Tony Haynes (English composer)

Tony Haynes (10 July 1941 – 17 September 2024) was an English composer and bandleader best known for his work with Grand Union Orchestra since 1982. He played piano and trombone. Early life Tony Haynes’s musical career began in 1954, as a 13-year-old piano and trombone player in dance bands earning £2–3 per show. He also had stints as a church organist and brass band trombonist, but playing jazz was a more formative experience. After studying music at the University of Oxford, Haynes took a postgraduate degree in contemporary music at the University of Nottingham, Returning to the country in 1975, shortly after the revolution, Haynes met musicians from the former Portuguese colonies Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, and Mozambique. Haynes composed full scores for plays by politically inspired writers such as John Arden, Christopher Bond and Adrian Mitchell, combining music and theatre with tough material and a strong political message. The play was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 1982. RedBrass In Autumn 1975, Haynes founded the ten-piece British jazz rock band RedBrass, initially as an offshoot from the left-wing theatre ensemble Belt & Braces Roadshow. RedBrass was celebrated fo