Ike Isaacs (guitarist)
Ike Isaacs (December 1, 1919, Rangoon, Burma[1] – January 11, 1996,[2] Sydney, Australia)[3] was a Burmese-English jazz guitarist, best known for his work with violinist Stéphane Grappelli.
Isaacs was self-taught on guitar. In Burma he grew up with fellow guitarist Cedric West. He started playing professionally in college while pursuing a degree in chemistry. In 1946 he moved to England, where he became a member of the BBC Show Band. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was a member of the Hot Club of London, led by guitarist Diz Disley, which often collaborated with Stéphane Grappelli.[1] He was a member of the band Velvet with Digby Fairweather, Len Skeat, and Denny Wright. In the 1980s, he moved to Australia and taught at the Sydney School of Guitar.[4]
He died of cancer in January 1996 at the age of 76.[3]
Discography[edit]
As sideman[edit]
With Stéphane Grappelli
- Violinspiration (1975)
- Compact Jazz: Jean-Luc Ponty & Stephane Grappelli (1990)
- Shades of Django (1990)
- Menuhin & Grappelli Play Gershwin, Berlin, Kern, Porter, Rodgers & Hart and Others (1990)
With others
- Ted Heath, Our Kind of Jazz (1958)
- Barney Kessel, Hair Is Beautiful (1968)
- Barry Gray, Thunderbirds 2 (2004)
- Jake Thackray, Jake in a Box: The EMI Recordings 1967–1976 (2006)
- Martin Taylor, Sketches: A Tribute to Art Tatum (2006)
- Stan Tracey, Three Classic Albums Plus: Showcase/Little Klunk/Jazz Inc. (2011)
References[edit]
- ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1236. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ^ "Musicians Who Died in 1996". OnThisDay.com. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ a b Eric Myers. "Obituary: Ike Isaacs 1919-1996" (PDF). Static1.squarespace.com. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ Yanow, Scott. "Ike Isaacs". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
- 1919 births
- 1996 deaths
- Musicians from Yangon
- 20th-century British guitarists
- 21st-century British guitarists
- English jazz guitarists
- English male guitarists
- British expatriates in British Burma
- 20th-century British male musicians
- 21st-century British male musicians
- British male jazz musicians
- British emigrants to Australia