Allan Ganley


Allan Anthony Ganley was an English jazz drummer and arranger.

Career

Ganley was born in Tolworth, Surrey. A self-taught drummer, in the early 1950s Ganley played in the dance band led by Bert Ambrose. In 1953 he came to prominence as a member of Johnny Dankworth's band, one of the popular modern jazz bands in the UK at the time. Also in the 1950s, he worked with Derek Smith, Dizzy Reece, Vic Ash, and Ronnie Scott. Towards the end of the decade he was co-leader with Ronnie Ross of a small group known as the Jazzmakers.
In the early 1960s, Ganley often worked with Tubby Hayes, playing with his small groups and the occasionally assembled big band. As house drummer at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club he played with Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Jim Hall, Freddie Hubbard, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. In the early 1970s he took time out to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, then returned to the UK to form and lead a big band which he maintained sporadically for the next 10 years.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Ganley could be seen and heard on countless broadcasts and recording dates, playing with jazz musicians of all styles, effortlessly slipping from traditional to post-bop to big band to mainstream, all the while swinging with great subtlety. In the 1990s Ganley was as active as ever, playing club and festival dates throughout the UK with occasional overseas trips. The self-effacing nature of his playing made him a perfect accompanist for pianists such as Teddy Wilson and Al Haig and for singers such as Carol Kidd and Blossom Dearie. Although less well known for his work as an arranger, Ganley provided charts for many leading British jazz musicians as well as for the BBC Radio Big Band.
In 1995 Ganley fell and broke his ankle. Due to this incident and the shock which caused his hair to fall out, he didn't play the drums for some time. He would regularly appear on stage wearing a large floppy beret.
His drumming continued to entertain jazz lovers until his sudden death in early 2008. It has been stated that, "his work in particular with the late John Dankworth and his singing partner Cleo Laine, along with American saxophonist Scott Hamilton, the pianist Brian Lemon and the singer Elaine Delmar, provided an outstanding example of inspired tact and rhythmic intelligence."
Ganley died at Wexham Park Hospital, Slough on 29 March, 2008.

Discography

As leader

With John Dankworth
With Tubby Hayes
With Scott Hamilton
With Cleo Laine
With Spike Robinson
With others