Born on 20 April 1926 in London, England, and passing away on 18 April 2002 in Stapleford Abbotts, Essex, England, Laurie stood out as a central presence during Britain’s post-war revival of traditional jazz. As a clarinettist he fronted his own ensemble through the closing years of the 1940s and into the early 1950s while also appearing alongside Mike Daniels. Balancing club management with performance, he operated a well-known jazz venue on Windmill Street in Soho, London, where he came to be regarded as an enduring presence on the circuit. Numerous players, among them George Melly, John Picard, Chris Barber, Al Fairweather and Alan Elsdon, moved through the ranks of his group over time. In 1960 he withdrew from music altogether, journeying to India to study under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and adopting a meditation practice. He resurfaced in the early 1970s; by the close of that decade he had regained a substantial audience. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s he remained a familiar and well-liked participant on the British traditional-jazz circuit, issuing recordings and sharing stages with veterans Ken Colyer and Max Collie. Although his approach drew directly from Johnny Dodds, Laurie’s playing revealed a keen sensitivity to shifting musical tastes, occasionally suggesting a breadth that extended beyond the limits both he and his listeners typically acknowledged.
