shop percussion stereotype behind all those gags.

He was certainly a modernist, entering the business when the 1940s bebop revolution - driven by Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach - had already been in full flight for a decade. But bop drumming could be hyper-active, its pulse peppered with hard-struck offbeats and jolting bass-drum accents. In his unobtrusive elegance and sensitivity, Ganley could sometimes suggest a performer from an earlier era, of the kind who wanted to unroll a luxurious carpet beneath soloists, rather than sustain a challenging stream of personal consciousness. John Dankworth (with whom Ganley worked for 55 years, up until the missed Gateshead festival gig scheduled for the day before he died) was a lifelong Ganley fan, and the list has included Georgie Fame, singers Marian Montgomery and Carol Kidd, and American swing sax virtuoso Scott Hamilton.

Ganley was born in Tolworth, Surrey. He taught himself drums from his early teens, and joined the dance bands of Jack Parnell and Bert Ambrose in 1953, after RAF service. But this music was about to be superseded by rock'n'roll. Few of the British jazz musicians who had earned their living on the Mecca ballrooms circuit were to find commercial success after that. Dankworth, a composer who could splice musical substance with a catchy accessibility, was one of the exceptions.

Ganley and Dankworth had become friends when they and Ronnie Scott heard Parker in Paris in 1949. The connection was cemented for life when Ganley began playing with 26-year-old Dankworth's newly founded orchestra in Nottingham in 1953. The band (Dudley Moore was one of its early pianists), was to become a big international success, even playing America's legendary Newport festival. But Ganley and pianist Derek Smith left in 1955 to form the bop-inspired New Jazz Group with Jamaican trumpeter Dizzy Reece.

Ganley's friendship with Dankworth had helped nourish an interest in composition and arrangement. In 1955, he began playing regularly with the trumpet virtuoso Kenny Baker's popular Dozen, and also worked with Cleo Laine, Scott and trombonist George Chisholm. He also regularly traveled to the US and, in 1957, had an unexpected opportunity to tour there with Scott - as a last-minute replacement for drummer Phil Seamen, who had been busted for drugs at Southampton docks. The tour was purely a formality (Eddie Condon's American group was coming to Britain, and union rules demanded a British swap), Scott opining that, "America needs a tour by British jazz musicians like Damascus needs a synagogue." The group recalled spending the entire boat trip back unsuccessfully looking for the cannabis they had hidden in a ship cistern on the way out.

In 1958, Ganley formed the briskly lyrical and hard-swinging Jazzmakers group with baritone saxophonist Ronnie Ross, and appeared at Newport with it. By 1962 he was working with the young saxophonist Tubby Hayes, one of the fastest players in jazz, but Ganley's relaxed drive and creative shading was unfazed, and the drummer's subtle handling of slow music (he was one of the world's great exponents of the whispering art of brushes-playing) also made him the ideal foil for Hayes' lesser known talent for romantic balladeering.

By now also a skilled composer/arranger, Ganley was becoming indispensable as a studio professional. He worked regularly as a session player through the 1960s, was the house drummer behind some of the biggest stars in jazz at Ronnie Scott's Club from 1964 to 1967, and appeared with saxophonist Joe Harriott and violinist John Mayer in the pioneering Indo-Jazz Fusions cross-genre group. In the early 1970s, Ganley often worked in Bermuda, and deepened his understanding of musical theory and structure by studying at the Berklee School of Music in Boston.

Back in the UK from 1976 on, Ganley played sessions with Nelson Riddle and Henry Mancini, continued to back visiting stars (Gillespie and Peggy Lee among them), formed his own big band, and developed as a large-ensemble composer. He played in the Soho Pizza Express's amiably swinging All Stars group, and the mainstream-oriented Great British Jazz Band. Ganley also had a long Sunday-lunchtime association with his local jazz club, the Jagz in Ascot. In 2003 his group's Live at the Station album was recorded there, a deliciously subtle testament to Ganley's talents; this writer observing at the time that, as ever, "his coolly ticking cymbal beat and excitable high-hat clap is devoted to driving the band rather than advertising himself".

Active to the end, he was at work on a commission for the Norwich festival, to be performed next month by a band including Dankworth, longtime bass associate Dave Green, and Americans Ken Peplowski and Scott Hamilton. He leaves his second wife and their daughter.”

· Allan Anthony Ganley, drummer and arranger, born March 11 1931; died March 29 2008