Ivor Mairants

Ivor Mairants (18 July 1908 – 20 February 1998) was a Polish jazz and classical guitarist, teacher and composer.

[4] Beginning in the 1930s, he was a banjoist and guitarist for British dance bands led by Bert Firman, Ambrose, Roy Fox, Lew Stone, Geraldo, and Ted Heath.

In the 1960s and 1970s his guitar playing was often heard on television, radio, film soundtracks, and many recordings with the Mantovani orchestra and with Manuel and his Music of the Mountains.

His 1976 recording of the "Adagio" from Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez with Manuel sold over one million copies.

In an interview Paul McCartney relates how he was surprised to see a 'chit' in Abbey Road Studios that Mairants had signed as a session musician - "...he was a God to us.

The Beatles were so influential and all these bands came out and the electric music was getting bigger and the plans for Josh White model just kind of fell by the wayside, unfortunately.

The Ivor Mairants shop, in Rathbone Place, finally closed its doors in December 2019 after 61 years, though the business is still running online.

Among the teaching staff at the school were Johnny Dankworth, Jack Brymer, Kenny Baker, Bert Weedon and Ike Isaacs, as well as Eric Gilder.