Monty Sunshine
b. 8 April 1928, London, England. After teaching himself to play clarinet, Sunshine became involved in the UK trad jazz scene of the late '40s. He was a founder member of the Crane River Jazz Band and later teamed up with Chris Barber to form a cooperative group. For a while this band was under the nominal leadership of Ken Colyer, but later reverted to its original democratic status. Sunshine was featured on several records, notably Petite Fleur, and helped the band to establish a reputation as one of the best of the UK trad outfits. In 1960 he left Barber to form his own band which, while retaining a high level of popularity for a number of years, never achieved the success of the Barber/Sunshine band. However, Sunshine established a name in Europe, especially in Germany. In the '70s he had occasional reunions with the reformed Crane River Jazz Band and with Barber. Although a proponent of New Orleans jazz, Sunshine's playing style has always favoured the full, romantic sound of musicians such as Sidney Bechet and Barney Bigard. In the '80s he was often on tour as a single, still popular with the audience he had known from his earliest days in the business.