Dave Gelly | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1938-01-28)28 January 1938 (age 88) Bexleyheath, Kent, England |
| Education | St Dunstan's College |
| Alma mater | Downing College, Cambridge |
| Occupations | Jazz critic, saxophonist, broadcaster |
Dave GellyMBE (born 28 January 1938) is a British jazz critic. A long-standing contributor toThe Observer, he was named Jazz Writer of the Year in the 1999 British Jazz Awards. Gelly is also a jazz saxophonist and broadcaster, presenting a number of shows forBBC Radio 2 includingNight Owls for much of the 1980s.
Gelly was born inBexleyheath, Kent, on 28 January 1938, and grew up in south London.[1][2] He attendedSt Dunstan's College, Catford, and won a scholarship to read English underF. R. Leavis atDowning College, Cambridge.[2][3] Gelly played withArt Themen,[4]George Walden[5] andLionel Grigson in the Cambridge University band, and from the mid-1960s co-led his own quartets and quintets withFrank Ricotti, with Jeff Scott, and withBarbara Thompson.[6] Gelly was a member of theNew Jazz Orchestra, directed byNeil Ardley, which also featuredIan Carr,Jon Hiseman, Barbara Thompson,Mike Gibbs,Don Rendell, andTrevor Tomkins.Gelly was a teacher during the 1960s and 1970s atWilliam Penn School,Dulwich.[2]
