| TROMBONES | Mort returns with a skeleton playing them (9) |
| SERENADES | Dares being seen playing them (9) |
| SATIRISTS | Critical wits like Canada's Mort Sahl |
| AEOLIANHARPS | Playing them is a breeze with Russell, Oscar and Spike knocking back a few beers (7,5) |
| ANAT | Class with a skeleton (abbr.) |
| FRAMEHOUSE | Dwelling with a skeleton of timbers |
| BONEVOYAGE | Ocean trip with a skeleton crew? |
| SHARK | Predatory fish with a skeleton of cartilage |
| FRAME | With a skeleton, fabricate evidence to incriminate (5) |
| SONATAS | A son sat playing them at the piano (7) |
| LETOUTASECRET | Give the game away to the European ticket-seller with a skeleton in the cupboard (3,3,1,6) |
| SECRET | Those starting for every side today, with a skeleton in the cupboard (6) |
| BASSOONS | Playing them, fish very shortly netted? |
| PIPES | Are smoking-jackets worn when playing them? (5) |
| SPINETS | Pianists' time is spent playing them |
| RESTS | Relaxes when the musicians aren't playing them (5) |
| INDOORGAMES | Those playing them won't get found out (6,5) |
| SAHL | Comedian Mort who often brought a newspaper with him onstage |
| ATEENAGERINLOVE | Song by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman that gave Dion and the Belmonts a Top Ten hit in 1959 |
| BYEBYEBLACKBIRD | "Pack up all my care and woe here I go singing low", they sang in this classic from Ray Henderson and Mort Dixon (3,3,9) |
