James Last (also known as "Hansi", born Hans Last; 17 April 1929 – 9 June 2015) was a German composer and big band leader. Initially a jazz bassist (Last won the award for "best bassist in Germany in each of the years 1950 - 1952), his trademark "happy music" made his numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and the United Kingdom, with 65 of his albums reaching the charts in the UK alone.