Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2011 | Page 122

ENTERTAINMENT

Big band
sound
lives on
with Chris
Interview by Peter White
The unmistakable ‘big band’ sounds
of the world-famous Syd Lawrence
Orchestra will be echoing through
Shanklin Theatre later this month.
Although the band, under the
leadership of renowned trombonist
Chris Dean, has played on the Island
several times in recent years, it will
be a first appearance at Shanklin, and
one that is being eagerly awaited by its
many fans.
Chris has had two spells with the
band, first in the 1970s and 80s, and
then rejoining it in 1996 when Syd
Lawrence decided to retire. Since Syd’s
death two years after his retirement,
Chris has successfully managed to
maintain the image and unmistakable
sounds that have been synonymous
with it for nearly 45 years.
Island Life caught up with Chris,
generally recognised as one of the
leading trombone players in Europe.
Although he and his wife Angie,
who sings with the band, live in Port
Solent, they are regular visitors to the
Island and are members of the Brading
Haven Yacht Club.
Although he has had a long
association with the Syd Lawrence
Orchestra, Chris has also performed
alongside some of the most famous
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names in show business, and his
trombone playing has featured on a
host of blockbuster films.
Born in Derby, he moved with
his family to the south coast as
a youngster, and learned to play
the trombone at the age of 11. He
recalled: “My mother was an opera
singer, so I had a good musical
grounding. Then one day the music
teacher at my school came in with
his battered old trombone and said
‘sixpence for anyone who can get a
note out of it’!
“Health and safety wouldn’t have
been too pleased these days, but one
by one we all had a turn and when
I blew, it made a right racket. But
the teacher thought that was good
enough. Chris continued: “I joined the
Lifeguards Band as a 15-year-old and
stayed until I was 27, during which
time I was also doing a lot of West
End shows. When I joined Syd’s band
for the first time we were on television
virtually all the time, so that helped
put me on the map and was great for
my career.
“I first joined as a trombone player
in 1978, and stayed until 1983 when I
decided to leave to go into the session
business. That allowed me to work

with John Barry on the music for
many James Bond movies, as well as
‘Out of Africa’, ‘Batman’, ‘Superman’,
‘Basic Instinct’ and many others,
including ‘Evita’ with Madonna.
“I also worked in recording studios
with Nelson Riddle, and was fortunate
to perform alongside such artists as
Frank Sinatra, George Benson, Quincy
Jones, Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand
and a host of pop music artists, such as
Cliff Richard and Eric Clapton at the
Albert Hall, so I have been very lucky.”
Chris has no hesitation in naming
Quincy Jones as his favourite artist,
saying: “I was always a fan because I
was brought up in that era, and always
dreamed of being in his band. So to
play in front of him was something
very
special and
something I
will always
remember.”
He initially
joined Syd’s
band for
six months,
but stayed
some six
years before
moving