21 st May

Steve Buckley Quartet

 

Steve Buckley on alto first started learning to play the clarinet when he was 10 and he had become a member of the Bromley Symphony Orchestra by the time he was 14. He was with them for 4 years playing all the major classical pieces. During this time, he also took up the saxophone with a pile of Charlie Parker records as his guide and inspiration. He became a key member of Loose Tubes

in the eighties and at the same time he was closely associated with the London, African and Latin American jazz scenes. He has recorded several albums with

Django Bates and has also been a long-time associate of trumpeter Chris Batchelor. However, Steve’s main area of work has been with the contemporary jazz scene and as such he has worked with Julian Arguelles, Iain Ballamy, Seb

Roachford and Mark Lockheart amongst a host of others. In 2006 he and Chris Batchelor won the BBC3 Jazz Award for the best new work with their suite ‘Ten Tall Tales’. He is also passionate about teaching and with over 30 years of

experience he is absolutely devoted to music education. He is joined tonight by Simon Robinson on piano, Nigel Thomas on bass and Milo Fell on drums.

 

 

28th May

Sam Walker Quartet

 

Sam Walker was a prodigy of the late Bobby Wellins with whom he had studied and had often played alongside of. He is a professional saxophonist based in Surrey, with many years of experience playing different genres of music: jazz, blues and soul. He has played everywhere from various jazz/blues clubs in Europe, to the famous Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. He was last here earlier this year and gave us a great night of Tenor playing. He is accompanied tonight by Dave BeeBee on piano, Godfrey Sheppard on bass and Javier Forero on drums.

 

Tuesday 4 th June 2019

Simon Savage Quartet

 

Simon Savage is a former NYJO member who studied at the Leeds College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. He has played many gigs with Mark Bassey, both in a small group setting and as part of the extremely popular Bassey Plays Basie. He has also

played in the Pete Cater Big Band as well as various projects of his own. He is a very busy teacher of the saxophone, flute & Clarinet as well as jazz improvisation. He is accompanied tonight by Terry Seabrook on piano Paul Whitten on bass and Spike Wells on drums.

 

Tuesday 11 th June 2019

Peter Long/John Pearce Quartet

 

Peter Long started his musical career by joining NYJO having done a two-year course at the Royal College of Music in London. It was whilst he was with NYJO

that he learnt to play all the saxes, the flute, the trumpet, the bass guitar and the clarinet. He then did a spell on the QE2 where he acquired the knack of bandleading, assembling ad-hoc ensembles on the ship for various functions. After that he joined the award-winning quartet ‘Itchy Fingers’ and ended up touring the world and playing alongside the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, John Scofield, Chic

Corea and ‘Supersax’. This was followed by a six-year stint playing in the West End Theatres and then a five year stay with the Jules Holland’s Rhythm & Blues Orchestra. As well as this he also founded and lead the ‘Echoes of Ellington Jazz Orchestra’ and recreated the famous ‘Jazz at The Philharmonic’ concert of July 1944. More recently he has concentrated on education and takes many master classes and plays as a soloist with young musicians across the country. John Pearce had classical piano lessons from the age of eight but had become interested in jazz by the time he was 12. He turned professional in 1968 when he started working on the cruise liners including the maiden voyage of the QE2. He then joined the ‘Ray Ellington Quartet’ for 10 years and at the same time, he became a regular session player working with the ‘BBC Radio Orchestra’ and ‘Jack Parnell’s Orchestra’ and well as touring with the ‘James Last Orchestra’. He has toured all over the world and for the last 19 years has been with the ‘Scott Hamilton Quartet’. The rest of the quartet tonight is Godfrey Sheppard on bass

and Bobby Worth on drums.