The Jazz Organ Scene

Great Britain

Roy Budd Roy (* 1947) was a British jazz pianist, film composer, conductor, producer, arranger and charity worker. A piano prodigy from the age of three, jazz was Roy Budd’s first love. From that age, when he was already tapping Knees Up Mother Brown with one finger, the piano effortlessly remained his favourite instrument. Self taught, Roy had already won several contests. In 1952 he met one of his favourite pianists, an admiring Winifred Atwell, who talked of his exceptional gift. A few months later, he made his official debut at the London Coliseum.   By the age of fifteen, Roy’s passion for Jazz was such that he started to perform professionally after being nominated and winning as best pianist of the year at classical venues, jazz pools and contests. This steered him on to the world’s most renowned stages and he became a star attraction of television and radio.   Roy’s attraction for Brazilian rhythm took him to Rio de Janeiro where he met Antônio Carlos Jobim, this was the start of a lifetime friendship. He created his definitive trio together with Chris Karan on drums and Pete Morgan on bass.   Roy appeared on stage with many famous artists. The U.S. NBC channel organised a 40 minute programme with Oscar Peterson and Roy playing piano together. At age twenty-two, his career took a different course. He started to compose for film music and rapidly acquired an international reputation as a film composer. He wrote the music for more than forty films. At the peak of his creativity he composed, arranged and conducted a 93 minute symphonic score for the original 1925 film, The Phantom of the Opera. In 1992, the director of the Berlin Oper and world famous Stage Director, Götz Friedrich, commissioned Roy to write his first Opera 'Britannicus'. In 1993 he was already working on following this up with an operatic film version of Britannicus.   Roy died of a brain haemorrhage on 7 August 1993.

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