Biography
18 March 1964, London, England. Like many of his generation of young, black, UK jazz musicians, Pine came from a reggae and funk background. Pine is a dazzling performer on many instruments, notably saxophone, clarinet, flute and keyboards. He had been a member of Dwarf Steps, a hard-bop band consisting of Berklee College Of Music graduates, before joining reggae artists Clint Eastwood And General Saint. His interest in jazz was fostered when he participated in workshops run by John Stevens. In 1986, he deputized for Sonny Fortune in Elvin Jones’ band, and was involved in setting up the Jazz Warriors. He came to wider public notice as a result of playing with Charlie Watts’ Orchestra, George Russell’s European touring band and with Art Blakey at the Camden Jazz Festival. Blakey invited him to join the Jazz Messengers, but Pine decided to stay in Britain. In 1987, Pine played at the Bath Festival with the Orchestre National de...
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