Donald Percy "Don" Rendell (4 March 1926 – 20 October 2015) was an English jazz musician and arranger. Mainly active as a tenor saxophonist, he also played soprano saxophone, flute, and clarinet.
Born as the son of two musicians in Plymouth, England, Rendell's jazz career began when he was fifteen, with the alto sax, switching to tenor after a few years. Don took part in a jam session with Stephane Grapelli in 1942 while still at school and playing alto sax. He had formed a band called the Rhythm Racketeers with friends Denny Termer on piano, Stan Watson, guitar and drummer Laurie Morgan later to take part in the formation of Club Eleven. They gigged locally until Termer's uncle took them into his show band
playing variety theatres all over the country. Later they worked in
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night clubs and US army bases and by 1945 Don had switched to tenor sax.
playing variety theatres all over the country. Later they worked in
night clubs and US army bases and by 1945 Don had switched to tenor sax.Dance hall work with Duncan Whytes band at the Astoria Ballroom in central London followed but this did give the opportunity for musicians to visit the Soho night clubs to play swing when the ballroom closed. This was around 1945 and Rendell remembers visiting The Bag O'Nails, The Kit Kat, The Florida, The Nuthouse and The Blue Lagoon. He also visited the Downbeat Club held at Mac's rehearsal rooms where he played with visiting American musicians.
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Around 1947 he was with George Evans ten saxophone band at the Hammersmith Palais. By 1948 he was playing with the Oscar Rabin band, and played his first long recorded solo on Cherokee. In the band at the time was trumpeter Leon Calvert, who became a regular at Club Eleven when it opened later in the year.
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From 1953 to 1955 he played around the clubs before forming a sextet with Ronnie Ross and when that folded he took the remnants of his group into Tony Crombie's band. This was followed by a six month spell with Ted Heath, but left because there was little opportunity to play his kind of jazz.
1960 he led his own groups.
In 1961 he formed a quintet with Graham Bond and it was about this time that he heard John Coltrane whose style of playing led to a dramatic change in Rendell's own style. From 1963 to 1969 he led a quintet with trumpeter Ian Carr. The quintet with Carr is regarded as a high spot in Rendell's career. During the time they were
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together the personnel of the band changed hardly at all, and recorded a number of well received records.
together the personnel of the band changed hardly at all, and recorded a number of well received records. The quintet used a lot of material written by group members and over the years built a remarkable sense of unity. By now Rendell was playing soprano sax and flute as well as tenor and had developed a harder edge to his sound as he was influenced by Sonny Rollins, Johnny Griffin and John Coltrane. The group ended when Rendell became reluctant to continue travelling around the world and his perceived lack of ambition led to a parting of the ways.
