Cy Laurie

Cyril "Cy" Laurie (b. London, 20 April 1926; d. 18 April 2002) was an English jazz clarinetist and bandleader. Laurie was an autodidact on clarinet.He put together his own band in 1947; George Melly debuted in this ensemble in 1948.He played with Mike Daniels in 1949-50 and led the Cy Laurie Four in 1950, with Fred Hunt and Les Jowett. He ran his own club in London from 1951 and headed a seven-member ensemble; sidemen in this group included Chris Barber, Alan Elsdon, Al Fairweather, Graham Stewart and Colin Smith.Cy Laurie's Club was in a basement (previously Mac's Rehearsal Rooms) in Ham Yard in Great Windmill Street, opposite the Windmill Theatre, which went on to become the famous subculture club The Scene in the 1960s.The 5*Ham Yard Hotel now stands there. He quit music from 1960 to 1968, but returned to lead another ensemble at the end of the decade.His career saw a resurgence late in the 1970s; he toured in ensembles as a soloist and sometimes led his own groups.He played with Eggy Ley and Max Collie in the 1980s.He continued performing into the 1990s.

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