Biography

Christopher Norman "Chris" Pyne (14 February 1939, Bridlington – 12 April 1995, London) was an English jazz trombonist. Pyne was the elder brother of Mick Pyne, and played piano as a child before switching to trombone. He played with Fat John Cox (1963), Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated (1964–65), John Stevens's Spontaneous Music Ensemble (1965–66), and the London Jazz Orchestra before beginning work with Humphrey Lyttelton in 1966, with whom he played until 1970, recording along the way with John Dankworth (1967), Ronnie Scott (1968), and Stan Tracey (1968–70). Pyne played with Mike Gibbs on and off from 1967 to 1979, and toured with Frank Sinatra's backing bands between 1970 and 1983; additionally, he was in John Taylor's sextet between 1971 and 1981. Other associations in the 1970s include Kenny Wheeler (1969, 1973), John Surman (1970), Philly Joe Jones, Maynard Ferguson, Tony Coe (1976), Bobby Lamb, Ray Premru (1971), Ronnie Ross, Barbara Thompson, John Stevens again (1970–71), Norma Winstone (1971), Dankworth once more (1972), and Alan Cohen (1972). Pyne toured with Gordon Beck in 1982 and was in Surman's Brass Project from 1984 to 1992. Late in his life he played in Charlie Watts's big band.