John Altman

John was born in London on December 5, 1949 and he is proficient as a saxophonist, composer, music arranger, orchestrator, and conductor. He was introduced to the music of the 1930s Swing era and 1940s Bebop scene at an early age by an uncle who arranged music for big bands and conducted for Judy Garland, the Marx Brothers and Laurel and Hardy, among others.
In view of his subsequent achievements, it's amazing to think that John’s only formal, musical training were piano lessons as a child. While attending the University of Sussex, he became involved in session work and gigs with Fleetwood Mac and Nico. His later studies at Birkbeck College were interrupted when he left school to work for two years as the musical director with the group Hot Chocolate for a two year concert tour. John has also played saxophone with rock and blues groups such as Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins and Van Morrison and served as arranger-conductor for Rod Stewart, George Michael and Tina Turner, among others. He also did work for Monty Python as the arranger for their Rutles television special and their movie, The Life of Brian. (John also co-wrote the hit, Always Look On The Bright Side of Life!) John has also been a frequent conductor with the Royal Philharmonia Orchestra, both independently and for film scores. His screen career began as the musical arranger and director for the 1978 film Just a Gigolo. He continued in this capacity for such films as The Secret Policeman’s Other Ball and numerous television productions including Shadowlands and adaptations of all of the dozen Agatha Christie novels featuring Miss MarpleJohn was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and has been a part of the Kindred Spirit Music team since day one.