Windo came from a musical family in England. By the age of six, he had begun playing the drums and
accordion, later adding guitar at twelve and
saxophone at seventeen.He lived in the United States during the 1960s but returned to England in 1969. In the early 1970s, his career grew as he founded the Gary Windo Quartet and worked with
Carla Bley,
Brotherhood of Breath,
Centipede,
Matching Mole, The Running Man, and
Nick Mason.
Sonny Stitt heard Windo play at the
Berlin Jazz Festival and asked him to join the band, which he declined. He worked outside jazz, with
the Psychedelic Furs,
Robert Wyatt,
NRBQ, and for the comedy television show
Saturday Night Live. He taught music lessons with his friend Eric Peralli. Windo could play many reed instruments, including
soprano sax and
bass clarinet. His time in America exposed him to all types of jazz. He died from an asthma attack in 1992. He is survived by his wife Siobhan Hunter. ==Discography==