Equipped with the sort of sound on the alto saxophone most players would die for, Peter King plays his horn like nothing else matters, achieving the enormous respect he receives for this but also the depth of his knowledge, compositional flair and acumen. For over half a century he has been a key presence on the highest wire of the British jazz scene gaining the admiration of his peers and audiences alike. In a frank interview King talks to Jack Massarik about his life and music as he marks a milestone date in his life. Portrait: Gill Vaux

Kindly charge your glasses, be upstanding and toast the health of Peter King, one of Britain’s most internationally respected musicians, perhaps none more so. A saxophone virtuoso who doesn’t blow his own trumpet, a composer of increasing renown and a unique all-round maestro, he celebrates his 70th birthday on the eleventh of this month. It’s a good moment to reflect on the illustrious career of a self-taught phenomenon who since his teens has been playing alto sax at the highest level. Judgments are subjective, but most good judges place him firmly in the world’s top half-dozen.

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