Born: January 11, 1927 | Died: February 13, 1995 Primary Instrument: Sax, tenor
Tenor saxophonist Wilton 'Bogey' Gaynar was another of the stellar graduates of the famous Alpha Boys School in Jamaica who left behind a brief but enduring legacy as a prominent jazz musician of his time.
After leaving Alpha, he began his professional career playing in the clubs of Kingston, backing touring acts as George Shearing and Carmen McRae before joining up with Ossie Williams in a forerunner to Count Ossie & the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari.
In 1955 Gaynair relocated to Germany seeking out the burgeoning jazz scene which was happening in Europe. Though recognized for his hard bop expertise, he recorded only three times as a bandleader. Two of those recordings came during visits to England, 1959’s “Blue Bogey” on Tempo Records and 1960’s “Africa Calling,” also recorded for Tempo but unreleased until 2005 due to label and rights issues.
After settling in Germany he found constant work with the likes of the Kurt Edelhagen Radio Orchestra, and recording a lot of session work. In the 1980's he resurfaced to play with Kenny Wheeler and Alan Skidmore in Third Eye. In 1982 he recorded “Alpharian.”
Gaynair suffered a stroke in September of '83 which left him unable to play. He remained in Germany, passing in 1995.
The original pressings of “Blue Bogey,” have become a rare collectors prize, and with the re-release of “Africa Calling,” Wilton 'Bogey' Gaynair finally received some of the recognition with evaded him in his lifetime.
