John McLevy was a boy wonder trumpeter who graduated from playing in Dundee dancehalls to working alongside jazz legends, including Ella Fitzgerald and Benny Goodman.

John, whose late cousin, Harry, was a well-known trade unionist, had an early introduction to the professional musician's life as a roadie, although not in the conventional sense. His father played drums in Dundee dance bands and as a schoolboy it was John's job to ensure that dad's kit arrived at the gig, via tramcar, and that both dad and drums arrived safely home afterwards on the last tram.

His father wanted John to play drums, too, but one night during a band break, he was given ''a shot'' on his dad's friend's trumpet. The friend immediately undertook to give John lessons. So well did John progress that by the time he'd left primary school he was able to sit in with the bands his father worked in and by 14, when he left school, he turned pro.

Bandleader George Elrick offered him a job and had to seek John's mum's permission to take him out on the road. Permission granted, John embarked on career that was eventful and like his playing itself, peppered with humour.

After serving in India with the Black Watch, John settled into the London hotel and broadcasting scene, working with Cyril Stapleton's Radio Orchestra at the BBC, playing in a notably boppish style with Franciso Cavez's band, and appearing regularly with Jack Parnell's orchestra.

By the 1960s, his jazz playing, influenced by Clark Terry but with his own personality showing through in a hard-swinging and often whimsical style, had made him a prominent figure on the jazz scene.

Bobby Hackett, the great American trumpeter, heard John and recommended him to Benny Goodman, who was forming a British band for a European tour . Glowing personal endorsements notwithstanding, John had to audition and recalled going along to a room packed with London's best trumpeters, all superb technicians, eminently capable of playing Goodman's parts.

Goodman had them line up and play a chorus of Bye Bye Blackbird and afterwards, having stayed close to the melody but managing to inject personality and fun into his chorus, John was given the soloist's role. He and Goodman became friends. In fact, as Goodman's favourite trumpeter, he later played in the clarinettist's star-studded small group with Hank Jones, Slam Stewart, Bucky Pizzarelli, and George Masso.

Once, having met and had a play with him en route the night before, he almost brought Goodman to the Black Bull jazz club in Milngavie, a regular stopover, for an informal blow. Goodman's hectic schedule, alas, kyboshed this.

As a regular guest of the now defunct Scottish Radio Orchestra, John appeared as featured soloist with Ella Fitzgerald at Edinburgh Playhouse. Ella raved about his playing in her introductions, and among the diaries full of recording, television, and radio sessions, he appeared on no fewer than 21 albums with Max Bygraves.

His most enduring musical partnership, however, formed when he met accordionist Jack Emblow in the 1970s. The pair had a natural rapport.

Driving to gigs, John, who was very proud of the Goodman connection, would regale Jack with his experiences with the Goodman bands. Once, Jack stopped him in mid introduction, saying: ''Come on, I've heard all your Benny Goodman stories.'' To which, McLevy responded: ''Not this one, you haven't, because I haven't made it up yet.''

Despite a busy workload up to the early 1990s, John did a lot of charity work and he continued a long-running Sunday residency at Merlin's Cave in Aylesbury until his health began to decline and the effects of Alzheimer's disease confined him to a nursing home.

John McLevy, musician; born January 2, 1927, died November 27, 2002.