Jack Sharpe

Who was Jack Sharpe?

Jack Sharpe was an English jazz saxophonist and bandleader, chiefly active on the London jazz scene.

Sharpe began playing tenor sax at age eighteen. He played with Vic Lewis and Teddy Foster in the early 1950s and freelanced in the London area, but left music around 1953 to become a taxi driver. He returned in 1954 to play with Dizzy Reece, then played in Tubby Hayes's band in 1955-56. He played with Mike Senn in The Downbeaters after 1957, worked further with Hayes, and led his own sextet in 1958. Additionally, he found work in promotion and booking for other musicians.

Sharpe made a return to the jazz scene in 1985, playing with Alan Branscombe and leading a big band tribute to Tubby Hayes. This ensemble recorded three times; Al Cohn played on their 1987 release Catalyst.