Vocals / Louise Victoria
Drums & Electronics / Mark Whitlam Piano & Keyboards / Dale Hambridge Bass / Chris Jones Led by the songwriting team of vocalist Louise Victoria and drummer, Mark Whitlam, We Are Leif deftly span the balance of jazz sensibilities with the groove and sound world more associated with Neo-Soul, R'n'B and Down Tempo genres. Louise's voice sits comfortably alongside the company of Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens. Musically there are nods in the direction of Erykah Badu and Jill Scott whilst retaining a classic Bristol sound, steeped in the history of bands like Portishead, Massive Attack and Lamb. "...clear musical ideas used as the basis for fresh interpretation within their chosen form, and thanks to the singer’s confidence and clarity the results have an integration that belies the comparative newness of their project." - Tony Benjamin, bristol247.com
0 Comments
C cracking new acoustic jazz quartet featuring members of Dakhla Brass, Get The Blessing, and We Are Leif: that’s Sophie Stockham on tenor saxophone, Matt Brown on drums, Pete Judge on flugelhorn, and Chris Jones on double-bass.
Expect tunes by the likes of Joshua Redman, Johnny Dyani, Don Cherry, Thelonious Monk, and many more. “A great band, playing some of my all-time favourite music with real panache” (Mainly Jazz In Bristol) A big hit at the 2018 Swansea International Jazz Festival with his workshop and performce with Judith Nijland, for this special gig Libor combines with UK guitarist Nigel Price for a what will be a memorable night!
Czeck born Libor has lived in Prague since his childhood. He has been an avid musician since his early youth, starting with the recorder and trumpet, and picking up the guitar at the age of twelve. After initial forays into rock and blues he began to take an interest in jazz, mainly due to his fascination with the recordings of Charlie Parker. While a student of the Evropská High School of Music he began to appear in jazz clubs and bars all around Prague with American blues singer Phil Speat. After graduating, he himself began to teach guitar, rhythm and ensemble performance there. Libor has been a permanent fixture on the Prague jazz scene since his conservatory days when he performed not only with his classmates, but also with such outstanding artists as NajPonk, Jaromír Honzák, Radek Zapadlo and JiYí Slaví. Over a career spanning more than 25 years, award winning jazz guitarist Nigel Price has become widely acknowledged as one of the hardest working musicians in the business. Musically, his blend of flowing bebop lines, deep blues sensibility and his mastery of chording continue to delight audiences and fellow musicians alike. His career highlights include a support show for Gladys Knight at The Royal Albert Hall and an appearance on Van Morrison's recent album Keep Me Singing. http://www.liborsmoldas.cz/en/ https://www.nigelprice.biz Singer/violinist/composer Azhaar Saffar recently returned from Central America where she relocated after fronting acclaimed Brazilian jazz group Sirius B (Freestyle records). Her Iraqi/Welsh origins influenced her nomadic, unorthodox, lifestyle that fuels her compositions. She wrote the tracks for her joyful new album ‘Original Love’ in Costa Rica , inspired by the jungle expeditions, the waves she surfed and the ‘Pura Vida’ she embraced. The river of music led her back to the UK to form her latest project ‘Global Wave’ - "jazz, fused with a vibrant, irreverent fusion of world rhythms and groovy beats; enhanced by Azhaar's sonorous violin; a musical voyage crafted on the ‘songlines". With the addition of renowned flautist Gareth Lockrane, Snowboy's massive production and Azhaar's string arrangements this little gem has made a big splash on the airwaves worldwide! Plus a big thumbs up from Dr Bob Jones; interviews with David Lyn 'Music without labels'; Promotion on https://daniraestar.com/ and a feature on the NY site All about Jazz.
Vocals/Violin - Azhaar Saffar Keys - Jim Blomfield Bass - Guillaume Ottaviani Percussion - Ivan Moren Drums - Paolo Adamo “One of the most distinctive acts on the jazz world scene” - BBC Radio Wales "Azhaar expresses herself with grounded experience, full of joy and passion" - Fernando Rose “Azhaar Saffar has come up with a personalised musical hybrid. As predicted, an album well worth waiting for” - The Jazzmann https://youtu.be/L7FYufkbiPs https://youtu.be/hRD9OePhFMg https://open.spotify.com/artist/72tWI89zCfr0NZQxDnVhmY www.azhaarsaffar.com Ruth Hammond - Organ Matt Hopkins - Guitar Scott Hammond - Drums The classic jazz formation known as the 'Organ Trio' may be a new concept to you. If so, you will probably be delighted to know that it is not three organs but rather one organ (usually a Hammond organ), guitar and drums - three instruments that blend together to create a unique sound that can be very subtle or very powerful and everything in between. Formed on a rare sunny day in Bristol, UK in 2016, this organ trio knew they were on to a winner after the first tune they played together. There is an undeniable chemistry between the three of them that is evident in everything they play. This could be well known jazz standards, tunes by the likes of John Scofield and Pat Metheny or the trio's own compositions. Matt's inventive and melodic guitar playing has been featured in groups as stylistically diverse as Andy Sheppard’s Hotel Bristol and Emily Wright & The Royals. He also takes the lead role in the “Music of Pat Metheny” project alongside pianist Dave Newton. Matt is also known as an instructor and educator, specialising in jazz improvisation. Scott is probably best known for playing rock music with Ian Anderson/Jethro Tull all over the globe since 2010 but he's not just a rocker. Jazz, especially in the organ trio setting, has always been close to Scott's heart and this trio shows a more subtle side to his playing. In the jazz world Scott has worked with Alan Barnes, Tina May, Herb Geller, Bobby Wellins, Jason Rebello, Pee Wee Ellis and many others. Ruth has many strings to her bow as she is equally adept on organ, piano, saxophones, accordion and vocals. After graduating from Leeds College of Music in 1998, she became Runner Up in the Young Jazz Musician of the Year (on tenor saxophone). She has released a solo album "All The Good Things" which features her singing her own songs. Growing up in Renfrewshire, Scotland, Newton had a musical upbringing with the piano trio sound of Peterson, Tatum or Garner an ever-present feature in the Newton household. After graduating from Leeds College of Music in 1979 David Newton freelanced around Yorkshire and eventually became a resident musician at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough for two and a half years. A move to Edinburgh followed where theatre work using local musicians quickly led to an established position on the Scottish jazz scene but after some four years there, his old roommate from college, Alan Barnes, persuaded him to move to London where he rapidly became a much sought after pianist teaming up with Barnes, guitarist Martin Taylor and saxophonist Don Weller.
Newton's recording career had begun in 1985 with Buddy De Franco and Martin Taylor and his first solo album was released in '88 in association with producer Elliot Meadow who oversaw the next nine years of recording for Linn Records followed by Candid Records. Once again, in 1997, David Newton and Alan Barnes teamed up and together with Concorde Label agent Barry Hatcher, made four CDs for that label. By 2003, Newton had learned a great deal of the ways a record company operated and he set up a business partnership with former pupil Mike Daymond and they established "Brightnewday Records" initially as a vehicle for Newton's own music but with an eye to opening up the catalogue to other artists later on. In the first five years of the nineties, Newton's reputation as an exquisite accompanist for a singer, spread rather rapidly and by '95 he was regularly working with Carol Kidd, Marion Montgomery, Tina May, Annie Ross, Claire Martin and of course Stacey Kent, with whom he spent the next ten years recording and travelling all over the world. While all this was going on, Newton was composing music which he would record on his own CDs as well as writing specifically for Martin Taylor, Alan Barnes, Tina May or Claire Martin and Newton's music can now be heard on many television productions, especially in the United States where over twenty TV movies benefit from Newton's haunting themes. In 2003, after a twenty year gap, David Newton was reunited with playwright Alan Aykbourn having been involved with eight world premiers in Scarborough and London back in the early eighties, and he was asked to write the music for two new productions, 'Sugar Daddies' and 'Drowning on Dry Land'. Currently, with the release of a new CD called "Portrait of a Woman", on the 'Brightnewday' label, David Newton is relishing the musical freedom of his Trio and the special sound it makes whilst working on two other new recording projects, as an arranger and a composer. David Newton has been voted best Jazz Pianist in the British Jazz awards for the thirteenth time in 2014 and was made a Fellow of Leeds College of Music in 2003. Critically acclaimed pianist and stalwart of the British jazz scene, John Horler presents a special evening celebrating the music of Bill Evans.
His credentials as a musician are as impeccable as they are diverse. He started studying at the Royal Academy of Music at the precocious age of sixteen. Unlike today, Jazz was not valued or studied at the Academy, so he didn’t find himself launched onto the jazz scene at an early age. But his abilities were acknowledged by the Royal Academy at a later stage when he was made an ARAM for services to music. The route to success was through pub gigs and appearances on BBC’s Jazz Club, funded by work as a successful session musician. As his reputation grew he found himself increasingly supporting American jazz stars, such as Bob Brookmeyer, Clark Terry, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Art Farmer, Pepper Adams, Bud Shank, and Shorty Rodgers. One of the most memorable of these events was working with Chet Baker for a week at The Canteen in Great Queen Street. He worked closely with Pete King, Tommy Whittle, Tony Coe and the late great Ronnie Ross for many years, playing regularly in their groups and recording with them. For the last twenty years he has been first pianist to Sir John Dankworth and Dame Cleo Laine. His most recent accolade was Critics choice Jazz pianist of the year 2002. Finally in 1993 he started making his own recordings, highlighting his own compositions alongside his favourite standard tunes. The first recording was Lost Keys recorded with Jeff Clyne and Trevor Tomkins in 1993. The most recent is the new Modern Jazz Trio album with Sam Burgess and Mike Smith - The Key to it All released by Divingduck Records in April 2007. But John says it is the playing of Bill Evans which has been a lifelong stimulus; “Embracing the music of European composers Debussy, Ravel and even Brahms, which he welded into his own very special jazz language… Even today he is still the most influential figure in my playing… in an inspirational way…" Supported by a well regarded West Country based rhythm section, this is a priceless opportunity to see one of Britain's most acclaimed jazz pianists playing the music he loves. Piano - John Horler Bass - Ron Phelan Drums - Ronnie Jones "Jazz and classical idioms live happily side by side in the benign and often surprising world of pianist and composer John Horler. It’s best not to try second-guessing him, just wait and enjoy what emerges. "Horler does what only the very best can do: he creates a version that is completely his own while also conveying the essence of the original." Dave Gelly, John Horler: Free and Easy review - Delights from Bach to Basie, (The Guardian, 15th July 2018). Craig Crofton is an Anglo/American sax and flute player who has lived in the UK for over 20 years and built up an enviable reputation for the power and ‘visceral excitement’ in his playing. Originally a protégé of Marcus Printup (Lincoln Center Orchestra) Craig has come to develop a unique sound of his own; leaving an indelible musical stamp on his many musical involvements. Craig has featured with Kasabian, Lack of Afro, Haggis Horns, Nittin Sawney, This is The Kit, Mr Benn and Chris Monkey as well as being at the forefront of popular Bristol bands Phantom Ensemble, Baila la Cumbia, Dockside Latin Orchestra and Dub From Atlantis; to name but a few. Craig has also shared the stage with jazz greats of the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Maceo Parker, Dr Lonnie Smith, John Faddis and Pee Wee Ellis. You may also have heard Craig featured on BBC Radio 4 “Loose Ends” and watched him play at world renowned venues like Ronnie Scotts and The Blue Note in New York City.
Tonight he leads a stellar lineup of Bristol's finest with what he describes as 'swinging organ quartet vibes'... Don't miss this one... Craig Crofton - Saxophones Matt Hopkins - Guitar Dan Moore - Organ Matt Brown - Drums "An extremely gifted pianist with astonishing technique and an elegant touch on ballads, the great Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson burst on the scene in the 1940s as the heir apparent to the great Art Tatum. A gentle man from Montreal, Peterson was a favorite on the Jazz at the Philharmonic circuit during the late '40s and later established an exquisite chemistry with the world-class rhythm tandem of bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen. This was Peterson's working trio from 1959 through 1966 and together they made several classy recordings for the Verve label, including successful songbooks on George Gershwin, Irving Berlin Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter and Jimmy McHugh. Their appearance at the 1959 Newport Jazz Festival was one of the early performances of this edition of the Peterson trio (the pianist's previous trio with bassist Brown and guitarist Herb Ellis was a favorite on the Jazz at the Philharmonic circuit from 1953 to 1958). Thigpen's exquisite approach to the kit (he earned the nickname "Mr. Taste" while working in Peterson's trio) underscored the pianist's dazzling virtuosity with uncanny finesse, remarkable empathy and a relentlessly swinging style that fueled this trio..."
Tonight, Andy Nowak and his trio take on the Oscar Peterson legacy with a performance that will showcase music performed and inspired by the great man. Andy has played with such artists as Jocelyn Brown, Pee Wee Ellis, Fred Wesley and Art Themen to name a few; and it will come as no surprise those who have heard him play that Oscar is one of his greatest musical influences. So, who better to take on this simultaneously enviable and unenviable task... Andy Nowak - Piano Dorian Sutton - Bass Mark Whitlam - Drums This promises to be a great night...get your tickets in advance here: http://buytickets.at/jazzatfutureinn/260679 The new Julian Costello Quartet came together in 2016. They played many venues across London and in April 2017 recorded an album called Transitions at The Artesuono Studios in Udine in Italy with ECM engineer Stefano Amerio. The album was released in Septemebr 2017 on 33Jazz records. They toured the Uk in the autumn with support from the Arts Council of England.
Julian Costello - saxes Patrick Naylor - guitar Will Harris - bass Andy Hague - drums Establishing their reputation for intense live performances that contain great energy, and also humour they embarked on an Open Soundcheck Tour of England and France in the autumn of 2018. This is a new idea of inviting audiences to see the band soundchecking and to ask questions to create a dialogue and strengthen the relationship between performers and audences. This was supported by the Arts Council of England. They performed at The EFG London jazz Festival to a packed house, a wonderful concert in St Etienne in France and toured Poland, Germany and Belgium in March 2019. |