Tommy Whittle
b. 13 October 1926, Grangemouth, Scotland. Whittle began playing tenor saxophone while in his early teens and, in 1942, moved to Chatham, England, where he joined a dance band led by Claude Giddings. Also in the band was Ronnie Verrell and Whittle soon found himself playing with guest artists such as Ralph Sharon and Stéphane Grappelli. He also played with Johnny Claes, Carl Barriteau and, in 1946, joined the Ted Heath band. He remained with Heath for six years before moving on to play in Tony Kinsey's small group. Throughout the '50s he played with several small bands, sometimes leading or co-leading, and his associates included Dill Jones, Kenny Wheeler and Joe Temperley. From the '60s on through to the early '90s, Whittle has remained a prominent figure on the UK jazz scene, playing club and festival dates, and making records with a wide range of jazzmen from the UK and USA, including Benny Goodman. A quiet and introspective individual offstage, Whittle's playing reflects these personal characteristics and his warm, caressing sound is particularly well-suited to ballads. His many records include several with his wife, the singer Barbara Jay.

Multi-instrumentalist TOMMY WHITTLE was born in Grangemouth, Scotland. He first started playing the clarinet at 12, moving to tenor sax at 13. He first worked with Johnny Claes, Lew Stone, Rex Owen, Harry Hayes and Ted Heath, before forming his own band in the '50s, touring the USA and Europe. His big band played the Dorchester Hotel for three years in the '60s and Tommy later joined Jack Parnell's ATV Orchestra, accompanying such stars as Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee and Barbra Streisand. His quartet features jazz singer wife Barbara Jay.

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