SWING fans in the Bolton area and beyond are mourning the death of Bert Knowles.
Bert, aged 81, died suddenly at his home on Chorley Old Road, Bolton, on Saturday.
He and his wife Mavis had returned from holiday in Norfolk the previous evening.
They had cut short their holiday by a day so Bert could attend the Jazz Jamboree at Derby Ward Labour Club which featured Tommy Whittle and Ronnie Hughes, two of the giants of British jazz and former members of the great Ted Heath Orchestra, whom Bert knew well.
He was an immensely enthusiastic supporter of live music, particularly jazz.
Fred Shawcoss, jazz columnist for the Bolton Evening News, described Bert's knowledge of the genre as "encyclopedic".
Over the years he had become close friends with drummer/bandleader Jack Parnell.
The funeral will take place at Overdale Crematorium, West Chapel, at 3pm on Friday,October 1, followed by a wake at The Cotton Tree in Prince Street, Bolton.
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