Once Upon A Time

On 16 October 2026 Fontana Records are making Once Upon A Time... by The Alan Skidmore Quintet available on vinyl for the first time since it was released in 1970. It was originally released as part of the short-lived Decca/Deram 'Nova' series (just 22 albums between '69 & '70, and - bar this title - mainly an outlet for Prog Rock).

This new edition was mastered at Abbey Road using high definition 24bit/192kHz audio files, copied directly from the original stereo analogue master tapes, images of which are included in the package alongside new sleeve notes written by author, compiler and documentary maker Tony Higgins, who also acts as Executive Producer for Universal Music's 'British Jazz Explosion' series.

Tenor saxophonist Skidmore assembled the group to appear at the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival, where they were awarded three of the six prizes on offer: the press prize, best group, and - for Skidmore himself - best soloist. This bought them to the attention of Deram Records producer Peter Eden, who had previously worked with Mike Westbrook, and with John Surman, composer of two of the six pieces on this vital collection. Alongside Denis Preston at Lansdowne Studios, Peter was considered one of the more nurturing production talents of the time, although Skidmore wonders if the label knew what they were signing up to: "They'd never heard anything like that before."

Each side of the album begins with a statement piece, Side A introduced by the title track, a "jazz waltz" which was written by the aforementioned Surman; he described the era as "a time of liberation", citing inspiration from the music his West Indian neighbours played, English Folk songs and particularly the British Blues boom of the early 1960s. Side B commences with the near 12-minute 'Old San Juan', which Skidmore selected as one of his best recordings, when he appeared on the BBC Radio 3 Jazz Library programme in 2012.

Born in London, in 1942 (the son of another noted tenor saxophonist, Jimmy) Skidmore’s career has seen him play with not only most of the leading British jazz musicians since the 1960s (Stan Tracey, Norma Winstone, Graham Collier, Georgie Fame), but also an impressive list of international figures ranging from Elvin Jones and Gary Burton to Volker Kreigel and Weather Report. He’s also recorded outside jazz, adding his touch to pop and rock projects from Kate Bush, The Walker Brothers and Van Morrison. His playing has embraced most styles of modern jazz, ranging from blues, modal and post-bop to free, afro jazz and big band, cultivating one of the most distinctive voices in British jazz along the way.

Alongside Skidmore the stellar ensemble featured bass player Harry Miller (b. South Africa, April 1942, d. Netherlands, December 1983), pianist John Taylor (b. Manchester, September 1942, d. France, July 2015), drummer Tony Oxley (b. June 1938, Sheffield, d. Germany, December 2023), and flugelhorn player Kenny Wheeler (b. Canada, January 1930, d. London, September 2014), who Skidmore describes as, "World-class, and such a lovely, sweet, gentle person."

Tracklist

Side A
A1. Once Upon A Time (John Surman) (07:00)
A2. Majaera (Tony Oxley) (03:56)
A3. The Yolk (John Taylor) (05:51)
 
Side B
B1. Old San Juan (John Warren) (11:48)
B2. Free For Al (Alan Skidmore) (04:30)
B3. Image (John Surman) (04:56)