Monthly Archives: September 2016
Jazz at Progress | Nigel Price Organ Quartet | Buy tickets
Fri 2 Sep 2016 | Progress Theatre, Reading | Nigel Price Organ Quartet | 7.30pm | £15.00 (£13.00 concessions) plus maximum 5% booking fee.
Nigel Price guitar, Brandon Allen tenor sax, Ross Stanley Hammond organ, Matt Home drums.
The renowned Nigel Price Organ Trio, amongst its other successes, picked up a “best jazz ensemble” Parliamentary Jazz Award. There’s no reason to believe that the extension to a quartet has done anything other than to raise the game even further as we welcome them at the start of an Arts Council funded nationwide tour.
Nigel Price
Nigel is one of the most highly regarded and in demand guitarists on
the UK jazz scene today. In addition to a heavy touring schedule Nigel is also a regular performer at Ronnie Scott’s, where he has played over 400 times. Formal recognition includes achieving third place in the ‘best guitarist’ category in the 2014 British Jazz Awards.
Nigel’s influences are many, coming not only from masters such as Wes Montgomery and George Benson but also from a background playing and touring with bands in a variety of genres including funk, ska and reggae.
Brandon Allen
Brandon, originally from Perth, Western Australia, is now based in London, where he regularly hosts the Late Late Show at Ronnie Scott’s with his quartet.
Described by Tony Hall of Jazzwise as “arguably the most exciting tenor player in Britain today”, Brandon has worked and toured with many varied artists and groups/ensembles, including Eric Clapton, Jools Holland, Stan Tracey, and Darius Brubeck.
As well as being the founder and director of the Highgate Jazz with Soul Festival, he works as a session musician, composer and arranger for commercial music and films; his playing is featured in Alfie (2004) and The Look of Love (2013).
Ross Stanley
Ross is one of the UK’s top exponents of jazz piano and organ – constantly in demand for his flowing creative and lyrical playing. His musical education includes spells at Trinity College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and a scholarship to Berklee College of Music.
He has performed with Liane Carroll, Bobby Wellins, Clark Tracey and Jacqui Dankworth – as well as with many others. His soloing has been described as being “steeped in complex harmonic tension and release” and is universally revered by both fellow musicians and the wider listening public.
Matt Home
Matt is a much in demand jazz drummer who, as well as making regular appearances at Ronnie Scott’s, has played and toured with, for example, Alan Barnes, Dave O’Higgins, Tina May and Scott Hamilton.
He has also made regular appearances on TV and film, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Paul O’Grady, Alan Titchmarsh, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman and Colin Firth.
Matt’s plaudits include playing on Gareth Lockrane’s septet album No Messin’ which was recognised as best jazz album in the 2010 Parliamentary Jazz Awards.
Jazz at Progress | Christian Brewer Quintet | Buy tickets
Fri 30 Sep 2016 | Progress Theatre, Reading | Christian Brewer Quintet | 7.30pm | £16.00 (£14.00 concessions) plus maximum 5% booking fee.
Christian Brewer sax | Damon Brown trumpet/flugelhorn | Jonathan Gee piano | Adam King bass | Chris Draper drums
This band brings together two fine musicians, currently playing at the top of their game. The quintet delivers a joyful brand of British neo-bop that swings with power, fluency and confidence.
Christian Brewer
Christian who is a well known jazz alto saxophonist / composer and educator leads this brilliant quintet and is one of the most lyrical and soulful alto players to have emerged from the UK in recent years. Loved for his melodic playing and pure tone, he has risen to prominence on the British jazz scene. He is now a regular at London’s prestigious Ronnie Scotts. Christian studied at Leeds School of Music and The Guildhall School of Music. However, the defining musical inspiration came from playing alongside Julian Joseph and the Mondesir brothers at Ian Carr’s jazz London fusion orchestra. He has gone on to play with some of the finest players internationally. “One of the most exciting alto players I’ve heard in a long time” Tony Hall
Damon Brown
Damon who also studied at Leeds School of Music and at The Guildhall School of Music in London is one of the UK’s leading jazz trumpet players and composers playing at all the UK’s leading clubs and festivals He also performs in Europe and the Far East with his own groups. In 2007 Damon’s group “Killer Shrimp” which he co-leads with Ed Jones , won the “2007 Best Live Jazz Group ” at the “All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards ” and their first CD “Sincerely Whatever” was nominated for “Best Jazz CD of the Year ” “Fluent, impassioned and technically superb” Jack Massarick, The Evening Standard
Jonathan Gee is “One of European jazz’s most celebrated musicians… His music is precise, lucid and original, and at times breathtakingly lyrical.”
Adam King has become one of the most in demand bassists on the UK scene. His success in the 2015 annual Worshipful Company of Musicians Young Jazz Musician Award revealed him as one of the most promising jazz artists of his generation.
Chris Draper “is an outstanding musician. His lively imagination and skill as a percussionist make a great impact wherever he goes” Alison Cox MBE, Head of Composition at The Purcell School
