Monthly Archives: April 2018
Pangbourne Jazz Club | Pangbourne
Sun 1 April | Earl Okin vocals and piano, Terry Hutchins guitar, Keith Howard double bass, Paul Glover drums | Pangbourne | PWMC | 7:30pm | £7.00
Phil Mason Trio | Caversham
Sun 1 Apr | Phil Mason Trio | Phil Mason gtr/voc, Felicity Taylor violin/voc, John Monney bass | Caversham | The Griffin | 3:30pm | No charge
Mike Miller Trio | Sandhurst
Sun 1 Apr | Mike Miller Trio with Phil Berry double bass, Nick Monnas drums, Mike Miller guitar | Sandhurst | Wellington Arms | 3:00pm | Free admission
Jazz at the Four Horseshoes | Sherfield-on-Loddon
Tue 3 Apr | Equinox with Mike Gale | Mike Gale trumpet, Peter Bingham tenor sax, John Clarke guitar, Andy Baker bass, Paul Kaluza percussion | Sherfield-on-Loddon | Four Horseshoes | 8:00pm | No charge for admission (donations are welcomed)
Portrait of the Modern Jazz Quartet | Marlow
Tues 3 Apr | Portrait of the Modern Jazz Quartet | Highly acclaimed new group paying tribute to the original MJQ | Nat Steele, vibes, Gabriel Latchen, piano, Dario Di Lecce, bass and the award-winning drummer Steve Brown | Marlow Jazz Club | 8.30pm | Admission £10
Jazz at the Magpie and Parrot – Lea Lyle Quartet | Shinfield
Thurs 5 Apr | Jazz at the Magpie and Parrot – Lea Lyle Quartet | Lea Lyle vocals, Phil Craddock piano, Barrie Griffin bass, Jim Wade drums | Shinfield | Magpie and Parrot| 8pm | £5
The Clive Burton Celebration Quintet with Frank Griffith | Hedsor
Thur 5 Apr | The Clive Burton Celebration Quintet with Frank Griffith | Frank Griffith sax, Mike Wills reeds, Nigel Fox keyboard, John Monney Bass, Martin Hart drums | Hedsor | Hedsor Social Club | 8:30pm | £7 on the door | free parking
Rhythms at the Yurt: Swing Fromage | Didcot
Fri 6 Apr | Swing Fromage | Tom Weetman, Lewis Dickinson guitars, Annalise Lam violin | Didcot | Rhythms at the Yurt | 8.00pm | Tickets
Bracknell Jazz | Bracknell
Fri 6 Apr | Katie Brown, Alex Hitchcock, Tom Smith saxes, Simon Cook piano, Andy Masters bass, McGill Anderson drums | Bracknell | South Hill Park Arts Centre | 7.30pm | £10 (£5 under 18s).
Rhythms at the Yurt: Jamie Howell Trio | Didcot
Sat 7 Apr| Jamie Howell Trio | Jamie Howell guitar, Paul Jefferies bass, Monte Hall drums, percussion | Didcot | Rhythms at the Yurt | 8.00pm | Tickets
Mike Miller Trio | Old Basing
Sun 8 Apr | Mike Miller Trio with David Chedgey double bass, Nick Monnas drums, Mike Miller guitar | Old Basing | River Bank Tea Rooms | 1:30pm | Free admission
Gli Avanzi with Stuart Henderson | Reading
Sun 8 Apr | Gli Avanzi with Stuart Henderson | Stuart Henderson trumpet, Clive Downs saxes and flute, Martin Dix guitar, Wulf Forrester-Barker bass guitar, Andrew Last drums | Reading | Global Cafe | 7:30pm | No charge
Bob Kerr & His Whoopee Band | Charity Jazz in aid of Basingstoke Stroke Support Group | Basingstoke
Mon 9 Apr | Aching sides guaranteed when Bob Kerr brings his incredible Whoopee-Makers to shake up Basingstoke with an evening of jazzy musical mayhem & outrageous comedy | Charity Jazz in aid of Basingstoke Stroke Support Group | Basingstoke Irish Centre, Council Road RG21 3DH | 8.00pm | £16 from 0787 1129 191 or blackbird@waitrose.com
The very best Trad Jazz at Reading Rugby Club | Sonning Lane
Wed 11 Apr | Traditional New Orleans – Dixieland style Jazz | John Maddocks Jazzmen | Reading Rugby Club, Holme Park, Sonning Lane, Reading RG4 6ST | 7.00pm to 10.30pm | £10.00
Mike Piggott | Caversham
Wed 11 Apr | Mike Piggott | Mike Piggott, jazz violin with supporting trio | Caversham | Mander Court, 8 Derby Road, Reading RG4 5EY | 8pm | No charge but a donation to Guide Dogs For The Blind will be greatly appreciated | Call 0118 947 6504 for further information.
Bracknell Jazz Young Musicians | Bracknell
Wed 11 Apr | Bracknell Jazz Young Musicians | Jim Gold alto sax, Simon Cook piano, Rudy Cook bass, Charlie Hutchinson drums | Bracknell | South Hill Park Arts Centre | 7.30pm | £10 (£5 under 18s).
Ahead Only Trio | Maidenhead
Thu 12 Apr | Ahead Only Trio | Guido Spannocchi sax, Jason Simpson bass, Marco Quarantotto drums | Maidenhead | Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Studio | 8.00pm | £12/£10
The Clive Burton Celebration Quintet | Hedsor
Thur 12 Apr | The Clive Burton Celebration Quintet | Lester Brown trumpet, Mike Wills reeds, Nigel Fox keyboard, John Monney Bass, Martin Hart drums | Hedsor | Hedsor Social Club | 8:30pm | £7 on the door | free parking
Jacqui Dankworth & Butterfly’s Wing | Maidenhead
Fri 13 Apr | Jacqui Dankworth & Butterfly’s Wing | Jacqui Dankworth vocals, Ben Davies cello, Christian Garrick violin, David Gordon piano | Maidenhead | Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Courtyard Theatre | 8.00pm | £16/£14
Jazz in Fleet at The Harlington
Tue 17 Apr | Sarah Dowling Quintet | Sarah Dowling vocals, Nat Steele vibes, Gabriel Lachin piano, Marianne Windham bass, Steve Brown drums | Fleet | Fleet Jazz Club | The Harlington | 8.00pm | £14
The Clive Burton Celebration Quintet with Robert Goodhew | Hedsor
Thur 19 Apr | The Clive Burton Celebration Quintet with Robert Goodhew | Robert Goodhew sax, Mike Wills reeds, Nigel Fox keyboard, John Monney Bass, Martin Hart drums | Hedsor | Hedsor Social Club – Jazz | Hedsor Social Club – venue | 8:30pm | £7 on the door | free parking
Fleur Stevenson and Gareth Willams | Reading
Fri 20 Apr | Fleur Stevenson and Gareth Willams | Fleur Stevenson vocals, Gareth Williams piano | Reading | Browns | 8pm | No charge
Mike Miller Trio | Rotherwick
Sun 22 Apr | Mike Miller Trio with David Chedgey double bass, Nick Monnas drums, Mike Miller guitar | Rotherwick | Tylney Hall | 3:00pm | Jazz Afternoon Tea £36 per person
AKQ (Andy Kennedy Quartet) | Reading
Sun 22 Apr | AKQ | Andy Kennedy saxes, Paul Glover drums, Brian Throup upright & electric bass, Tony Imbierski piano | Reading | The Global Cafe | 8pm | No charge
Fleur Stevenson Quartet | Kintbury
Wed 25 Apr | Fleur Stevenson Quartet | Fleur Stevenson, vocals, Anatoliy Vyacheslavov tenor sax, Hugh Turner guitar, Raph Mizraki double bass | Kintbury | The Dundas Arms | 7.30pm | No charge
Berkshire Jazz Jam: Ken Thompson Trio | Global Cafe | Reading
Wed 25 Apr | Jam session with house band, open to singers and instrumentalists | Ken Thompson guitar, Phil Berry bass, Paul Glover drums | Reading | Global Café | 9:00pm | No charge
The Clive Burton Celebration Quintet with Alan Grahame | Hedsor
Thur 26 Apr | The Clive Burton Celebration Quintet with Alan Grahame | Alan Grahame vibes, Mike Wills reeds, Nigel Fox keyboard, John Monney Bass, Martin Hart drums | Hedsor | Hedsor Social Club – Jazz | Hedsor Social Club – venue | 8:30pm | £7 on the door | free parking
Fleur Stevenson hosts Jazz Singers Night | Global Cafe | Reading
Thur 26 Apr | Fleur Stevenson hosts Jazz Singers Night in Reading | Fleur Stevenson vocals, Maff Potts piano, Nick Hill bass, Paul Glover drums | Reading | Global Café | 9.00pm – jam from 9.30pm | No charge
Stuart Henderson’s Remix Jazz Orchestra | Finchampstead
Fri 27 Apr | Stuart Henderson’s Remix Jazz Orchestra | Stuart Henderson trumpet, line up see web site | Finchampstead | Memorial Hall, RG40 4JU | http://www.remixjazzorchestra.co.uk/ | 8.30pm | Price TBC
Art Themen Quartet | Maidenhead
Fri 27 Apr | Art Themen Quartet | Art Themen sax, Alex Hutton piano, Andy Cleyndert bass, Clark Tracey drums | Maidenhead | Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Studio | 8.00pm | £15/£13/£5
Jazz at Progress | Martin Speake Quartet ft. Ethan Iverson | Buy tickets
Fri 27 Apr | Martin Speake alto saxophone, Ethan Iverson piano, Fred Thomas double bass, James Maddren drums. Progress Theatre, Reading | 7:30pm | £20.00 (£18.00 concessions) plus maximum 5% booking fee.
Hungerford Jazz Forum Jam Session | Hungerford
Fri 27 Apr | Hungerford Jazz Forum Jam Session | Hungerford | Royal British Legion | 8.00pm | £2.00
Jazz at Progress | Martin Speake Quartet ft. Ethan Iverson | Buy tickets
Martin Speake alto saxophone, Ethan Iverson piano, Fred Thomas double bass, James Maddren drums
Ethan Iverson, pianist with the game-changing US jazz outfit ‘The Bad Plus’, joins Martin Speake and his trio for this incredible evening of lyrical, subtle and inspiring jazz. Martin and Ethan met fifteen years ago while studying in Canada and since then have played and recorded together and separately with a stellar line-up of jazz luminaries. Their latest album together will be released in 2018 and compositions from it will be featured at this not-to-be-missed Progress gig.
Martin Speake studied classical saxophone at Trinity College of Music. He toured Europe, South America, Africa and the USA with Itchy Fingers appearing at major jazz festivals and playing on their first two CDs. In 1986 they won the Schlitz Young Jazz Musicians of the Year Award, which was televised by the BBC. In 1988, he left the group to develop his own projects, which have been many and diverse and established him as leading a composer and improviser. Martin is as comfortable playing personal interpretations of the music of Charlie Parker with his quartet, free improvising with drummer Mark Sanders, playing standard ballads in duet with Ethan Iverson and performing Indian music with Dharambir Singh and Sarvar Sabri. He has recorded 18 CDs including the internationally acclaimed ECM release Change Of Heart with Paul Motian, Bobo Stenson and Mick Hutton. Martin is a committed jazz educator and in addition to Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance he teaches at the Royal Academy of Music and the National Youth Jazz Collective Summer School.
Pianist Ethan Iverson is currently one-third of The Bad Plus, the game-changing US collective with Reid Anderson and David King. The New York Times called TBP ‘…Better than anyone at melding the sensibilities of post-60’s jazz and indie rock.’ TBP has performed in venues as diverse as the Village Vanguard, Carnegie Hall, and Bonnaroo; collaborated with Joshua Redman, Bill Frisell, and the Mark Morris Dance Group; and created a faithful arrangement of Stravinky’s The Rite of Spring and a radical reinvention of Ornette Coleman’s Science Fiction. In addition to TBP, Iverson participates in the critically-acclaimed Billy Hart quartet with Mark Turner and Ben Street and occasionally performs with an elder statesman like Albert ‘Tootie’ Heath or Ron Carter. Time Out New York selected Iverson as one of 25 essential New York jazz icons: ‘Perhaps NYC’s most thoughtful and passionate student of jazz tradition – the most admirable sort of artist-scholar.’ In 2018 Iverson will be premiering an original piano concerto with the American Composers Orchestra.
Fred Thomas, on double bass, is one of London’s most sought-after multi-instrumentalists and composer/arranger/producers. A member of the F-IRE Collective, he recently embarked on a trilogy of J S Bach recordings to be released on ECM, The Silent Howl and Odradek Records. Other projects include his Polyphonic Jazz Band, a quintet with Martin Speake that explores improvised counterpoint and a Richard Wagner tribute band with jazz pianist Liam Noble.
Thomas has appeared or collaborated with a wide variety of artists, including Jarvis Cocker, Basquiat Strings, Kadialy Kouyate, Jason Yarde, Julian Siegel, and Seb Rochford. He has toured worldwide with Filter Theatre and as musical director with Shakespeare’s Globe, as well as producing albums for many artists throughout Europe. His most recent compositions, for voice, string quartet and percussion, were commissioned by BitterSuite and Phaedra Ensemble and are being performed internationally and at the Royal Opera House, London.
Drummer James Maddren hails from Horsham, Sussex. In 2004 while still at school he travelled to London to study with one of Europe’s top multi-instrumentalists, Jim Hart, who Maddren cites as a significant early influence and inspiration. In 2005, he went on to study jazz percussion at the Royal Academy of Music with Martin France as his drum tutor. Graduating in 2009 with a 1st class degree, Maddren was also given ‘The Principal’s Award For Outstanding Studentship’. Currently one of London’s first-call young drummers, he excels at performing all kinds of music and has shared the stage with many artists and ensembles, including the Gwilym Simcock and Kit Downes Trio, the Marc Copland/Stan Sulzman Quartet, the Ivo Neame Group, Alex Garnett’s Bunch of Five and Phronesis.
Dinner Jazz at The Angel – Fleur Stevenson | Woolhampton
Sat 28 Apr | Dinner Jazz at The Angel – Fleur Stevenson | Fleur Stevenson vocals, Hugh Turner guitar | Woolhampton | The Angel | 8pm | Free entry
Sunday Jazz at The Retreat – Stuart Henderson and the Simon Price Trio
Sun 29 Apr | Sunday Jazz at The Retreat | Stuart Henderson trumpet, Denny Ilett guitar, Pete Billington hammond organ, Esther Ng bass, Simon Price drums | Reading | Retreat Pub | 3.30pm | No charge
Mike Miller Trio | Basingstoke
Sun 29 Apr | Mike Miller Trio with David Chedgey double bass, Nick Monnas drums, Mike Miller guitar | Basingstoke | Tea Bar | 1:00 pm | Tea for two £20
