From Musician, the magazine of the UK Musicians' Union:

Dundee born John McLevy, who died, aged 75, in a nursing home at the end of November last after suffering Alzheimer's disease, was a brilliant trumpet player whose seemingly effortless and understated flow of melodic ideas brought him a leading role in the British band that Benny Goodman formed in the late 60s. It was the great Bobby Hackett who brought him to Goodman's attention, and after that period in his life a partnership with accordionist Jack Emblow in the 70s brought him to the attention of the wider jazz audience, with nationwide tours fitting in with his busy studio schedule.

We conclude this brief tribute with an extract from a letter we received from a much younger trumpet player, Marc Jordan:

'During the mid 70s I met him in "The Kent", North Ealing. A group of us from the Ealing Youth Orchestra used to go after rehearsal and more often than not I would see John there, along with Tommy McQuater. After that it wasn't until the early 80s that I saw him again, this time in a rehearsal band I played in. This was the first time I had heard John play live. It was great to be playing in a section with him (also Leon Calvert and Tommy) and hear his beautifully crafted solos. John was an inspiration to me as a young boy and a young man. It was great to have known him.'

Further details:
For more on John's career please visit the Jazz Professional News Archive and search or scroll down.