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Probably my first album

I was 13. Yes, you can do the maths. Once I'd discovered Stevie Wonder, studying classical music was just a means to an end. I knew I was never going to play clarinet in an orchestra for a living. It took a couple of years for my clarinet teacher to find a sax for me to borrow and that was that.

Songs in the Key of Life is 40 years old today and it just doesn't age. It was my first introduction to the wonder that is Motown Records.

Some tracks are simply outstanding. As features Herbie Hancock on Fender Rhodes. I don't think it gets much better than that.

Oh, and George Benson plays guitar on Another Star.

Sir Duke is still one of my all-time favourite tracks. That made me realise what a horn section was. Before that, I thought it was four french horn players sitting in a row. It really isn't. It's Hank Redd, Trevor Lawrence, Raymond Maldonado and Steve Madaio.

And the lyrics gave me some names to check out to find out what real jazz was about. Amazing that I eventually got to play in a studio Ellington had once used.

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