RECENT REVIEWS

NEWS AND EVENTS

Sun 20 May, 8:00 pm Julian Siegel, Liam Noble, Gene Cadarazzo and Oli Hayhurst.

@ Studio Theatre at the Everyman, Regent Street , Cheltenham. GL50 1HQ

photo: Leonie Puschas

We are truly in for a treat tonight, the quartet is led by Julian Siegel who was brought up in Nottinghamshire and was dragged by his parents to all the first class gigs they could. “I didn’t always want to go but they made me.” He said. It certainly paid off! Julian is a graduate of the University of East Anglia and won the 2011 London Awards for Art and Performance. His playing history is much like a who’s who in jazz, possibly best known for co-leading the Partisans with Phil Robson.

But tonight he is with his new rhythm section with Liam Noble on piano, who, studied as an undergraduate at Oxford and as a postgraduate at the Guildhall School of music. He became the regular pianist with Stan Sulzman in 1991. Now, John Fordham says of him “a brilliant pianist who hardly ever plays a solo without at least one turn of phrase that brings you to the edge of your seat.” The Guardian.

On drums we have Gene Caldarazzo, an American jazz drummer, born in New York, but currently residing in the UK where he is a visiting tutor at the Birmingham Conservatoire, the Royal Academy of Music, Trinity and the Guildhall. He also plays drums for the Partisans and Zoe Rhaman to name but two of many.

We have Oli Hayhurst on bass, Oli moved from Cambridge to London in 1995 to study at the Royal Academy of Music, he is proficient on the double bass, bass guitar and the guitarron. Between 2000 – 2002 he played with Gilad Atzmon and co-founded the Orient House Ensemble, playing on their first two albums. He also featured on Zoe Rhaman’s Mercury Nominated “Melting Pot.”

He’s also played with everyone in Jazz! So, all in all, not a night to be missed, so please book early to avoid not disappointment, but devistation!

Tickets are £11.00 from the box office: 01242 572573 or on line: www.everymantheatre.org.uk

Mon 11 June, 8:00 pm Asaf Sirkis Trio with Tassos Spiliopoloulos (gtr) and Yaron Stavi (db)

@ Studio Theatre at the Everyman, Regent Street , Cheltenham. GL50 1HQ

photo:Paul Chousmer

You might have heard Asaf’s profile on R3 the other night and wondered how little old Cheltenham Jazz has managed to get such a busy guy! He has several projects on the go right now and has an impressive history. This all started in Israel where he honed his drumming skills in an environment that encompassed North African, Mid/East European, Middle Eastern and particularity Yemenite cultures. He moved around Israel, playing jazz/rock until he settled in London in 1999 where he firmly established himself on the international jazz scene.

A year later in 2000 Tassos Spiliopoloulos moved to London, from Greece, he studied guitar at the Guildhall and Trinity schools of music. He also attended seminars at the School for Improvisational Music in New York City where he studied and performed with Ralph Alessi, Ravi Coltrane, Brad Shepik, Jim Black and Drew Gress. Tassos has worked with a host of musicians, currently playing with tonight’s guys plus Robin Finker in a quartet.

Lastly, on bass, Yaron Stavi, who is classically trained and served under such luminaries as Pierre Boulez and Neville Mariner. Came to London in 2002 and was at the start of the Orient House Ensemble and since has played with a multitude of people.

As you will gather from the three names, this will be a truly international affair, not to be missed, so please book early to get into the very intimate setting of the Studio Theatre.

Tickets are £11.00 from the box office: 01242 572573 or on line: www.everymantheatre.org.uk

Wed 20 June, 8:00 pm Dick Pearce Quartet

@ D’FLY, 1A Crescent Place, Cheltenham. GL50 3NX

This gig is being generously sponsored by COMFORT CONTROL DESIGN

Dick Pearce, born in 1951, started a torturous path to jazz, playing trumpet with the local Boy’s Brigade, then on to the local brass band. A lot later in 1972, leaving the army after sitting on a horse playing bugle calls, he joined bands playing free jazz, then towards the end of the 70’s found himself in more structured bands such as Michael Garrick and Don Rendell. 1980 saw Dick start a fourteen year stint with Ronnie Scott, he will be a familiar face to anyone watching the BBC4 films from Ronnie’s.

In more recent years Dick has been heard with Alan Barnes/Don Weller’s Tribute to Cannonball Adderley, the Don Weller Big Band, Tim Richards’ ‘Great Spirit’, John Williams’ ‘New Perspectives’, Stan and Clarke Tracey’s ‘Ellingtonia’, PD3 with Dick Pearce and John Critchinson’s tribute to Ronnie Scott band.

With a background like that, Dick is well qualified to play with what is coming to be known as the “Local Rhythm Section” (Which was, incidentally, praised to the roof by Mark Nightingale the other night)

The rhythm section, of course, comprises of the always wonderfully inventive Dave Newton on piano, the solid, melodic underpinning of Tom Hill on bass and the ever musical and sympathetic drumming of Simon Radford. Again, many thanks to Paul and Comfort Control Designs for supporting the gig tonight.

Tickets (cash/chq only) £11, CJ Members/Concessions £10.
Available at the door, or (cash only) from Millennium Music, 26 Winchcombe Street Cheltenham GL52 2LX

Tue 10 July, 8:00 pm Greg Abate Quartet

@ Studio Theatre at the Everyman, Regent Street , Cheltenham. GL50 1HQ

We are honoured tonight to welcome Greg Abate on saxes and flute. Greg hales from Massachusetts, after a four year stint at Berklee he toured with Ray Charles as lead alto in his band. In 1978 he formed “Channel One” a favourite band in New England. He went on to play in the revived Artie Shaw band for a while before branching out as a hard-bop soloist playing world –wide, which, luckily includes Cheltenham.

Greg has many recordings under his belt including “Evolution” which was nominated for a Grammy, James Williams, Harvie S and Billy Hart was the rest of the line up.

Greg is also an adjunct professor of Jazz Studies at Rhode Island College and an active jazz clinician with company sponsorship from the Conn -Selmer Instrument Co., conducting workshops and master classes through the U.S and abroad.

Many people have said a lot of nice things about Greg, but I think Jim Merod of New Jazz Recordings sums it up thus: “Greg Abate is one of the most appealing saxophonists on the scene today. He is mature with an abundance of gentle self-confidence. The result is that he plays music with sweetness and daring.”

That last quote could also be true of our pianist tonight, Dave Newton, who never fails to surprise and delight! The other two stalwarts tonight need no introduction, the marvellous Tom Hill on bass and the amazing Simon Radford on drums.

This gig will hugely benefit from the intimate setting of the Studio Theatre, the downside being the limited capacity, so, remember to book early to be assured of another great night of Cheltenham Jazz.

Tickets are £11.00 from the box office: 01242 572573 or on line: www.everymantheatre.org.uk

Wed 18 July, 8:00 pm Jim Hart Trio

@ D’FLY, 1A Crescent Place, Cheltenham. GL50 3NX

Tonight we are resting the reeds and welcoming the vibraphone and the amazing hands of Jim Hart. Jim was born in Cornwall and from the age of four played drums and piano, this went on to include tuned and orchestral percussion. He became a founder member of the London based LOOP collective and now is highly in demand as a soloist and sideman on both vibes and drums.

Jim has several bands under his belt and he was recently a special guest with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra as part of their London residency with the Barbican centre.

At the moment, Jim is touring with his Trio which includes Dave Smith, drums and Mike Janisch, bass.

Born in Norwich, Dave Smith began playing drums at the age of nine. By the time he was sixteen Dave had performed at the Royal Albert Hall and had won a full scholarship to become a specialist musician at Wells Cathedral School. He then went on to study Jazz Performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he graduated with a BMus in 2003. Dave is now best known for his work in co-leading Outhouse, a Loop Collective group that formed in 2005. Since releasing their debut record on the Babel label, Outhouse have toured the UK and extensively round the world.

Mike Janisch was at college in Wisconsin gearing up for a career in sport until a devastating injury made him change course, that course was to the bass, he changed college to Berklee and has not looked back since. After a while in NYC he moved to London and very quickly got established in the UK jazz scene.

As “London Jazz” puts it: “Contributions like Janisch’s – both as bassist and as producer – to the musical life of our great city are beyond price”

Another stunning line-up, slightly different this time, but not to be missed!

Tickets (cash/chq only) £11, CJ Members/Concessions £10.
Available at the door, or (cash only) from Millennium Music, 26 Winchcombe Street Cheltenham GL52 2LX