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Cyril Laurie was born on April 20, 1926 in London, England of Latvian/Jewish immigrant stock. A self-taught clarinetist he put together a band in 1947. George Melly debuted in this ensemble in 1948. He played with Mike Daniels in 1949-50 and led the Cy Laurie Four in 1950 with Fred Hunt and Les Jowett.

He ran his own club in Windmill Street, Soho, London from 1951 and headed a seven-member ensemble with Chris Barber, Alan Elsdon, Al Fairweather, Graham Stewart and Colin Smith. Cy Laurie’s Club was in a basement in Ham Yard in Great Windmill Street, opposite the Windmill Theatre.

Quitting music from 1960 to 1968, he travelled to India to study meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Returning in 1968 to lead another ensemble at the end of the decade his career saw a resurgence late in the 1970s. He toured in ensembles as a soloist and sometimes led his own groups. Cy played with Eggy Ley and Max Collie in the 1980s. He continued performing into the 1990s. In 1996 to celebrate his 70th birthday he put together a celebratory reunion gig at London’s 100 Club.

Clarinetist Cy Laurie, who was a leading figure in the post 1945 Trad Jazz boom in the UK, passed away on April 18, 2002 at the age of 75 in Stapleford Abbotts, Essex, England.

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