About Courtney Pine
Courtney Pine, (born 18 March 1964) is a British jazz musician, who was the principal founder of the black British band the Jazz Warriors in the 1980s. Although known primarily for his saxophone playing, Pine is a multi-instrumentalist, also playing the flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, and keyboards. == Early life and education == Courtney Pine was born on 18 March 1964 in London. His parents were Jamaican immigrants, his father a carpenter and his mother a housing manager. As a child, Pine wanted to be an astronaut. Pine lived in the "Avenues" area of Kensal Green in north-west London, before moving to Wembley and attending Kingsbury High School, where he studied classical clarinet, teaching himself the saxophone from the age of 14. == Career == Pine began his music career playing reggae, touring in 1981 with the duo Clint Eastwood & General Saint. In 1986, his debut album, Journey to the Urge Within, entered the Top 40 of the UK Albums Chart. One of his early bands was the Grand Union Orchestra and he was featured on their 1986 album The Song of Many Tongues, composed by Tony Haynes. Pine is the principal founder of the seminal black British big band the Jazz Warriors, which he established in 1985 through the community organisation The Abibi Jazz Arts (TAJA).
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.