Don Lusher

Douglas Gordon "Don" Lusher OBE ( born November 6, 1923 in Peterborough, † July 5, 2006 in Cheam ) was a British jazz trombonist, who was one of the most famous trombonist Britain; also he was twice President of the British Trombone Society.

Life and work

Lusher started following the footsteps of his father and grandfather at age six with the trombone and played in the local orchestra soon the Salvation Army. After military service he played after the end of World War II, first in the bands of Joe Daniels and Lou Preager whose singer Eileen Orchard he married. Then he worked with Maurice Winnick, The Squadronaires and 1951 when Geraldo gentlemen. In 1952 he became a member of the big band of Ted Heath, who in 1953 promoted him to sentence leaders of the trombone. With Heath toured several times in North America, where he took lessons with Dick Nash and Will Bradley; with him he remained until 1961. then he worked for Jack Parnell until he his Don Lusher Big Band directed several decades in the early 1970s and in parallel from 1975, the band of Ted Heath. He also acted as a studio musician and touring singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. In 1975, he interpreted for the first time Gordon Langford's Rhapsody for Trombone at London's Royal Albert Hall. He was an active in the Manhattan Sound Big Band, with Alexis Korner at CCS and founded with Kenny Baker, the touring show Best of British Jazz. The BBC dedicated to him in 1979 the mission of The Musical World of Don Lusher with his own big band and Nelson Riddle. In 1990 he presented Scott Stroman's Concertino for Trombone, Strings and Percussion in Lichfield Cathedral. He also appeared as a guest star with the orchestra by John Dankworth.

Lusher was appointed Professor of big band the Royal College of Music. In 1997 he became professor of trombone at the Royal Marines School of Music in Portsmouth; In 2004 he became Professor Emeritus.

Prizes and awards

During the 1950s, won Lusher several times in the polls by Melody Maker and New Musical Express as a " top British trombonist ". In 1976, he was the "Musician of the Year" by the BBC Jazz Society. In 1993 he received the status of Freeman of the City of London awarded; He was awarded for his services to the music with the OBE in the officer rank in 2002. Him an honorary doctorate from the University of Portsmouth was awarded in 2005.

Disco Graphical Notes

• The Don Lusher Collection ( 1976)
• British Jazz Legends Together ( with Kenny Ball, Acker Bilk, John Chilton, John Dankworth, Humphrey Lyttelton, George Melly, Decca 2001)