Anthony George Milliner was born in Paddington, London on 28th December 1929. His parents were both musical, his mother was an exceptional pianist and his father was a drummer and tap dancer. Tony’s mother was only able to read from music, but that didn’t stop her being able to interpret a range of different musical styles very effectively. It is not surprising that Tony learnt to play the family piano by ear at a very early age. Tony’s parents played regularly in the London musical theatre orchestras for musical theatre productions that included ‘Me And My Girl’ and ‘No, No Nanette’.
Tony’s father was a despatch rider for the National Fire Service, and when he died in a road accident, his mother also gave up her professional music career. But, music remained important to Tony, and it was when his mother eventually remarried and the family moved to Oxford that he started to listen to Jazz and was knocked out by the playing of trombonist Jack Teagarden.
In time, the family moved back to London where Tony’s stepfather opened three bakery shops in the Wood Green area.
By the time Tony was 25, he had begun learn the trombone. He joined up with a band called the High Curley Stompers who played in the Staines area, and started to make regular trips to London to sit in with the musicians and the bands that frequented Mac’s rehearsal Rooms opposite the Windmill Theatre in Great Windmill Street.
It was there one Saturday evening where he was invited to join Dave Carey’s band at a time when the band’s music was beginning to move away from Dixieland. Tony spent an enjoyable period with Dave Carey until one day in 1957, agent Jim Godbolt told him that Jeremy French had left the Fairweather-Brown band and that they were looking for a trombone player. Tony had long admired Sandy and Al’s music and so he approached them and became their trombonist for the next six years.
In 1963, Rock and Roll took its toll on the jazz scene and regular gigs became harder to find. Tony was struggling to make ends meet with a young family to support and a mortgage to pay, and in the end he had no choice but to look for steady employment elsewhere. Initially he took over the management of his stepfather’s bakery shops, but soon found that it was not for him, so he followed up an advertisement for a job with Grey’s Advertising Agency, a substantial American agency working in the advertising industry.
Tony was till able to play valve trombone and bass trumpet as a semi-professional, first with Tubby Hays’ Rehearsal Band, and then sharing the leadership of a band with Alan Littlejohn at the Tally Ho pub in London.
The Tony Milliner – Alan Littlejohn Sextet supported a number of visiting musicians including Dave Brubeck and Count Basie players.
© Above photographs courtesy of Tony Milliner
L-R
Tony Milliner, Alan Littlejohn, Dave Brubeck, Earl Warren, Paul Desmond.
© Photograph courtesy of Tony Milliner
In 1975, Tony became a founder member of Stan Greig’s London Jazz Big Band.
The London Jazz Big Band came together intermittently to play at the 100 Club in London’s Oxford Street, and played occasional gigs around the country until about 1982. They re-formed to play at a memorial concert at the Club when Sandy Brown died.
Tony was part of the backing bands for Earle Warren (Count Basie’s lead alto saxophone player), Peanuts Hucko and Bill Coleman on their visits to England. He remembered them as three great players, and particularly enjoyed working with Peanuts Hucko.
Top Row: L-R
Tony Milliner, Alan Littlejohn, Earl Warren, Paul Desmond, Lou Hooper
Bottom Row: L-R
Matt Mathewson, Pete Chapman, Mal Cutlan
© Photograph courtesy of Tony Milliner
L-R:
Tony Milliner, Mal Cutlan (hidden), Lou Hooper, Dave Holland, Jimmy Hamilton, Matt Mattewson, Alan Littlejohn, Cat Anderson.
© Photograph courtesy of Tony Milliner
In the 1980’s, Tony went on to work with Alvin Roy’s band and with Alan Stuart’s Octet. Tenor sax player Alan Stuart had originally played as part of Tommy Steele’s Steelmen, and then took over Dennis Ogden’s Octet when Dennis left. The Octet included Alan West (piano), Phil Day (saxophone), Martin Drew (drums – Martin also played for Oscar Peterson), Alan and Tony.
Tony was also busy leading his own Mingus Music band, playing his arrangements of compositions by bassist Charles Mingus. The personnel of the band changed, but included Phil Day and Willie Garnett (saxophones), Henry Lowther (trumpet), Martin Guy (drums), Spike Healey (bass) and Tony on trombone.
At the end of the 1990’s - beginning of the 2000’s, Tony played with Willie Garnett’s Big Band, until he finally stopped playing, handing his Mingus compositions to Willie so that the band could keep them as part of their repertoire.
Tony lives in London with his wife, Jill.
Tony with Stan Greig in 2001.
© Photograph courtesy of Ian Maund
On the albums listed on the Recordings page there are many examples of Tony’s superb tone and fine and sensitive playing.
Listen to:
‘Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting’ on The Incredible McJazz album;
‘Monsoon’ from the Dr McJazz album, or his backing to Belle Gonzales’ vocal on ‘Monday’ from the same album.
‘September In The Rain’ from the Al Fairweather album Fairweather Friends made to measure (Lake Records CD LACD75) with Al, Red Price, Tony Coe, Stan Greig, Tim Mahn and Graham Burbidge is also a joy.
© Tony Milliner and Ian Maund March 2007-2011
(From Colin Widdison, Washington, U.S.A., May 2009)
"From time to time I try to convince my American friends that there is jazz outside the USA. I really got a kick from your site - the chart of musicians who have played with Sandy is amazing and will prove most convincing. One name gave me a real dose of nostalgia: Tony Milliner. He was the inspiration that made me take up trombone playing. I played in a big band while at university in London and in various big bands, orchestras and concert bands since moving to the USA in the mid 60s. I'm still playing dances and occasional band concerts.
I was a fan of the High Curley Stompers during my teenage years when Tony was playing with them. The band played at the White Hart in Hartley Whitney, near Camberley, Surrey and later at a church hall in Frimley, near another White Hart. The leader of the Stompers was Alan Roe (or Rowe), trumpet, who went on to play mainstream jazz at the Camberley Working men's Club. Has anyone heard of him? - I can find no mention of him anywhere on the internet."