Monthly Archives: November 2022

Alex Hitchcock Quintet | Guildford

Alex’s quintet’s critically acclaimed 2018 debut album was described by All About Jazz as ‘an exquisitely subtle collection of tunes… the clearest indicator to date of the stratospheric trajectory on which this super-talented quintet is indubitably heading’.

P’Jam | The Queens Head, Reading

P’Jam is a joyful quartet of musicians who simply enjoy playing jazz together  in sometimes slightly unexpected and spontaneous ways. With a repertoire that  spans Miles Davis to the Beatles, expect an evening of great music in good company!

Davison Hemstock Quintet | Guildford

Trumpet player James Davison (former Young Musician of the Year) will be joined by sax and clarinet player Duncan Hemstock, performing a joyful, swinging, straight ahead set celebrating the music of two of their heroes: Ben Webster and Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison, along with brand new compositions written in dedication by Davison and Hemstock.

The Hugh Turner “Global Cafe” Band | Reading

Thurs 10 Nov | The Hugh Turner “Global Cafe” Band | The Butler Pub, Chatham St, Reading RG1 7DS | 8:30 pm | £5 on the door

After 14 years at the lovely Global Cafe we have moved. Local virtuoso funk jazz guitarist High Turner leads his quartet through original compositions and covers by the likes of Herbie Hancock, John Scofield and Grant Green Come on down.

Jazz at The Goring Community Jazz Club | Trish Elphinstone

Fri 11 Nov | Jazz at The Goring Community Jazz Club | Trish Elphinstone saxophonist, Martin Pickett piano, Howard King bass, Mike Goff drums | Goring Community Centre, The Old School, Station Rd, RG8 9HB | 7:30 pm | £10 | Please book early to avoid disappointment – tickets here, from Inspiration Goring or cash or card on the door.

Greg Abate & Alan Barnes Quintet | Marlow

Tues 15 Nov | Greg Abate & Alan Barnes Quintet | Greg Abate (USA) alto and flute, Alan Barnes tenor and clarinet, Frank Harrison piano, Stuart Barker bass, Elliot Toms drums | Marlow Jazz Club, Royal British Legion Hall SL7 1NT | 8.30pm | £10

The poll-topping USA saxophonist is on tour and joins Alan Barnes and the resident trio for a potentially spectacular gig. Pay at the door, but essential to reserve in advance for this one – phone 01628 486571

Mark Crooks and Robert Fowler Quintet | Fleet Jazz Club

Tues 15 Nov | Mark Crooks tenor sax, Robert Fowler tenor sax, John Pearce piano, Marianne Windham double bass, George Double drums | Fleet Jazz Club, The Harlington, Fleet, GU51 4BY | Doors and bar open from 7.15pm, performance 8pm | Tickets £20 available here or from the Box Office on 01252 811009 (or on the door, cash or card)

“From A to Z: The music of Al Cohn & Zoot Sims”. Al Cohn and Zoot Sims were two of the finest and most popular tenor sax players in jazz . Musicians loved them and audiences flocked to hear them at their long engagements at the Half Note Jazz Club in New York. Al Cohn wrote the inventive arrangements for this joyous free-wheeling quintet, which they co-led through much of the 1950s and 1960s. In-demand tenor players Mark Crooks and Robert Fowler salute Al & Zoot tonight, with swinging, straight-ahead jazz at its best. Mark works in a wide variety of musical settings including jazz, big band, classical, shows and recording sessions on clarinet and saxophone. He is a member of the award-winning Back to Basie Orchestra and the celebrated John Wilson Orchestra. He has performed with artists ranging from Tony Bennett to Sir Simon Rattle, Lady Gaga to Dame Cleo Laine at venues from Ronnie Scotts in London to the Lincoln Centre in New York. Robert has worked with many bands including The Great British Jazz Band, The Syd Lawrence Orchestra, Redtenbacher’s Funkestra, The BBC Big Band, the Humphrey Lyttelton Band, Alan Barnes’ Octet, The Back to Basie Orchestra and Brian Ferry. He has collaborated on soundtracks including for Baz Luhrman’s ‘Great Gatsby’ and Sky TV’s ‘Babylon Berlin’ series.

Mockbeggars Hall Music Evening | Gareth Williams Trio

Sat 19 Nov | Gareth Williams Trio | Gareth Wiliams piano, Adam King double bass, Steve Brown drums | Mockbeggars Hall, Church End, Blewbbury, OX11 9QQ | 8pm, 7:30pm doors | £30 cash on the night; email Izabela@dircon.co.uk to reserve places | There will be an interval. Please bring your own drinks; glasses will be supplied | This will be a very intimate concert for 25-30 people. Please park in Westbrook St or Church End. The village has no street lights, you wil need a torch after the concert.

Gig for Ukraine | Marlow

Chris Hodgkins Quartet | Shepperton

Remix Jazz Orchestra | Finchampstead Memorial Hall

The Nat Steele MJQ Quartet: Portrait of the MJQ | Buy tickets

Friday 25 November 2022 | Progress Theatre, Reading | 7: 30pm | £18.00 (£16.00 concessions, £9 under 16) plus maximum 5% booking fee.

Nat Steele vibraphone
Gabriel Latchin piano
Dario Di Lecce bass
Steve Brown drums

Nat Steele, vibraphonist and co-founder of the Bop Fest Jazz Festival, who grew up in Reading, brings his quartet home to pay homage to the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) one of the most successful and influential groups of the 20^th century. Nat will be joined by three of the brightest stars of the UK jazz scene to present ‘Portrait of the MJQ’, featuring such stellar favourites as ‘Django’, ‘Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise’, ‘Bags Groove’, and a complete performance of the four-movement ‘La Ronde Suite’.

Nat launched the quartet’s debut album “Portrait of the Modern Jazz Quartet” with a sell-out concert at Ronnie Scott’s, followed by performances around the UK at venues such as Cadogan Hall, Theatr Clwyd, and the Royal Festival Hall. It received an array of positive reviews in the jazz press, including 4-star reviews in the Observer and Jazzwise magazine and a 5-star choice of ‘Jazz Album of the Month’ in the BBC Music Magazine. Jazz writer Peter Vacher described the album as ‘creative brilliance’. It even made the top 10 of the jazz charts in Japan.

In 2019, Nat took pride of place in the premier of a new work written specifically with him in mind by Grammy-award winning pianist, arranger and composer Alan Broadbent, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Watermill Jazz. In 2020 – just before the pandemic – he completed an 18-date Arts Council funded tour of the UK with the MJQ band featuring guest tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart from New York.

Along with saxophonist Alison Neale, Nat founded BopFest as a single weekend jazz festival in 2015. An immediate success with audiences and the press, it attracted both public and Arts Council funding and subsequently grew into a 7-day long extravaganza of bebop and straight ahead jazz in London, featuring some of the best musicians from the UK, Europe and America.

Nat is currently working on two new albums which should come out in 2023.

Pianist Gabriel Latchin is constantly in demand as a side man. Most recently he’s gained attention for his role in performing with Christian McBride and Renee Fleming at Wigmore Hall. He has worked with Ronnie Cuber, former Jazz Messenger Jean Toussaint, Alex Garnett, The London Jazz Orchestra and The Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He has performed at concert halls, clubs and festivals around the UK and Europe.

Double bassist Dario di Lecce was raised in Bari, Italy, where he began studying double bass with Maestro Giorgio Vendola. He’s studied with Lee Konitz, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kenny Barron, Dado Moroni, Eddie Gomez and Buster Williams. He has performed in Italy, UK, Netherlands, France, Slovenia and the United States, and is now based in London where he is currently working with some of the most important musicians on the British jazz scene.

Multi award-winning drummer Steve Brown moved from his home town of Manchester to London in 1996. He quickly made his ‘swinging’ mark in support of visiting jazz giants Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison and Conte Candoli and soon became first-call sideman with many of the capital’s finest musicians. He’s a member of Scott Hamilton’s quartet and appears on Concorde and other major labels. Between engagements with Scott Hamilton, Steve has performed and recorded with a wide variety of artists including Benny Golson, Benny Green, Barry Harris, Junior Mance, Charles McPherson, John Bunch and Hod O’Brien.

‘Portrait of the MJQ’ promises ‘A refreshing treat for the ears” Rebecca Franks (BBC Music)

Examples of what to expect: Bluesology Autumn in New York

‘Portrait of the MJQ’ is available here

Jazz at Progress | The Nat Steele MJQ Quartet: Portrait of the MJQ

P’Jam | The Angel, Woolhampton

The Supertonics Big Band, plus guest vocalist Miss Sarah Jane Eveleigh | Bracknell

Sat 26 Nov | The Supertonics Big Band, plus guest vocalist Miss Sarah Jane Eveleigh | Popular 17-piece Swing Band | Carnation Hall, Winkfield Row, Bracknell RG42 7PA | 7.30pm | Tickets £12, reserve in advance via davidbennett470@gmail.com or 07739-314261 or www.thesupertonics.co.uk

Pete Churchill ‘Celebrating the Voice’ | Guildford

Renowned jazz vocalist Pete Churchill features with Nikki Iles on piano, Julian Nicholas on sax, Steve Brown on drums and Marianne Windham on bass, with an evening of songs from The Great American Songbook, accompanied by Pete’s trademark storytelling. There is an afternoon workshop exploring jazz singing through groove-based harmonies, led by Pete Churchill. Details on guildfordjazz.org.uk.

The Jazz Defenders | GLOW Henley at Leander Club

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