Special Summer Series 2009

Nicki Allan Jazz Sextet
Adrian Knowles Mingus Music Quintet
Leeds Youth Jazz Rock Orchestra (LYJRO)

John Law Art of Sound Trio
(With support)

(Friday 3rd April 2009)

Tom McCredie Quartet

Reuben Fowler - tpt / flgl
Matt Robinson - piano
Tom McCredie - bass
A N other - drums

John Law Art of Sound Trio
John has travelled a strange path from The Royal Academy through classical piano via Austria (where he came to the admiring attention of Alfred Brendel) to ten years in the world of free jazz. He now places a greater reliance on more structured jazz playing while maintaining contact with the world of classical piano. For example in 2003 he performed a series of special arrangements for two pianos with Jason Rebello.

He is currently Artist in Residence at Essex University.

The trio has been together since 2005 and has received brilliant acclaim. Sam Burgess has visited previously with Tom Cawley’s Curios; Asaf with Gilad Atzmon and Tim Garland’s trio.

This is modern composed piano music executed with panache and delicacy in turn by a set of musicians for whom the whole must be more than the sum of the parts.

"Intricate, intimate and lovely... a masterclass in lyricism" - Tom Barlow, Jazzwise

John Law - piano
Sam Burgess - bass
Asaf Sirkis - drums / percussion

Latest CD: The Art of Sound (33 records)

Web: www.MySpace.com/JohnLawmusic

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Dublin-born Christine has finally, with her seventh CD release, found a style which resonates with the wider jazz community. Respected as a performer and a song-writer for nearly 20 years, she performs music on “Secret Life” which melds all her influences into a serious and entertaining medley of songs. Christine has been nominated twice in the BBC Jazz Awards and last year achieved the Best Singer accolade.

Her band is fronted by her partner Phil Robson recently seen at Wakefield with his Six Strings and the Beat. This is a musical relationship in which intuition born of closeness plays a significant part.

"She has clearly assimilated into her own style the music from apparently disparate fields. The strength, control and purity of her voice, and the telling contribution of her band ensure a satisfying artistic whole." - (Chris Parker, BBC Music Magazine)

Christine Tobin - vocals
Phil Robson - guitar
Dave Whitford - bass
James Maddren - drums

Latest CD: Secret Life of a Girl (Babel BDV 2875)

Web: www.babellabel.co.uk/Babel Artists - Tobin.htm and www.myspace.com/ctobes

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How many female jazz guitarists do you know? Well they’re both at Wakefield for this gig and paying tribute to the great American who died tragically young - Emily Remler. Kathy Dyson, who has known Deirdre for 20 years or more, joins her to show how the achievements of Emily’s mere 10-year career through the 80s made an indelible impression on the world of guitarists and jazz.

Deirdre’s major project, the quartet, broke new ground by introducing quirky singer Sarah P to the mix with their 2005 CD “Dr. Quantum Leaps”. This relationship has now matured and the new CD, released last year, emphasises Deirdre’s eclectic range of styles as well as integrating Sarah’s vocalising of prose poetry lines into the music.

“If there is a more complete guitarist in contemporary music than Deirdre Cartwright I’d like to know who it is” - Dave Gelly, The Observer April 2008

Deirdre Cartwright - guitars
Kathy Dyson - guitar
Alison Rayner - bass
Buster Birch - drums
Sarah P - vocals

Latest CD: Tune Up, Turn On, Stretch Out (Blow the Fuse)

Web: www.deirdrecartwright.com and www.myspace.com/deirdrecartwright

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When Jay Phelps and Kit Downes left Empirical to pursue their own projects a radical shake-up was inevitable. The immensely successful, award-winning band needed to fulfil a string of gigs already booked and convince that their heart was still sound. To reform in two new groupings and vary the style of music each performs suggests a marketing savvy beyond their years. To ditch the piano and bring in Lewis Wright (seen with Clark Tracey) on vibes is another major step.

They then decided to write music as a tribute to Eric Dolphy’s seminal recording “Out to Lunch”, and this is the project we shall be able to evaluate tonight. Nathaniel Facey’s creative energy will be complemented by Lewis Wright’s fluent skill and the result will be intriguing, contemporary music.

For their recording of this project Julian Siegel has agreed to guest – an immense compliment to the boys.

This band returns to Wakefield after their sell-out performance in January last year – we can expect another very busy night.

Nathaniel Facey - tenor sax
Lewis Wright - vibes
Tom Farmer - bass
Shaney Forbes - drums

Latest CD: Out but In (to be released 2009)

Web: www.empiricalmusic.com

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Carlos Lopez-Real - Mandorla
(With 45 minutes support from 7.30pm)

(Friday 15th May 2009)

The Friday Lunchtime Project

Olivia Dobson - Alto
Ben Homer - Tenor
Jack Tabner - Trombone
Andrew Woodhead - Piano
Tom McCredie - Bass
Guy Barkley - Drums

Carlos Lopez-Real - Mandorla
Mandorla is an ancient symbol representing interacting and complementary processes (mathematicians would recognise the area of intersection of two sets – an almond shape).

Carlos’ musical education was at Oxford, the Guildhall and in New York with Dave Liebman. Justin is a New Yorker now largely based in the UK and Simon is Head of Jazz at the Purcell School.

John Mayer's Indo-Jazz Fusions and Roberto Pla’s Latin band are among Carlos’ playing experiences and he admits to influences from a wide musical spectrum including European and Indian Classical, fusion and free jazz. His own music references those influences but is clearly aimed at an established jazz audience with melodic improvisation at its core.

This is an interesting new band getting a lot of attention at present – it will be well worth investigating if you’re unsure of musicians who haven’t visited Wakefield before.

Carlos Lopez-Real - saxes
Justin Quinn - guitar
Simon Colam - piano/keyboards
Oli Hayhurst - bass
Jon Scott - drums/percussion

Latest CD: Mandorla (F-IRE) Release April / Launch 21 May

Web: www.carloslopez-real.co.uk and www.myspace.com/carloslr

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This band was constructed at the request of John Sims from Darlington to showcase one of his favourite musicians. We were delighted to do so, especially as he has such exquisite taste. That everyone was available and happy to come to Wakefield is both lucky for us and a tribute to John.

It is especially apt that after a run of pianoless bands we are going to exercise our instrument under the fingers of a master. Then there are all the other bandleaders to contend with! This has to be a unique band and an opportunity for all to rub their quirks up against each other. It will be a long time before they are together again, unless they click and get an extended life as the Bootleg Eric band did.

We can be guaranteed that, whatever they choose to play, their musicianship will ensure a tremendous concert packed with flying solos.

Thanks to John we are able to present this exceptional band at our usual ticket price.

Dave O’Higgins - tenor sax
Derek Nash - alto sax
Steve Waterman - trumpet
Dave Newton - piano
Mark Hodgson - bass
Steve Brown - drums

Latest CD: No recordings exist of this unique band

(No web site given)

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Loz first brought his music to Wakefield four years ago. Since then he has boosted the band by adding the authentic congas of Colombian Alejandro Martinez and Jez Franks on guitar, until recently Leeds-based. He has also spent more time in Cuba where his musical inspiration comes from.

TIME ZONE plays high-energy jazz with a strong undercurrent of Afro-Cuban rhythms, and rhythmical changes which open up the music in unexpected directions. This is fresh, individual and contemporary music brought together by a composer, whose work reflects the experience of living for periods of time in Santiago de Cuba, his wife’s home city. Taking elements from Cuban music and reassembling them differently in a jazz context, the music expresses some of the surreal complexity of real life in, and of an outsider’s close relationship with, Cuba. It also draws fully on the capabilities of six great musicians who rise collectively to the challenge with enthusiasm, ‘panache’ and good humour!

“Trumpeter Loz Speyer specialises in a mix of mutated American hard-bop and classic Afro-Cuban music... that turns out to be a vigorous display of independent character... Speyer has done things his own way and the result is a contemporary Latin-Jazz of considerable muscle.”
John Fordham, the Guardian

Loz Speyer - trumpet/flugel
Martin Hathaway - alto sax / bass clarinet
Jez Franks - guitar
Davide Mantovani - bass
Simon Pearson - drums
Alejandro Martinez - congas

Latest CD: Five Animal Dances (Inner Space Music)

Web: www.myspace.com/lozspeyer

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Steve Melling Septet

(Friday 5th June 2009)

Another high quality band to close our main season - if there’s no Appleby Festival to go to then we’ll have to bring it to us.

Steve has been writing fine music for bigger groups for some time but it is usually only festivals which can afford to put on bands worthy of the music. Here we have the definitive collection of artists who will interpret his scores to perfection. They’ll also be sure to provide solo excitement at the same level as their leader does.

This will be a night to remember and savour until our new season begins in September - don’t miss it.

Simon Allen - alto sax
Dave O’Higgins - tenor sax
Mark Armstrong - trumpet
Barnaby Dickinson - trombone
Steve Melling - piano
Geoff Gascoyne - bass
Clark Tracey - drums

Latest CD: Solar (recorded at Appleby)

Web: no site

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This is an addition to our normal programme in which we feature local musicians, especially young ones, to fulfil our desire to nurture the up-and-coming talent of the region

Nicki Allan Jazz Sextet

(Friday 19th June 2009)

Nicki is a Leeds-based singer who has attracted a lot of attention since her appearance at the Garforth Festival last year.

Her band is a collection of the cream of local musicians with several band leaders among them.

Joel Purnell - tenor sax, Mark Chandler - trumpet, Graham Hearn - piano, Richard Hammond - bass, Ronnie Bottomley - drums

Web: www.nickiallan.com and www.myspace.com/nickiallan Top



Adrian Knowles Mingus Music Quintet
(Friday 26th June 2009)

Adrian is a recent band-leader on the Leeds scene but has made his mark with this popular band. Tony and Kevin have been established players for some time – Kevin is known for his smoothly inventive playing and Tony for his eccentric personality and bluesy style. Andy Chollerton and Paul Smith have played with so many bands that you’ve almost certainly come across them previously. Paul was the drummer at our Sunday Brunch.

It is only the best bass players who take on Mingus’ music, especially to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of the seminal album “Mingus Ah Um”. Their first set tonight will feature only tunes from that album – they’re the best loved of Mingus’ repertoire in any case. Adrian’s strong and creative playing was heard previously behind Sarah Mitchell in January.

Tony Burkill - tenor
Kev Holbrough - trombone
Andy Chollerton - piano
Adrian Knowles - bass
Paul Smith - drums

Web: www.myspace.com/adrianknowlesbass Top