Mike McKenzie (jazz musician) facts for kids

Oscar Grenville Hastings McKenzie (born September 17, 1922, in British Guiana, died December 1999, in Spain), known as Mike McKenzie, was a talented Guyanese jazz musician. He was a pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and arranger. Mike McKenzie performed in London from the 1950s to the 1980s. He played many different styles of music, from Habanera and Calypso to trad jazz, swing, and classic jazz standards. He led several groups, including The Mike McKenzie Trio, Quartet, and Quintet, as well as Mike McKenzie's Habaneros and The Mike McKenzie All Stars.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Mike McKenzie started learning piano from his mother when he was just seven years old. When he turned 16, his father taught him to play the violin. He regularly performed in Georgetown, Guyana. In 1949, he moved to London to continue his music career.

Making Music in the 1950s and 1960s

In the early 1950s, Mike McKenzie began working with a music producer named Denis Preston. They worked with the BBC and record labels like Melodisc and Parlophone. Denis Preston quickly helped Mike McKenzie become a regular recording artist. He also appeared often on radio and television shows for over ten years.

Denis Preston was good at bringing musicians from different styles together. He helped create unique sounds. For example, in 1952, he produced recordings that mixed British jazz musicians, like trumpeter Humphrey Lyttelton, with West Indian rhythm players, like Freddy Grant. Mike McKenzie also wrote a song called Mike’s Tangana, which blended Latin American and North American music styles.

Mike McKenzie's own bands also featured a mix of talented musicians. These included Joe Harriott, Shake Keane, and Bertie King. He also worked with singers like George Browne, Marie Bryant, and Lili Verona.

Mike McKenzie helped start the Black British carnival tradition. On January 30, 1959, The Mike McKenzie Trio played with Cleo Laine at the very first Caribbean Carnival in London. This event was an early version of the famous Notting Hill Carnival. Before that, in 1957, he was part of a BBC radio show called Caribbean Carnival: The British West Indies Show. From 1954 to 1961, he represented the West Indies in BBC Radio shows that celebrated music from different countries in the Commonwealth.

He performed alone or with his small bands at many famous places in London. These included the Colony Room Club and the Hungaria Restaurant. In 1964, he appeared in a documentary film. In it, he played piano while Queenie Watts, a pub owner, sang the classic song "The Best Is Yet to Come".

McKenzie also played as a guest musician with other groups. He performed with Lord Kitchener, Humphrey Lyttleton, and Fela Sowande's BBC Ebony Club Band. He even toured with Jack Parnell in a jazz show called Jazz Wagon. He also played with Ella Fitzgerald in Paris and at the London Palladium with the Ted Heath Orchestra.

His career with the BBC lasted for 20 years. He was well-known on the BBC Light Programme, playing many different kinds of music. He also wrote songs with his wife, Elizabeth McKenzie, who wrote lyrics and was an actress. He also worked with Denis Preston on compositions.

Later Years: The 1970s and 1980s

On November 28, 1972, Mike McKenzie began playing regularly at The White Elephant on the River in Chelsea for four years. After that, he had a seven-year stay at The Dorchester hotel. Finally, in the 1980s, he spent nine years performing at The Savoy. He continued to play even when he needed a wheelchair.

In 1978, he started working with producer Denis Preston again on a new recording. However, the music was never released because Preston passed away in 1979. A composer named Daryl Runswick, who worked on the project, said that Mike McKenzie was a well-known nightclub pianist by then. The idea was for Mike's record to be sold at the nightclub.

In 1984, Mike McKenzie recorded an album of his songs with his wife, Elizabeth McKenzie, called Spell It Out. He produced this album with his son, John McKenzie, who is a bass player.

Mike McKenzie's Musical Impact

Mike McKenzie was a very important part of British popular music in the 20th century. He was one of many talented musicians from the West Indies who helped shape the music scene.

Vibert C. Cambridge, in his book Musical Life in Guyana, highlights how musicians from British Guiana, like Mike McKenzie, Freddy Grant, and Frank Holder, were key to this change. They influenced jazz in the UK by playing with British musicians like Humphrey Lyttleton. They also helped make calypso music popular. Freddy Grant and Rannie Hart, for example, played on many important calypso recordings in the 1950s.

Mike McKenzie played piano on many of these recordings. He was part of the band that backed Bill Rogers in 1952 when Rogers recorded songs like British Guiana Bargee and Nice Woman, Ugly Man. These recordings showed the unique blend of musical styles that Mike McKenzie and his fellow musicians brought to the UK.

In Popular Culture

Mike McKenzie's music was even mentioned in books. The lyrics from his songs "Tomato" (1952) and "Little Boy" (1953) are quoted in Frank Norman's 1959 novel, Stand on Me.

Media Appearances (Summary)

Mike McKenzie appeared on many TV and radio shows throughout his career.

He was seen on TV programs like Commonwealth Cavalcade in 1953 and Jazz Session in 1954. He also appeared in The Jack Jackson Show and the documentary Portrait of Queenie. In 1964, he was part of a show called Carnival. He also acted as a pianist in TV dramas like Maigret and Raspberry Ripple. In 1966, he was the musical director for a BBC One show called Meeting Point.

On BBC Radio, he was a frequent guest on the BBC Light Programme and BBC Home Service. He was often featured in shows like Jazz Club, Piano Playtime, and World of Jazz. He also played in Commonwealth of Song, which celebrated music from different nations. Later, in 1971, he appeared on BBC Radio 2's "Concert Grand."

Recordings (Summary)

Mike McKenzie recorded many songs throughout his career.

• Early Recordings (1951): He recorded with Melodisc Records as "Mike McKenzie's Habaneros," releasing songs like "Al Momento" and "Mama Inez." He also backed Bill Rogers on songs like "Nice Woman, Ugly Man."
• With Marie Bryant (1952-1954): He recorded several tracks with singer Marie Bryant for Lyragon (Polygon Records), including "Tomato" and "Little Boy."
• Solo and with All Stars (1953-1957): He released his own piano tracks like "Jazz Jubilee" and "Mike's Tangena." He also recorded with his "All Stars" band for His Master's Voice and Parlophone, often backing singers like Lili Verona and George Browne on calypso songs.
• Later Albums (1960s-1980s): He released Meditating with Mike McKenzie for Columbia, where he played and sang songs by Hoagy Carmichael. In 1974, he released a double album called Music for Martini People with Decca. In 1984, he co-produced and released Spell It Out with his wife and son.

Compositions and Arrangements

Mike McKenzie wrote and arranged many pieces of music. Some of his compositions include:

• Jazz Jubilee
• I Believe in Love
• Love Me Now
• Something Else
• Sweet Music
• Mama Creole (with Elizabeth McKenzie)
• Strange Love (with Elizabeth McKenzie)
• Mike's Tangana (with Denis Preston)
• Shake's Highlife

He also arranged music for other artists, including Humphrey Lyttleton and Wally Fawkes.