“A first-rate trio..an excellent set..Themen is one of the very few totally original, utterly engaging jazz musicians around”  –  ****           Dave Gelly – THE OBSERVER

What we have here is a first-rate trio playing jazz standards by such greats as Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock and Cannonball Adderley.  Art Themen is one of the very few totally original, and at the same time utterly engaging jazz musicians around.

Usually, even with the best, you have some idea of where the improvisation is going, some route from A to B, but Themen will pile up ideas, apparently at random, maybe with the odd outlandish quotation for good measure, and when he’s finished, it all seems to have made sense.

The wonderful organist Pete Whittaker and the superb George Double on drums complete the trio.

“Themen, a veteran master now, in such eloquent form” –  ****         Peter Vacher – JAZZWISE 

“Boistrous and inventive as ever..funky and swinging” – HI FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW

In any other country he’d be regarded as a national treasure” – Leonard Weinrich – LONDON JAZZ NEWS

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This is a new group, made up of four highly experienced players, who are familiar to audiences all over the UK and internationally. Fronted by the hugely creative and inventive pianist, David Gordon, and master of the jazz guitar, Pete Oxley, the band will perform “hugely engaging, melodic, groove-driven works” by these two masterly jazz composers. (Both Pete and David are two of only a handful of British composers to have their tunes included in the ‘European Real Book’). In addition to their originals, expect works by such contemporary jazz composers as Michael Brecker, Lyle Mays, Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, etc..

David’s musical career has been – and continues to be – hugely versatile, ranging from performing harpsichord with The English Concert to touring the world with the gypsy-tango band, Zum. Pete Oxley began his gigging career during his ten years living in Paris. On his return to the UK, he founded The Spin Jazz Club in Oxford and has been the house guitarist there. He currently tours extensively with the Swiss guitar virtuoso, Nicolas Meier.

The rhythm section will be well known to a jazz audience: Oli Hayhurst has worked with just about the entire UK jazz glitterati in addition to numerous international A-listers, such as Kurt Rosenwinkel and Pharoah Sanders. Paul Cavaciuti is an in-demand drummer, known for his outstanding musical empathy with the musicians that he works with.

The Independent on Sunday described David Gordon as “a richly gifted player with a sparkling style and boundless imagination“.

Jane Cornwell (Evening Standard) reviewing the Oxley-Meier album ‘Chasing Tales’: “The array of changing sounds, moods and textures they create is gorgeous, fascinating and apparently endless. If you love music of any kind you’ll probably fall for this.”

A night of super-appealing, lush and groovesome music is assured!

Paul was ill, and we wish him a quick recovery. We had Tom Hooper on drums, and he was excellent.

 

“I loved his playing before lockdown, but now he’s even more confident, bursting with enthusiasm and much, much stronger – he really holds the stage. Without doubt a 5 star evening!”

– Trevor Bannister, The Jazz Mann

Dexter Gordon was a true colossus of 6’ 6” whose stature as a tenor saxophonist and composer matched his massive frame; a sharp sense of outfitting, a smart choice of hats and an engaging personality completed his persona as the ‘cool hipster’.  He emerged as an important and influential soloist in the Bebop revolution of the late-1940s.  After a period in the 1950s when his promise was decimated by narcotics and Dexter spent most of his time in various ‘places of correction’, the 1960s saw his renaissance and a return to the recording studio for the Blue Note and Prestige labels. He made his home in Europe for fourteen years, before returning to the US.  He died fourteen years later leaving an indelible impression on those fortunate enough to hear him play in person and countless more who discovered his music from his vast legacy of recordings.

Vasilis Xenopoulos was one such young musician who fell under Dexter’s spell, saving his hard-earned pocket money to buy the precious albums that would influence his playing. He has made a significant reputation for himself on the international jazz scene, forming partnerships that have stood the test of time.

Acknowledging Gordon as one of his early influences, Vasilis in no way attempts to emulate his hero but plays Dexter’s music in a totally convincing manner that is at once a fitting tribute and also hard bop not of the fifties but brought right up to date. For this latest project, he retains the services of bassist Simon Thorpe and Steve Brown on drums from XPQ with the addition of the wonderful Ross Stanley on piano.

“All-in-all, this is top-notch hard bop played with authority, authenticity and conviction.  The desire to communicate with the audience is clearly in the mind of all concerned.”

– Jazz Views

 

From the first moment Antonio walks on stage to rapturous applause, a humble smile on his face, guitar in hand, you know you are in the presence of a true artist and are in for an evening with a touch of magic. And as the first deep, warm, intense notes float through the auditorium, you can hear a pin drop and feel the sonic spell of his guitar weaving through the room. As one critic put it “Imagine an Italian hybrid of Michael Hedges, John McLaughlin and Django Reinhardt … ferocious, rampaging, controlled power, meticulous precision and clarity of expression … astonishing musical personality” 

Antonio’s impressive 21 albums and extensive international tours in festivals and theatres – both as a solo artist, in duo and with his acoustic quartet – have brought high critical acclaim from as far as Australia and Hong Kong to the Caribbean, Russia and all over Europe. He has the ‘hands of a tarantula and the heart of a lion’, as another critic so expressively phrased it!

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“Wes Montgomery guitar fans need look no further than the UK’s Nigel Price on Wes Reimagined (Ubuntu) – respectful in catching Montgomery’s warmth, but also the work of a thoroughly contemporary enthusiast.” -John Fordham –

Some 54 years after Wes Montgomery passed, his music and playing still inspire musicians and listeners. Wes’ music puts a smile on faces with its blend of bebop and blues. The music is sometimes simple, full of interest and always accessible.

The band is a delight. 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.

This band is a celebration of Montgomery: they are not a tribute band. There is room for every one of these top drawer musicians to solo and shine, honouring, not copying Montgomery.

“When the players are Vasilis Xenopoulos and Nigel Price…..the outcome is downright irresistible” – The Guardian ★★★★

How many Hammond endorsees do we ever get to hear. Ross Stanley is an amazing organist. We are delighted to welcome Joel Barford to Fleece Jazz.

“This was arguably the best concert I have heard in Gateshead Town Hall since Sonny Stitt took it apart in the 1960s . . .”

– Bebop Spoken Here

Miles Davis and his sidemen made musical history when they recorded the iconic album Kind of Blue. They created a unique atmosphere of understated themes and improvisation and Kind of Blue went on to become one of the greatest and best loved jazz recordings of all time.

More than sixty years on, Terry Seabrook has assembled an all-star sextet, Milestones, to revisit the album and celebrate the music of Miles Davis. The band has toured extensively at clubs and festivals around the UK.

The album line-up reads like a “who’s who” of British jazz, with the fabulous Martin Shaw (Cleo Laine, John Dankworth, Peter King, Tim Garland) taking on the Miles role. Also in the “who’s who” bracket are Fleece Jazz favourite and multi-award winner Alan Barnes on sax, along with the magnificent Andy Panayi and a first-rate rhythm section, pianist Terry Seabrook, bassist and Spike Wells on drums.  The band pays due respuect to Miles’ original music whilst allowing the musicians to showcase their own brilliance and improvisational skills.

“. . . thoughtful and considered, yet full of jazz potency”

–  Peter Vacher Jazzwise

 

Horn Factory perform an impressive and extensive range of contemporary big band jazz by composers such as Buddy Rich, Bob Mintzer, Quincy Jones, Oliver Nelson, Maynard Ferguson, James Morrison, Bobby Shew, Sammy Nestico and Gordon Goodwin, plus arrangements of music normally associated with smaller groups, including Thelonious Monk, Joe Henderson, Chuck Mangione, Chick Corea and Horace Silver.

Most of the charts have been composed in the last 15 years, bringing the big band genre right up to date with music that absolutely crackles with energy!

“Eighteen fine musicians on the extended Fleece Jazz stage gave us a mighty gig. I love the sound of a horn chorus, but to have fourteen of them in chorus was really something else: loved it.”

–  Dave Lyons, Fleece Jazz

 

Some quotes from live gigs:

“A different level of class. Zoe’s vocal: powerful yet vulnerable. Rob, Pete and Paul turned out a masterclass in Schofield-esque sophistication”

“This is a band of exceptional quality, fronted by the stellar vocals of Zoe Schwarz; you really shouldn’t miss the opportunity to enjoy them” 

“Powerful singing, great guitar work, phenomenal Hammond… a great set and Zoe is such a stylish performer”

I had not intended using so many quotes, but so many good things have been written about this outfit. Of Zoe: “She also sings with honesty, emotion and intensity” (David J.Scott, Blues Revue)

And from Zoe herself:

“Blues isn’t about twelve bars. It’s about passion and melancholy; it’s about world weary angst.” 

Come join us for blues at its best.

Sara has a beautiful voice, a natural musician’s ear and a superb sense of swing. Jim Mullen says of her, “She displays a maturity beyond her years in her song selection as well as her interpretation and whether swinging hard or caressing a ballad, Sara takes the listener on a journey, breathing new life into the old standards”.

She says, “Being a musician is teamwork. You gotta listen to each other & support each other musically: be the foundation, guide or give space. But always listen & look around. Without communication there is no jazz. “ And she has a very fine team.

A quote about the band: “”you guys are good… really good!” (Sir Paul McCartney). 

The band offers a vibrant blend of Gypsy Swing, funky Latin tunes and cool Jazz Standards, spanning across the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, all mashed up with some snappy arrangements and played from the heart.

 

Tonight, drummer Gaz Hughes will honour the music of one of the true jazz drumming greats in a glorious quintet with Alan Barnes on saxes, Bruce Adams on trumpet,  Andrzej Baranek  on piano and Ed Harrison on bass. The art of ‘Jazz Messenger’ Art Blakey (1919–1990) – described by fellow drummer Max Roach as ‘Thunder’ – is captured superbly by Hughes.

The feel-good factor is there: this band’s easier-swinging interpretation is refreshing, with Bruce Adams’ piercing trumpet improv a stand-out. The entire ensemble sparkles as one; and whilst classic jazz numbers are just that, it will be great to hear them portrayed by today’s players and with their depth and clarity.