Gilad Atzmon’s Orient House Ensemble plays Coltrane Ballads
Alan Barnes Octet + 1 – “A Fish Tale”
New Focus Quartet
Christine Tobin Trio
Jamie Brownfield Quartet
Dave O’Higgins Quartet
Arun Ghosh Band
Phil Meadows Project
Jasper Høiby’s Fellow Creatures
Kate Williams Quartet
Nikki Iles, Tina May and friends
Gary Potter and the Matt Holborn Trio
Ronnie Bottomley’s All-Star Jazz Orchestra
Zoe Gilby Quartet
Andrew McCormack’s Graviton
Chris Ingham Quartet ~ The Jazz of Dudley Moore
Gilad Atzmon’s Orient House Ensemble plays Coltrane Ballads
Friday 6 October 2017
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Musical hero of Blockheads and Talinka returns with his most loved band
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Gilad’s full-on style of alto sax playing is best showcased with this long-standing band – so how will it be when he concentrates on moving us with romantic tunes? You can be sure that he will not fail to entertain and stimulate, as that’s his reason for performing. The rapport he has with Yaron and Frank is born of working together over more than ten years, and allows Gilad to divert the character of his improvisations at the drop of a hat without fear that things will break down. His intense emotional depth is as well shown in anger as in tenderness so the melodies of his presentations are less important than the performance itself.
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“A formidable improvisational array…a local jazz giant steadily drawing himself up to his full height…” – John Fordham, The Guardian
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Gilad Atzmon – saxes and clarinets
Frank Harrison – piano / keyboard
Yaron Stavi – bass
Enzo Zirilli – drums
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Latest CD: The Whistle Blower
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Web: gilad.co.uk
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Alan Barnes Octet + 1 – “A Fish Tale”
Friday 13 October 2017
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Support: Alex Fisher Quartet from 7:30 pm
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A commissioned suite with poetry honouring the Grimsby fishermen of old
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For her last Grimsby Jazz Festival Gill Wilde wanted to present something special with local relevance. Calling upon her friends Josie Moon (poet) and Pat McCarthy (guitarist) and with the co-operation of Alan Barnes in composing and arranging they formulated this suite. It celebrates the heritage of fishing ports and their communities with evocative poems as the starting point for each piece. This works well as a concept and, of course, as effective jazz given the all-star line-up of the band. It is a fitting tribute to the contribution made by those in the fishing industry who were instrumental in feeding the nation and protecting it in times of war. The commission explores the myths, the misadventures and the realities of the trawling life; sometimes amusing, sometimes sad, always heartfelt.
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Alan Barnes – baritone sax
Dean Masser – tenor sax
Gilad Atzmon – alto sax
Neil Yates – trumpet,
Mark Nightingale – trombone
Dave Green – bass
Pat McCarthy – guitar
John Perry – percussion
Josie Moon – poetic narration
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Latest CD: Fish Tales (Woodville Records)
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Web: northernjazznews.org/2017/03/alan-barnes-fish-tale-tour.html
Alan Barnes – Dean Masser – Gilad Atzmon – Neil Yates – Mark Nightingale – John Perry
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New Focus Quartet
Friday 20 October 2017
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Scots Euan Stevenson and Konrad Wisniewski lead an award-winning band
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Konrad has been a regular visitor with Brass Jaw and Euan has been a respected member of the Glasgow jazz scene for many years. On Song is their second album together and the music is often performed with a string quartet to provide an even more lush setting. It showcases a cinematic soundscape of through-composed melodies meeting cutting edge improvisation, drawing upon influences from across the musical spectrum. Classical, Scottish folk and Jazz influences abound
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“Here’s proof from Scotland that the quest for the thinking person’s fusion still offers no end of possibilities… Wiszniewski and Stevenson have sculpted a clutch of concise, hauntingly original pieces” – The Sunday Times
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Konrad Wisniewski – tenor saxophone
Euan Stevenson – piano
Mario Caribe – bass
Doug Hough – drums
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Latest CD: On Song
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Web: New-focus.org
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Christine Tobin Trio
Friday 27 October 2017
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Husband and wife partnership return from New York for a tour of new material
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Multi-award winning Christine has garnered praise for her compositions as much as her voice. She and her partner/co-composer Phil Robson moved to New York a couple of years ago and are now less often heard in the UK. We are particularly fortunate to have snared them for a gig in Wakefield on this visit.
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You’ll hear music that veers from grungy, post-industrial grooves to wispy romanticism to abstracted contemporary classical, all played with punkish attitude by an excellent partnership.
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“She has long had a way of appropriating other people’s words and giving them her unique storytelling spin with a voice that can be dreamy, mischievous, sultry and forthright.” – Rob Adams , The Scottish Herald
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Christine Tobin – voice
Phil Robson – guitar
Dave Whitford – bass
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Latest CD: Pelt (the poems of Paul Muldoon)
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Web: Christine-Tobin.com
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Jamie Brownfield Quartet
Friday 3 November
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Versatile, hard-working trumpeter with popular band
Jamie is a Northern Line Ambassador Artist sponsored by Jazz North
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Jamie won Rising Star category in the British Jazz Awards 2012 and has earned fulsome praise from Digby Fairweather (see below). His selection as a Northern Line artist guarantees him a high profile across the North of England, and it will be no time at all before that is repeated over the UK as a whole. This fresh and exciting quartet have a vast range of experience in different styles of music and have come together to play their own mix of New Orleans street beat, swing & reggae. They have a monthly residency at Matt and Phreds in Manchester and when Jamie Cullum played one of their album tracks on his R2 programme he commented “Beautiful… what a lovely track”.
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Come and see them while they’re firmly on the ascendant.
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“His four ‘T’s – tone, technique, time and taste! – are all perfectly in place and his stage demeanour marked him out for me as a musician who deserves to make a major impact on our British jazz scene.” – Digby Fairweather (Jazz Rag)
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Jamie Brownfield – trumpet
Tom Kincaid – piano / keyboard / organ
Ken Marley – bass
Jack Cotterill – drums
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Latest CD: Go Down to New Orleans
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Dave O’Higgins Quartet
Friday 10 November 2017
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Support: Andrew Barry Band from 7:30 pm
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It would be hard to find a more experienced or intuitive quartet on the UK jazz scene
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Dave is a popular and well known figure on the international jazz scene, having recorded 16 albums as leader with various line-ups. He is a regular member of Darius Brubeck’s Quartet and co-runs the Two Minds Big Band with Pete Wraight. He is a respected educator and composer/arranger
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Last in Wakefield with Geoff Gascoyne in May 2014, he has also visited for a memorable gig with American Eric Alexander in 2010 and many times previously. His professionalism is faultless and his playing always hits the spot for a Wakefield audience. A prospect to savour.
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“A stunning player in the neo-bop vein, with an apparently effortless flow of coherent ideas, beautiful time and a highly developed harmonic sense.”… Jazz Guide
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Dave O’Higgins – tenor saxophone
Rob Barron – piano
Geoff Gascoyne – bass
Sebastiaan de Krom – drums
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Latest CD: Standards (JVG Productions)
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Web: daveohiggins.com
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Arun Ghosh Band
Friday 17 November 2017
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Mancunian celebrates his Asian heritage with a danceable programme
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Arun was voted “Instrumentalist of the Year” in the 2014 Parliamentary Jazz Awards. His engaging personality, superb playing and attractive compositions have all contributed to his success. Conceived in Calcutta, bred in Bolton, matured in Manchester and now living in London, he uses the spirit and language of jazz, with the sounds and styles of Indian classical and folk, hip-hop and rock. Arun’s music is full of lyrical melodies and searching harmonies, down to earth directness and psychedelic ambient introspection.
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Inspired by the music of Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka the music captures the charisma of Ghosh perfectly, with a melodicism and sense of attack that is quite different to anything you’ll hear on the contemporary jazz scene. (Marlbank Jazz Blog)
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Arun Ghosh – clarinet
Chris Williams – alto sax
Shirley Tetteh – guitar
Liran Donin – bass
Dave Walsh – drums
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Latest CD: A South Asian Suite (Camoci)
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Phil Meadows Project
Friday 24 November 2017
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Multi-award winning sax player with his small group
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The Phil Meadows Project continues the journey for Meadows’ multi-award winning music. Recognised as one of the UK’s most distinctive, creative and talented young musicians his music is inspired by global sounds – combining jazz elements with classical, hip-hop, electronica, contemporary music and more.
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Meadows’ unparalleled sound world has led to successes including two critically acclaimed albums; two Parliamentary Jazz Awards, a London Music Award and the prestigious Peter Whittingham Jazz Award. Meadows was also a finalist in both the 2017 B-Jazz International Contest and the 2010 European Keep an Eye Award. His music has been featured heavily across BBC Radio 2, Radio 3 and playlisted on Jazz FM and at just 27 years of age he has already shared international stages with Matthew Herbert, Phronesis, Ingrid Jensen and Femi Temowo.
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His new project showcases an important wave of British talent ahead of recording a third album of original material. Exploring new musical relationships and fresh influences you’ll hear soaring melodies, atmospheric soundscapes and head-nodding grooves as Meadows’ new sounds reference the music of Go-Go Penguin, Donny McCaslin, Tigran, Bill Laurance, Portico Quartet and more.
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‘A great stage presence and an unforgettable instrumental style.’ – Jazzwise
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Phil Meadows – alto saxophone
Michael de Souza – guitar
Joe Downard – bass
Jay Davies – drums
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Latest CD: Lifecycles
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Jasper Høiby’s Fellow Creatures
Friday 1 December 2017
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Bass virtuoso of Phronesis with his lauded new band
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Featuring both young and seasoned lights of the London jazz scene, this band is the first new venture for Jasper’s own music since his formation of Phronesis in 2005. The music combines a deep sense of groove and an optimistic, driving energy with contrapuntal rhythms and strong lyricism, leading JAZZWISE to describe the band as, “masters of evolving energy”.
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This landmark album from Jasper Høiby builds on the meteoric rise and continuing critical success of his glowing international career as one of the most creative, innovative and powerful performers, composers and bandleaders of his generation in Europe. He describes part of his motivation in writing this music this way: “The titles and to some extent the writing are inspired by a brilliant book by Canadian author Naomi Klein called, ‘This Changes Everything’. The book talks about what we have to do to make sure that we don’t devour this beautiful planet, along with all its natural resources. It discusses how we can seize this environmental crisis and transform our failed economic system to build something radically better for everyone.”
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“… rhythm-twisting struts are played with the breeziness of a carefree street band.” – John Fordham, Guardian – UK
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Jasper Høiby – double bass
George Crowley – saxes
Laura Jurd – trumpet & flugel
Will Barry – piano
Jon Scott – drums
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Latest CD: Fellow Creatures (Edition EDN1075 )
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Web: jasperhoiby.com
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Kate Williams Quartet
Friday 8 December 2017
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Pre-eminent pianist returns with flute player extraordinaire after too long a gap
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Pre-eminent pianist returns with flute player extraordinaire after too long a gap.Jazz pianist/composer Kate Williams was born in London into a musical family (her father is the guitarist John Williams, her mother a classical pianist). A recipient of the John Dankworth Award For Talent Deserving Wider Recognition, she has gained a distinctive reputation as both writer and performer. Recently she has concentrated on writing for septets, either a trio with strings or a superb full jazz line-up. That has meant her playing has been mainly at Festivals, where the reception has always been tremendous. Luckily she still runs occasional gigs with her quartet featuring the outstanding flautist Gareth Lockrane, who has also been busy running a Big Band. He last visited Wakefield with Grooveyard in 2011. We welcome both back enthusiastically.
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“Flashes of virtuosity from Williams on piano, Gareth Lockrane on flute, Tristan Maillot on drums and Oli Hayhurst on bass set the scene, and from this point creativity bursts forth in all directions.” – Jonathan Carvell (London Jazz News).”Kate Williams has a quality rare among jazz composers: a musical vocabulary that’s all her own. Restless, quirky and strewn with odd phrases that should sound out of place but don’t.” – Dave Gelly (Observer)
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Kate Williams – piano
Gareth Lockrane – flute
Oli Hayhurst – bass
Tristan Maillot – drums.
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Latest CD: Four plus Three (trio with string quartet)
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Web: kate-williams-quartet.com
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Nikki Iles, Tina May and friends
Friday 15 December 2017 – All Ticket Gig
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Our Christmas Party
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A three set gig starting at 8:00 pm, with a buffet meal in the first interval and a monster raffle in the second
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For our final gig of 2017 (30th Anniversary Year) what better than to ask our Patron (Nikki Iles) to rejoin her one time musical partner Tina May and invite them to put a band together which would be great fun for a party? The ‘friends’ they’ve selected make this an all-star band which is certain to make everyone happy.
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If you like your music sassy, sharp and swinging, then this is for you.
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Tina May – vocals
Nikki Iles – piano
Karen Sharp – tenor & baritone sax
Nigel Price – guitar
Arnie Somogyi – bass
Steve Brown – drums
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Latest CD: Stardust (NI w. Stan Sulzman) and “Cafe Paranoia” (TM)
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Web: nikkiiles.co.uk and tinamay.com
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Nikki Iles, Arnie Somogyi, Tina May, Chris de Saram, Karen Sharp, Steve Brown, Nigel Price
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Gary Potter and the Matt Holborn Trio
Friday 12 January 2018
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Gypsy violinist adds Scouse guitarist with a great reputation to his band
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When Matt first brought his band to the club in 2015 he was readily hailed as a fluent proponent of Gypsy Jazz. Always a popular jazz form, his sound is now augmented by the very experienced Gary Potter. Gary began playing in Liverpool in the’70s and his outspoken admirers have included many fellow guitarists, including Martin Taylor, Chet Atkins and George Harrison. By the 90s, Potter was best known for his jazz work and in 1994 came second in the guitar section of the British Jazz Awards. He also appeared in the television documentary, The Django Legacy (1999).
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“Gary Potter is a melodic, lyrical and imaginative guitarist with a perfect rhythmic sense, a truly incredible technique and renowned versatility” – (Huddersfield Guitar Society)
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Gary Potter – guitar
Matt Holborn – violin
Ben Danzig – rhythm guitar
SImon Read – bass
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Latest CD: None
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Web: garypottermusic.com
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Ronnie Bottomley’s All-Star Jazz Orchestra
Friday 19 January 2018
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Also: Brief support event from HQ Arts’ Dr. Theatre group at 8:00pm
(Read more about HQ Arts here)
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Veteran band-leader with original arrangements and a power band
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Last at the club in 2015, this band regularly brings huge audiences to their performances. Terrific playing as tight as you’d wish and a host of soloists to satisfy jazz lovers beyond their taste for volume. Membership is a fluid matter but Ronnie has known so many top musicians over so many years that he has an immense pool to call upon. His experience over 5 decades as a performer and educator has gained him the respect of his and later generations and he is indefatigable in his composing and arranging which continue unabated.
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Trombones: Lee Hallam, Brian Archer, Kevin Holborough, Chris Hibbard (bass trombone)
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Trumpets: Neil Morley, Dale Gibson, Cliff Ray, Kim Macari.
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Saxes: Rod Mason, Bill Charleson (Altos), Joel Purnell, Riley Stone-Lonergan (Tenors), Stuart Mc Donald (Baritone).
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Piano: Graham Hearn
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Guitar: Derrick Harris
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Bass: Adrian Knowles
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Drums: Andrew Bold
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“So the full-power, musical muscle pieces had their complement in quieter numbers—and for anyone unaccustomed to hearing a live big band at this level, the delicacy and precision of both the arrangements and the playing will have been a revelation.” – Jim Whitman (Wakefield Jazz Blog)
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Latest CD: none
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Web: none
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Zoe Gilby Quartet
Friday 26 January 2018
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Popular singer whose lively personality creates sheer enjoyment
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Zoe is a vocalist and songwriter who has made a stunning impression on the music scene today. Her compelling original compositions are written with double bassist husband Andy Champion. Her stockpile of music stretches across a wide range of more contemporary material from composers such as Pink Floyd to Kate Bush, with influences from Sheila Jordan and Joni Mitchell. She is invited to sing at international Jazz Festivals and has been commissioned to write for Paul Edis’ Jambone. She is always popular at Wakefield and we are delighted to invite her back to perform for us.
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Zoe is a vocalist and songwriter who has made a stunning impression on the music scene today. Her compelling original compositions are written with double bassist husband Andy Champion. Her stockpile of music stretches across a wide range of more contemporary material from composers such as Pink Floyd to Kate Bush, with influences from Sheila Jordan and Joni Mitchell. She is invited to sing at international Jazz Festivals and has been commissioned to write for Paul Edis’ Jambone. She is always popular at Wakefield and we are delighted to invite her back to perform for us.
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“A wide vocal range, warm timbre and clear diction which she uses skilfully to unveil her moods. It’s clear that she’s already found her own voice.” – All About Jazz, USA
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Zoe Gilby – voice
Mark Williams – guitar
Andy Champion – bass
Richard Brown – drums
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Latest CD: Twelve Stories (33 Jazz)
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Web: zoegilby.co.uk
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Andrew McCormack’s Graviton
Friday 2 February 2017
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Fast-rising piano star with a new band and interesting concept
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This project brings an eclectic range of musicians to the contemporary jazz scene playing joyful music with a constantly varying feel. Their music may be best described as a mix of Steve Reich and Tigran Hamasyan, without boundaries. Vocalist Noemi’s voice is used primarily as another instrument and improvising source. Leo Richardson is a versatile new generation musician whose energy and imagination are well exploited in this context. Rob Mullarky is Jacob Collier’s bassist and Anton Eger is best known for working with Phronesis and Marius Nesset. It would be hard to imagine a more “now” band.
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Sample this band’s sound and audience reaction:
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Andrew McCormack – piano and keyboard
Noemi Nuti – voice
Leo Richardson – saxes
Robin Mullarky – bass
Josh Blackmore – drums
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“The highest level of musicianship you could possibly get together in one band.” – Jamie Cullum, BBC Radio 2
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Latest CD: Graviton (Jazz Village)
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Web: mccormackmusic.com/graviton
Chris Ingham Quartet ~ The Jazz of Dudley Moore
Friday 9 February 2018
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A tribute to the other talent of the irrepressible musician and humourist
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Also, Manchester singer, Lucy Lockwood, will bring her trio to perform a support set for this week’s gig.
Lucy Lockwood – voice
Dean Stockdale – piano
Gavin Barras – bass
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What is sometimes not appreciated even by those who are aware of Dudley Moore’s expertise as a jazz pianist is that he was also an accomplished composer. All the music on the “Dudley” CD was written by Dudley (and originally played by him).
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Chris Ingham, as an educator and jazz author, has specialised in putting together projects to honour his jazz heroes (Hoagy Carmichael, Ella Fitzgerald). For this show finding material was not a problem, though some needed unearthing after many years of neglect. Seeking musicians to join him in celebrating that music was also a pleasure and we shall now join them in enjoying the unfailingly tuneful work that Dudley generated.
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“Coming to them (Dudley’s tunes) afresh, Chris Ingham finds unexpected diversity beneath the smooth, bright surface. At one extreme is the playful theme tune of Not Only… But Also, at the other the melancholy Moon Time, which might have passed unnoticed beneath the action in Bedazzled.” – Dave Gelly (Guardian)
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Chris Ingham – piano
Paul Higgs – trumpet
Geoff Gascoyne – bass
George Double – drums
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Latest CD: Dudley (Downhome records DOHO004)
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Promo video (Ronnies)
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Web: chrisingham.co.uk
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14.00
Lucy Lockwood
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Hits: 1966
