Gary Crosby
Jazz
Born in London of Jamaican parents in 1955, and nephew of the legendary Jamaican guitarist, Ernest Ranglin OD, Gary Crosby OBE is a towering figure in jazz. He was a founder member of the seminal Jazz Warriors in the 1980s. As founder of Gary Crosby’s Nu Troop and Jazz Jamaica, he has earned a reputation as one of the UK’s most respected bassists and band leaders whilst, as cofounder of Tomorrow’s Warriors, he has nurtured the early careers of hundreds of aspiring young jazz artists, from the inaugural Tomorrow’s Warriors of Byron Wallen, Tony Kofi and Denys Baptiste to the current ‘new wave’ of Sons of Kemet, Zara McFarlane, Binker & Moses, Ezra Collective, Nubya Garcia and Nérija.
Crosby has worked with several legends in jazz: Hugh Masekela, Bheki Mseleku, Gary Bartz, Art Blakey, Ernest Ranglin, Mal Waldron, Art Farmer, Eddie Henderson, Jimmy Witherspoon, Sonny Fortune, Carmen Lundy, Marlene Shaw, Vanessa Rubin, and more. He also produced a number of albums on his own label, Dune Records including Denys Baptiste’s Mercury-nominated album, Be Where You Are.
In 2009, under Crosby’s artistic direction, Tomorrow’s Warriors took up residency at London’s Southbank Centre. Here he established the Tomorrow’s Warriors Young Artist Development Programme offering free, high quality learning and performance opportunities for young people interested in jazz. He also launched the Nu Civilisation Orchestra.
In January 2018, Crosby suffered a stroke, sending shockwaves through the jazz community. The stroke has impaired his ability to play bass and it now seems likely he won’t return to playing until 2019. Undeterred, however, Crosby continues to spend his time nurturing the next generation of jazz musicians, ensuring quality mentoring opportunities remain accessible to all young people, regardless of their socio-economic status.
He has been acknowledged with many awards, including the 大象传媒 Jazz Award for Services to Jazz (2007); an OBE for Services to Music (2009), numerous Parliamentary Jazz Awards and a BASCA Gold Badge Award (2017).
