Writer and broadcaster Alyn Shipton, of BBC Radio 3's Jazz Record Requests, has paid tribute to this most hardworking of jazz musicians who was still performing regularly with his own band:

"With his ready grin, mop-haired appearance and upbeat singing and playing, Kenny Ball was one of the most extrovert and cheery figures in British entertainment. His chart-topping hits of the 1960s brought jazz to a huge audience, and he was a dazzlingly accomplished trumpeter, with one of the most developed techniques in jazz. Amid the bravura cadenzas were subtleties that passed many of his audience by, such as playing complex solos in unison with his clarinettist, and his high note range seemed so effortless that he made light of its difficulty. Britain has lost one its most charismatic bandleaders, and a figurehead of the ‘trad’ movement. "

Click here to read Alyn Shipton’s full account of his memories of Kenny Ball on the BBC Radio 3 blog.