Harold McNair (flautist extraordinaire)

With my music player on shuffle as I am inclined to do when I can't decide what to listen to, I was suddenly stopped in my tracks by the strains of Donovan's 'Writer in the Sun'. It wasn't so much the song itself, though a fine song it is, but the accompanying flute that particularly attracted my interest. The musician in question was a certain Mr Harold McNair.

I first became acquainted with his work through hearing the track 'Dusty' by John Martyn featured on the Island sampler 'You Can All Join In' released in 1969. Or it might have been through Donovan when I bought the 'Donovan in Concert' album at about the same same.  It was only later that I realised that McNair had been involved in most of Donovan's other work also.

Of mixed race, McNair was born in Jamaica in 1931 and first arrived in Britain in 1960 after a spell touring Europe with Quincy Jones. In London his reputation grew and he was soon a regular on flute and sax at Ronnie Scott's Club in Soho. In the early 60's he contributed sax to the James Bond movie 'Dr. No'. Possibly because of his Jamaican background, McNair was signed to Chris Blackwell's Island Records label and in 1965 he released his first album under his own name 'Affectionate Fink' utilising Ornette Coleman's rhythm section.

McNair first played with Donovan during the recording of the latter's 'Sunny Goodge Street' and he was then hired for subsequent sessions during which the Donovan album 'Sunshine Superman' was recorded in Abbey Road Studios with The Beatles recording 'Revolver' in the studio next door.

McNair went on to record with many other artists during the 60's including John Martyn, Alexis Korner, CCS and Davy Graham.  His own album 'The Fence' featured Steve Winwood on piano and organ and the interplay between the two on the title track is superb. The album is now available on CD with bonus tracks and in my opinion is well worth getting - I'm listening to it as I write. One of the bonus tracks is the Lennon/McCartney song 'Here ,There and Everywhere', perhaps first heard by McNair when they shared neighbouring studios in Abbey Road. I used to possess his album 'Flute & Nut' on vinyl but sadly that went the way of all my other vinyl.

I only saw Harold McNair live once, probably around 1970 when he was one of a dozen or more musicians on stage at Newcastle City Hall as part of Ginger Baker's Airforce. Sadly I never got another chance to see him and the world was robbed of a fine musician when he succumbed to lung cancer on 7th March 1971. He was aged just 39.

At the time I write this I believe that the only record in his own name available on CD is the aforementioned 'The Fence'. Until that travesty is corrected, dig out his work with Donovan and others. I personally recommend 'Donovan in Concert' and 'The Tumbler' by John Martyn which features the great track 'Dusty'.