Remembering Monty Sunshine

Clarinettist Monty Sunshine was one of the key figures in British Jazz. He was part of the legendary and pioneering Crane river Jazz Band in the late 1940s. Along with Chris Barber and Lonnie Donegan he joined with Ken Colyer to form Ken Colyer's Jazzmen and when the rest of the band parted company with Colyer he was in the first Chris Barber band. Barber's meteoric rise to fame coupled with the burgeoning popularity of Trad Jazz put him at the forefront of that movement. The Barber band reigned supreme throughout the 1950s and Monty Sunshine firmly established himself and secured his place in UK Jazz history when the clarinet led Petite Fleur became a hit record for the Barber band. This paved the way for a series of clarinet hit records and the rise of Acker Bilk. Monty left the Barber band in 1960 to form his own band in 1960. This band continued until Monty suffered a heart attack in 2003. His band was particularly popular on the Continent. Petite Fleur has never been unavailable and continues to be reissued year after year. This double-for-the-price-of-one compilation contains many rare and previously unissued tracks and serves as useful over view of Monty Sunshine's career.