Alan Wakeman

Alan Wakeman (born 13 October 1947, Hammersmith, West London) is an English saxophonist, known for his work in Soft Machine during 1976, appearing on the album Softs.[1] He is a cousin of the keyboard player Rick Wakeman.

For the British author, see Alan Wakeman (author).
Alan Wakeman
Born (1947-10-13) 13 October 1947
Hammersmith, West London, England
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsSaxophone, clarinet
Years active1968 to date
Associated actsSoft Machine, David Essex , Interplay, Mike Westbrook
Websitehttp://www.alanwakeman.com
Alan Wakeman performing in Mike Westbrook's show, Paintbox Jane (Exeter, April 2017)

Wakeman started on the clarinet at age 14 and, while at school, played in a band with cousin Rick on piano. He switched to the alto saxophone at 16, then subsequently to the tenor saxophone; he also plays soprano saxophone.

He joined the Paul Lytton Quartet in 1968 and had his own trio in 1970 (with Harry Miller on bass). He subsequently worked with Graham Collier (including the albums Songs for My Father and The Day of the Dead), Johnny Dankworth and Mike Westbrook (including playing saxophone and clarinet on the 1975 release Citadel/Room 315 and 1976's Love/Dream and Variations). He was also an original member of Alan Gowen's band Gilgamesh in 1972-3, but left before Gilgamesh's first album.

He left Soft Machine in 1976 to join David Essex's band, having first worked with him in 1974 on the album David Essex. He also worked further with Westbrook and in the West End, including for the musical, Grease. He is currently working and touring with Mike Westbrook's Uncommon Orchestra on A Bigger Show[2] and with Westbrook on his new jazz show Paintbox Jane. He continues teaching, as well as developing new projects with his own band, The Rockin' Hams.

Discography
  • Graham Collier : Songs for my father (1970)
  • Graham Collier : Mosaics (1971)
  • Pete Atkin : Driving Through Mythical America (1971)
  • National Jazz Youth Orchestra ; National Jazz Youth Orchestra (1971)
  • Barry Guy & The London Jazz Composers' Orchestra ; Ode (1972) - With Karl Jenkins and Marc Charig.
  • Pete Atkin : A King At Nightfall (1973)
  • Mike Westbrook Orchestra ; Citadel/Room 315 (1974)
  • David Essex : David Essex (1974)
  • John Dankworth & His Orchestra : Movies n' me (1974)
  • David Essex : All the fun of the fair (1975)
  • Graham Collier with Graham Collier Music : Jazz Illustrations (1975)
  • Mike Westbrook Orchestra ; Love/Dream and Variations (1976)
  • Graham Collier Music : New Conditions (1976)
  • Soft Machine : Softs (1976) - (re-issued on Esoteric Records in 2011)
  • David Essex : On tour (1976)
  • Soft Machine : Triple Echo (1977) - Compilation triple album
  • David Essex : Gold and Ivory (1977)
  • Graham Collier : The Day of the Dead (1978) - Roy Babbington on bass.
  • Triton (Wakeman, Bridge, Morris) : Wilderness of Glass (1978)
  • David Essex : Imperial Wizard (1979)
  • Don Rendell Nine : Earth Music (1979)
  • Don Rendell Five : Set 2 (1979)
  • David Essex : Hot Love (1980)
  • Mike Westbrook : The Westbrook Blake (Bright As Fire) : (1980)
  • David Essex : Silver Dream Racer (1980)
  • Girls At Our Best : Pleasure (1981)
  • Mike Westbrook Brass Band : The Paris Album (En Concert À La Chapelle Des Lombards) (1981)
  • Stan Tracey Sexted (ft. Tony Coe, Art Themen, Alan Wakeman) : The Crompton Suite (1981)
  • David Essex : Stage - Struck (1982)
  • David Essex : The Whisper (1983)
  • Swans Way : The Fugitive Kind (1983)
  • David Essex : This One's For You (1984)
  • The Original London Cast : Mutiny! (1985) - with David Essex, Frank Finlay
  • Mike Westbrook Band : Off Abbey Road (1989)
  • Soft Machine : The Untouchable (1990) - Compilation
  • Soft Machine : The Best Of Soft Machine - The Harvest Years - Compilation (1995)
  • Mike Westbrook Orchestra : Bar Utopia (1996)
  • Pete Atkin : Beware Of The Beautiful Stranger / Driving Through Mythical America - Compilation (1997)
  • Mike Westbrook : The Orchestra Of Smith's Academy (1998)
  • Mike Westbrook : Glad Day (Settings Of William Blake) (1999)
  • John Williams : The Baritone Band (2000)
  • David Essex : David Essex / Out On The Street : Compilation (2004)
  • Graham Collier : Down Another Road / Songs For My Father / Mosaics - Compilation (2007)
  • Barry Guy : Portraits (2007)
  • Graham Collier : Deep Dark Blue Centre / Portraits / The Alternate Mosaics - Compilation (2008)
  • Mike Westbrook : Fields And Forms (2008)
  • Pete Atkin : Beware Of The Beautiful Stranger (2009)
  • Graham Collier Music : Darius / Midnight Blue / New Conditions (2009)
  • Graham Collier : The Day Of The Dead / October Ferry / Symphony Of Scorpions / Forest Path To The Spring (2011)
  • Graham Collier : Relook : Graham Collier 1937-2011: A Memorial 75th Birthday Celebration (2012) - with Karl Jenkins, John Marshall, Nick Evans, Gary Burton, Graham Collier, Frank Ricotti, Roy Babbington, Kenny Wheeler, etc.
  • Interplay: Global (2013)
  • The Rockin' Hams - Alan Wakeman Band : Extended Play (2014)
  • Sheila Waterfield : Reverie (2015)
  • Harry Beckett : Still Happy (2016)
  • Harry Miller : Different Times, Different Places - Volume Two : (2016) - Keith Tippett on piano.
  • Mike Westbrook : The Uncommon Orchestra – A Bigger Show (live) (2016)
  • Dave Holdsworth's New Brew, Wodgi (2018)
  • Mike Westbrook Orchestra : Catania - Live in Sicily 1992 (2018)

References
  1. Lynch, Dave. "Softs: Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
  2. "Westbrook and Wakeman Line Up with the Uncommon Orchestra for a Bigger Show Archived 2018-06-12 at the Wayback Machine" by Matthew Wright, JazzWiseMagazine.com, 28 September 2017

John Chilton (Ed.),Who's Who of British Jazz (London ; New York : Continuum, 2004, 2nd Edition), p. 371

R. Fagge and N. Pillai (Eds.), New Jazz Conceptions (London: Routledge, 2017), p. 137

Duncan Heining, Mosaics: The Life and Works of Graham Collier (Equinox Publishing Ltd, 2018)

Matthew Wright, ‘Annie Whitehead’s Interplay bring Township sounds to Leamington’, JazzWise Magazine, 2 May 2018

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