Jake McMurchie Colossus Quartet - A tribute to Sonny Rollins
Jake McMurchie was born in London in 1971 and studied at cambridge university in 1990. He has recoded and performed with many bands and artists such as: What Four, Ultrasound, NYJO, John Law, Fernando Tordo, Stephanie Mackay, Super Furry Animals, Portishead and Andy Hague to name but a few.
He is currently playing in Get The Blessing who will be performing at our 2010 festival.
This dynamic new quartet takes the passion and fire of the master
saxophone player as inspiration for their own interpretations of some
of Sonny Rollins classic repertoire old and new.
Jake lists some of his influences as: John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter Sonny Rollins, Dewey Redman, Miles Davies, Ornette Coleman, Andy Sheppard, Adrian Utley, Jim Barr, Mark Lockheart, Ian Bellamy, Bill Frisell, Kraftwerk, Radiohead, Kings of Leon, The Beatles and Elvis.
"... the inventive McMurchie, his sensual tone falling somewhere between early sonny rollins and Pink-Panther tenorist Plas Johnson, was a revelation. Where has he been?"
London Evening Standard, Nov 2007.
"Virtuosic" and "...shades of Archie Shepp's small group work echoing the free-er aspects of Sonny Rollins"
Venue Magazine, April 2008.
Chris Rand Trio
Chris Rand grew up in Swanage. After completting a degree in Classical music at Cardiff University in 2006 he is now currently living in London and has started on a Masters course in Jazz performance at the Guildhall School of Music, studying under Jean Toussaint.
Chris is a very talented tenor player with a big sound. His stylistic influences include the more traditional sax players such as Sonny Rollins, Hank Mobley and Dexter Gordon.
Recently Chris has been writting new music which he will be debuting at our club night. His new project focusses on Dorset inspired music and many of the pieces will be linked to Thomas Hardy. The gig will also include a number of group compositions.
Al Scott - piano
Richard Sadler - bass
Jason Reeve - drums
The Swiss
The Swiss is a London based Jazz-Rock trio who were formed in 2007 at The University of Southampton and were quickly snapped up by Chiwawa Records. Their first EP 'Souvenir’ [Chiwawa Records 2008] received critical acclaim from the music industry with Neil Cowley noting “I love these guys, check out The Swiss!” Shortly after their appearances at The Isle of Wight and Cheltenham Jazz Festivals in May 2008, they locked themselves in Real World Studio's with producer Marco Migliari [Peter Gabriel] to work on their debut album ‘Fraudulent Jazz’. The album explores the outer limits of jazz crossing into a variety of musical genres such as Latin, Reggae and Rock. Released to the UK at the end of 2009, the album has attracted attention from music critics.
"[Fraudulent Jazz] picks up the threads of the best inventions of the 1970's, carelessly trampled by the Marsalis explosion. Clear melodic ideas and structures drawing on jazz, rock, Latin and world music show a sharp sense of mood and substantial compositional promise." (Mark Gilbert, Jazz Journal)
They are currently trying out new material and after a tour of festivals and gigs around the UK this summer, The Swiss intend to go back to the studio in the autumn to produce their next EP; this suite of music will give a hint of what is still to come from this emerging trio.
Philip Clouts is known for his work with worldbeat band Zubop, with whom he has recorded five widely acclaimed albums, toured internationally and played at major festivals including WOMAD and Glastonbury.
Philip lists his musical influences as Keith Jarrett, John Scofield, Dr John, Hilton Ruiz, Abdullah Ibrahim and Hugh Masakela.
His quartet features saxophonist Carlos Lopez-Real from the London
F-IRE collective, whom Dave Liebman says ‘plays with a sound that comes from his soul’. The band will be performing a set of melodic contemporary jazz from their new CD ‘Sennen Cove’.
‘Superb, uplifting music, influenced by Latin and African jazz and New Orleans funk ... enormously enjoyable ... accessible but distinctive’.
Jazz UK
Phillip Clouts - piano Carlos Lopez-Real - saxophone
Ben Taylor - bass Mark Heyward - drums
Sophie Smith
Sophie is cited as one of the country’s finest young jazz vocalists. A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music, Sophie is signed to Woodville Records, owned by the great British jazz saxophonist Alan Barnes.
Her debut release in 2010, “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To…” features her fantastic trio: Ross Stanley (piano), Chris Hill (bass), and Graham Fox (drums), as well as guest stars, Stan Sulzmann (saxes) and Jim Hart (vibes).
Sophie performs an eclectic programme of music, ranging from George Gershwin to Kenny Wheeler to Joni Mitchell. She gives a vibrant and fresh edge to the old jazz standards and complements them perfectly with her choice of contemporary jazz songs and original compositions.
“Sophie Smith has all the attributes associated with being that rarity, a great singer. They are: superb intonation, beautiful quality of voice and an ability to pitch the most difficult of intervals with apparent ease. However, it is her peerless sense of swing, her phrasing and her harmonic awareness that move her into the category of a great jazz singer - an even rarer breed.”
(Alan Barnes, 2009).
“Her fluent and lyrical singing displays a musical maturity beyond her years…”
(Anita Wardell)
Migliari [Peter Gabriel] to work on their debut album ‘Fraudulent Jazz’. The album explores the outer limits of jazz crossing into a variety of musical genres such as Latin, Reggae and Rock. Released to the UK at the end of 2009, the album has attracted attention from music critics.
