TONY ANSELL

Keyboard player, composer and teacher Tony Ansell was born in Sydney on February 21, 1945. Tony Ansell attended school at Sydney Tech High and gained his Bachelor of Commerce at the University of NSW but after a couple of safe years in business he jumped ship and became a musician. In late 1961 at 16 he began the then busy club rounds. He had a brief fling with a rock band Bobby Rich and the Starliners. He started playing at the Stage Club in the city in 1964. It was here that Tony met a few people on the fringe of the jazz world. In 1968 he began playing at the Musicians Club, City Tattersalls in 1970 and a little later at the Texas Tavern in Kings Cross, with singer/guitarist Ron Barry and drummer Doug Gallacher. Around this time Tony left his day job, finished his degree and married Joanne Bell.

His talent and reputation soon took him into the studio scene and before long he was running around town playing on jingles and album tracks for a wide range of people, among them Mike Perjanik, Pat Aulton, Bob Young, Frank Marcy, G Wayne Thomas, Terry Hannigan, Terry Walker and Greg Butler. Tony worked for all the record producers working in Sydney in the 70's and 80's. He worked with, and often musically directed, the cream of session musicians at the time. He joined the Don Burrows Quintet in 1977 and simultaneously formed The Trio with George Golla (guitar) and Stuart Livingston (drums). He worked in the Daly-Wilson Big Band for about a year and began a long association with Galapagos Duck in 1988.

He was co-writer of many memorable television and radio themes, including the nightly news theme, the 7.30 Report, A Big Country, AM, PM and Lateline on the ABC, and the nightly news theme for Channel 10. His great versatility kept him in demand as a session player for many years and he worked on literally thousands of jingles and advertisements, and played on many jazz, rock and pop recordings including Richard Clapton’s 1975 hit "Girls On The Avenue" and the Zodiac-inspired concept album 'Star Suite' (1974) created by Peter Dawkins under the pseudonym Patch, with an all-star session band that included Tim Gaze, Mike Rudd and Bill Putt. He died in Sydney in November 2000 after a long battle with cancer, aged 55.

SINGLES

Victory

1982

Uplink

1988

ALBUMS

Just Arranging

1978

References

Peter Wall