Gary Crosby

Crosby is co-founder and artistic director of Tomorrow's Warriors, a talent development organisation and charity co-founded in 1991 with his partner Janine Irons. In 1996, Crosby and Irons established Dune Music, a company that encompasses artist management, a record label, music publishing, and education. Crosby appeared in the 1998 Teletubbies episode "Double Bass", where he played his double bass for some children. Described by the BBC as "a towering figure in jazz", Crosby has been the recipient of many honours, including in 2009 being appointed an OBE for Services to Music, and in 2018 becoming the first jazz musician to be awarded the Queen's Medal for Music.

• Name — Gary Crosby • Born — 26 January 1955 • Birthplace — London, UK • Partner — Janine Irons • Genre — Jazz • Occupation — Musician, arranger, bandleader, educator • Instrument — Double bass Gary Crosby (born 26 January 1955) is a British jazz double bassist, composer, music arranger, and educator. He was a founding member of the celebrated group the Jazz Warriors in the 1980s and has worked with many top international artists. Also a bandleader, record producer, company director and facilitator, he leads Gary Crosby's Nu Troop, Jazz Jamaica, Jazz Jamaica All Stars and is the founder of Nu Civilisation Orchestra. Crosby is co-founder and artistic director of Tomorrow's Warriors, a talent development organisation and charity co-founded in 1991 with his partner Janine Irons. In 1996, Crosby and Irons established Dune Music, a company that encompasses artist management, a record label, music publishing, and education. Crosby appeared in the 1998 Teletubbies episode "Double Bass", where he played his double bass for some children. Described by the BBC as "a towering figure in jazz", Crosby has been the recipient of many honours, including in 2009 being appointed an OBE for Services to Music, and in 2018 becoming the first jazz musician to be awarded the Queen's Medal for Music.

Crosby was born on 26 January 1955 of Jamaican heritage in London, England. He is the nephew of guitarist Ernest Ranglin, who performed with Jazz Jamaica at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in October 2009 as part of the club's anniversary concert series. Before focusing seriously on music, Crosby had ambitions to be an electrical engineer and he worked with a construction company where his role was partly to look after the apprentices. After his starting out playing trumpet, in his teens Crosby studied with noted bassist Peter Ind, going on to become a founding member in 1986 of the Jazz Warriors – a group that showcased such talented young Black musicians as Courtney Pine, Steve Williamson, Cleveland Watkiss, Phillip Bent, and Orphy Robinson.

In 1991, Crosby established Tomorrow's Warriors, providing a platform for talented young musicians who wished to pursue a career in jazz. Over the following years, the Tomorrow's Warriors Jazz Café Jam Session became an institution and developed four generations of Warriors, including Denys Baptiste, J-Life and Soweto Kinch. In 2004, the Tomorrow's Warriors Jam Session moved to The Spice of Life in Soho, where it remained active until Summer 2010. Tomorrow's Warriors continues to develop the careers of young musicians and with core programmes and workshops at Southbank Centre, London.

In the early 1990s, Crosby set up Jazz Jamaica, a group of Jamaican jazz musicians, in which young musicians played alongside such seasoned talent as ska trombonist Rico Rodriquez and trumpeter Eddie Thornton.

In 1996, Crosby and his partner, Janine Irons, established The Dune Music Company Ltd, a commercial company comprising four divisions: artist management, record label, music publishing, and education. Artists associated with Dune Music include Jazz Jamaica All Stars, Soweto Kinch, Denys Baptiste, Abram Wilson, Andrew McCormack, Empirical and J-Life.