George Haslam

British saxophonist George Haslam resists straightforward classification even among avant-garde jazz practitioners. He gravitates toward the baritone saxophone and the tárogató, a Hungarian double-reed instrument, rather than more conventional jazz horns. His wide-ranging musical interests span abstract free improv, Latin bop, and jazz standards. Although details of his early development remain unrecorded, his catalog has expanded steadily since founding the Slam label in 1989. Among his most frequent collaborators are trombonist Paul Rutherford and drummer Paul Hession.

Born February 22, 1939, in Preston, Lancashire, Haslam developed his saxophone skills largely without formal instruction. He entered dance and jazz ensembles while still young, acquiring experience through performance. Lester Young, Gerry Mulligan, and Jimmy Giuffre shaped his approach most directly. By the close of the 1960s he began incorporating free jazz and improvisation into his vocabulary, pursuing extended techniques reminiscent of Evan Parker while retaining connections to mainstream jazz. He joined the London Free Improv scene, appearing in concerts though producing no recordings at that stage. In the early 1980s he assembled his first significant ensemble, The Siger Band, featuring Rutherford, Pete McPhail, Tony Moore, and Nigel Morris, who was later succeeded by Hession. Throughout those years Haslam traveled widely across Eastern Europe both with and without the group. The Siger Band’s Live in Hungary, issued by Spotlite in 1984, marked his debut album.

Haslam visited Mexico in 1986 and directed the first British jazz ensemble to perform in Cuba. Four years afterward he became the first British jazz musician to appear in Argentina. That visit initiated an enduring affinity with South America, especially Argentina, which he has revisited annually. He has shared stages with figures such as Arturo Sandoval and Charlie Mariano. In 1989 he established the Slam imprint, which continues as his principal recording outlet. Although created to document his own projects, the label has also preserved work by Steve Lacy and Mal Waldron while presenting several Argentinian musicians to European audiences. Its inaugural release was the Rutherford duet set 1989 And All That. Subsequent projects have included solo recordings and partnerships with Rutherford, Lol Coxhill, Laszlo Gardony, Ruben Ferrero, Evan Parker, and additional artists.

Haslam launched the British Saxophone Quartet in 1992 alongside Paul Dunmall, Elton Dean, and Simon Picard. Five years later he initiated Meltdown, a workshop creative orchestra whose first album appeared in 2001—the same year the Anglo-Argentine Jazz Quartet toured England and Argentina, resulting in the release Live at the Red Rose.