Stan Greig
Encyclopedia
Stanley Mackay Greig is a Scottish
pianist, drummer, and bandleader.
Greig's father was a drummer and piano tuner. Greig played with Sandy Brown
while still in high school
in 1945, then played piano and drums with him from 1948 to 1954. He moved to London
and played with Ken Colyer
(1954–55), Humphrey Lyttelton
(1955–57), and Bruce Turner
(1957), then with the Fairweather-Brown All-Stars (led by Brown and Al Fairweather
) in 1958-59. He played with Turner again briefly before becoming a member of Acker Bilk's Paramount Jazz Band from 1960 to 1968.
After 1969 Greig made piano his primary instrument, leading his own small groups and playing boogie woogie and blues
piano. He played with Dave Shepherd
and Johnny Hawksworth
as a sideman in the early 1970s, then formed the London Jazz Big Band in 1975. From 1977-80 he played with George Melly
, then toured as a bandleader in Europe (1980–82). He worked again with Lyttelton from 1985 to 1995, and worked with Wally Fawkes
later in the 1990s.
The Stan Greig Trio played many gigs in and around London, with the Rolling Stones's Charlie Watts
sometimes turning out on drums.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
pianist, drummer, and bandleader.
Greig's father was a drummer and piano tuner. Greig played with Sandy Brown
Sandy Brown (musician)
Sandy Brown was a noted Scottish jazz clarinetist band leader and acoustic engineer who performed mostly New Orleans style and mainstream. He had a particular interest in African music, which was reflected in his compositions.-Biography:Brown was born in India of Scottish parents where his father...
while still in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in 1945, then played piano and drums with him from 1948 to 1954. He moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and played with Ken Colyer
Ken Colyer
Kenneth Colyer was a British jazz trumpeter and cornetist, devoted totally to New Orleans jazz. His band was also known for skiffle interludes.-Biography:...
(1954–55), Humphrey Lyttelton
Humphrey Lyttelton
Humphrey Richard Adeane Lyttelton , also known as Humph, was an English jazz musician and broadcaster, and chairman of the BBC radio comedy programme I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue...
(1955–57), and Bruce Turner
Bruce Turner
Bruce Turner was an English saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader.Born Malcolm Bruce Turner in Saltburn, he learned to play the clarinet as a schoolboy and began playing alto sax while serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II...
(1957), then with the Fairweather-Brown All-Stars (led by Brown and Al Fairweather
Al Fairweather
Alastair Fairweather was a British jazz musician, born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Educated at the city's Royal High School and Edinburgh College of Art, Fairweather served his National Service in Egypt....
) in 1958-59. He played with Turner again briefly before becoming a member of Acker Bilk's Paramount Jazz Band from 1960 to 1968.
After 1969 Greig made piano his primary instrument, leading his own small groups and playing boogie woogie and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
piano. He played with Dave Shepherd
Dave Shepherd
David Joseph "Dave" Shepherd is an English jazz clarinetist born in London.Shepherd began on piano before switching to clarinet at age 16. He studied under a clarinetist from the Hamburg State Opera Orchestra while stationed in Hamburg after World War II...
and Johnny Hawksworth
Johnny Hawksworth
Johnny Hawksworth is a British musician and composer who has lived and worked in Australia since 1984.Hawksworth initially trained as a pianist, but also played double bass for Britain's leading big band the Ted Heath Orchestra during the early 1950s and through the 1960s...
as a sideman in the early 1970s, then formed the London Jazz Big Band in 1975. From 1977-80 he played with George Melly
George Melly
Alan George Heywood Melly was an English jazz and blues singer, critic, writer and lecturer. From 1965 to 1973 he was a film and television critic for The Observer and lectured on art history, with an emphasis on surrealism.-Early life and career:He was born in Liverpool and was educated at Stowe...
, then toured as a bandleader in Europe (1980–82). He worked again with Lyttelton from 1985 to 1995, and worked with Wally Fawkes
Wally Fawkes
Wally Fawkes Wally Fawkes Wally Fawkes (born 1924 in Vancouver, Canada (left in 1931 for England) is a British-Canadian jazz clarinetist and, until recently, a satirical cartoonist...
later in the 1990s.
The Stan Greig Trio played many gigs in and around London, with the Rolling Stones's Charlie Watts
Charlie Watts
Charles Robert "Charlie" Watts is an English drummer, best known as a member of The Rolling Stones. He is also the leader of a jazz band, a record producer, commercial artist, and horse breeder.-Early life:...
sometimes turning out on drums.