Musicians pay tribute to sax legend

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

Like many of his contemporaries, Wilton Gaynair is largely forgotten in Jamaican music. But for a few hours on October 2, fans of the pioneer saxophonist recalled his legacy with a tribute at the Miami Jazz Film Festival.

A quartet, led by saxophonist Tony Greene, recalled some of Gaynair's finest moments with a hour-long set at the gallery of radio station WDNA 88.9 FM, promoters of the September 30-October 3 festival.

The show was preceded by an audio-visual presentation by historian Herbie Miller, who hailed Gaynair as an inspiration for younger sax players like Tommy McCook and Roland Alphonso.

Gaynair died in Germany in 1995, at age 67.

"Jamaicans of a certain age group all agree that Wilton Gaynair was the premier tenor saxophonist of the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s," Miller explained. "Tommy and Roland would both tell you that he was the man."

McCook and Alphonso would go on to earn fame as members of the legendary Skatalites band, and as crack session players at the rival Studio One and Treasure Isle, during the rocksteady era of the mid- and late 1960s.

Amazing opportunity

Gaynair and McCook were graduates of the Alpha Boys School. So, too, Greene, who said it was an honour to revisit the Gaynair catalogue.

"To get an opportunity to pay respect to an Alpha legend was amazing," Greene said.

Accompanied by keyboardist Ozou'ne, bassist Sherwayne Thompson and drummer Akil Karam, Greene played some of Gaynair's best known songs, including Blue Bogey, Kingston Bypass, Wilton Mood and Debra.

Gaynair was born in 1927 and entered Alpha in 1940, staying there for four years. During the 1940s, he was a member of the All Stars Band that also included McCook, his younger brother Bobby, who was also a saxophonist, and trumpeter Sonny Bradshaw.

Looking for recording opportunities, Gaynair left for Germany in 1955. There, he recorded the albums Blue Bogey and Africa Calling in 1959 and 1960, respectively. A third album, Alpharian, was released in 1982.

Gaynair settled in Germany, playing in a number of jazz bands and working with greats like bandleader Gil Evans, singer Shirley Bassey and new-wave swing bands like the Manhattan Transfer. He was also part of the band that performed at the opening ceremony of the 1972 Munich Olympics.

After suffering a stroke in 1983, Gaynair was unable to play music again, and died 12 years later. Bobby Gaynair, the only surviving member of the All Stars Band, lives in Nova Scotia, Canada.