Andrew Pryce Jackman

{{Short description|English keyboardist, arranger and composer}} {{for|the Guyanese cricketer|Andrew Jackman (cricketer)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

'''Andrew Pryce Jackman''' (13 July 1946 – 16 August 2003) was an English keyboardist, arranger and composer who worked with many leading figures in British popular music. His most successful project was as the arranger and conductor of the ''Classic Rock'' series of albums by the London Symphony Orchestra, the first of which reached No 3 in the charts in 1978.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/classic%20rock/|publisher=Official Charts Company|title= Classic Rock|accessdate=2016-04-10}}</ref>

==Career== Jackman began his music career as the keyboard player in The Selfs, a rhythm and blues band formed in 1964 in Wembley, London, also featuring bassist Chris Squire (later of Yes) and drummer Martyn Adelman. The Selfs amalgamated with another band, The Syn, in 1965, led by Steve Nardelli. Nardelli and Jackman became the main songwriters for the band. The Syn broke up in 1967.

Jackman went on to concentrate on making orchestral and other arrangements for various bands, such as Peter Skellern (including the distinctive arrangement for brass band and chorus for the 1972 hit ''You're a Lady''),<ref>[https://www.4barsrest.com/news/47852/youre-a-lady ''You're a Lady'', at ''4barsrest.com'']</ref> The Congregation, Rush (''Power Windows'') and Barclay James Harvest (string arrangement for ''Guitar Blues'').<ref>[https://www.bjharvest.co.uk/apjack.htm Biography at bjharvest.co.uk]</ref> He continued to work with Chris Squire, providing arrangements and pianos on his ''Fish Out of Water'' (1975) album, providing an orchestral arrangement for the Squire-penned 'Onward' on the Yes album ''Tormato'' (1978), and working on the Alan White and Chris Squire solo single ''Run with the Fox'' in 1981. He also worked with Yes guitarist Steve Howe on several occasions.

On the first ''Classic Rock'' album, Jackman was responsible for arranging and conducting seven of the ten tracks, recorded at EMI's Abbey Road Studios on 15–16 October 1976 with the London Symphony Orchestra. A further nine albums in the series followed, between 1979 and 1992. He was also the arranger and conductor of ''The Dust Bowl Symphony,'' which Nanci Griffith recorded in 1999 with the same orchestra.<ref>Garbarino, Steve. 'Opposites Attract', ''New York Times'', 5 March 2000, p.3</ref>

Jackman composed much instrumental library and production music for film and television use.<ref>for instance Bruton BRD 7, ''Soft Illusions'' (1978)</ref> His music was used for a scene in ''An American Werewolf in London''.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1862582/ 'Andrey Price Jackman', filmography, IMDb]</ref> Other film and television credits include Roy Clarke's ''The Growing Pains of P.C. Penrose'' (1975)<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072508/?ref_=nmbio_mbio ''The Growing Pains of P.C. Penrose'', IMDb entry]</ref> and the independent drama film ''East of Elephant Rock'' (1978).

From the 1980s Jackman lived at Tivetshall, Norfolk, where he regularly conducted local choirs and composed music for them to sing.<ref>''Diss Express'', 5 February 1999, p. 16</ref> In 2001 he contributed a choral arrangement of 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' for the collection ''Spirituals for Choirs'', published by OUP.<ref>Timothy Sharp. 'Hallelujah! Spirituals: America's Original Contribution to World Sacred Music', in ''The Choral Journal'', Vol. 43, No. 8 (March 2003), p. 98</ref> He had just completed the arrangements for Steve Howe's ''Elements'' album when he died of a heart attack on 16 August 2003 at age 57.

==Family== [[File:St Margaret's church - Andrew Jackman's grave - geograph.org.uk - 1366644.jpg|thumb|Jackman's grave at St Margaret's church, Tivetshall St Margaret, Norfolk]] His brother Gregg Jackman is a sound engineer and producer who has worked with Yes, Enya and Barclay James Harvest.<ref>[https://www.soundonsound.com/people/gregg-jackman-mics-live-string-recording Gregg Jackman interview, ''Sound on Sound'', March 2001]</ref> Another brother, Jeremy Jackman, sang countertenor with the King's Singers for ten years.<ref>[https://jeremyjackman.co.uk/biography/ Jeremy Jackman biography]</ref> Their father, Bill Jackman, was a session musician who contributed flute, vocals and hand claps to the Beatles songs ''Hey Jude'', and tenor saxophone to ''Lady Madonna''.<ref>Lewisohn, Mark (1988), ''The Beatles' Recording Sessions'' (1st ed.), New York: Harmony Books, p. 146</ref>

Andrew's son, Henry Jackman, is a film composer whose scores include ''Monsters vs. Aliens'', ''Winnie the Pooh'', ''Puss in Boots'', and ''Wreck-It Ralph''. He is also a keyboard player, and performed live with Chris Squire in August 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/henry-jackman-mn0001872328/biography|title=Henry Jackman|last=Donelson|first=Marcy|work=AllMusic|access-date=November 20, 2020}}</ref> Andrew's youngest son Ralph Jackman is a writer of historical fiction including ''Actium's Wake'' (2014) and ''Agrippa's Wake'' (2017), both set in ancient Rome.<ref>[https://www.ralphjackman.net/the-author/ Ralph Jackman - the author]</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackman, Andrew}} Category:1946 births Category:2003 deaths Category:English rock keyboardists Category:People educated at Preston Manor County Grammar School Category:The Syn members