Tributes poured in from the jazz world yesterday for the trumpeter Kenny Baker, who has died at the age of 78. Baker, famed for his work with the band Baker's Dozen and for his performances on film and TV, was one of Britain's greatest jazz exports.
The leading British jazzman John Dankworth said: "Everybody regarded him on a different level to any other trumpeter in the British Isles. He was a world class performer."
Mr Baker died on Tuesday and had been ill in a hospital close to his home in West Sussex, for three weeks. During his career he performed with musical giants including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Tony Bennett. As a session musician, he performed on Bond soundtracks and with the Beatles.