Artists
Paul Dunmall
For thirty years Paul Dunmall has carved out a reputation for himself and is now widely recognised as one of the most uncompromising and talented reed players on the International jazz/improvised music scene.Whether playing in small groups or big bands his musical sensitivity and imagination combined with a powerful sound make him one of the most distinctive improvisers playing today. His octet and Moksha big band showcases his abilities both as a composer drenched in the Jazz traditions and Folk traditions and as a sympathetic leader able to give maximum freedom to a elite group of fellow improvisers.
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Chris Bowden
Bowden had started his professional career in the heart of the acid jazz boom playing sessions and shows for Talking Loud’s K-Creative. He had continued to work with Simon Richmond (Palm Skin Productions) on Mo’ Wax. He had also contributed arrangements and playing for Jessica Lauren (Soul Jazz) and Jhelisa Anderson (Dorado), contributing a distinctiveness to all these projects that would only be recognised as his in retrospect. After ‘Time Capsule’ came out, he also played a large part in helping 4Hero develop the more organic, jazz-soul take on drum & bass that made up the first half of their “2 Pages” album. He wrote the music, arranged the strings and played sax on their “Hero” single, performing with them at live shows too. Also Chris MD’d and performed for American jazz legends James Mason, who was touring music from his Rhythm of Life album, and Doug Karn, with a set compiled from his Black Jazz Records catalogue. It was through his long association with The Herbaliser that Bowden came into contact with Ninja Tune and his second long player quickly followed.
myspace.com/chrisbowdendoesrehab
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Sara Colman
SARA COLMAN started out on piano and was writing songs in her teens even before she studied music at the Birmingham Conservatoire. Her debut solo album “Spellbound” was original material and her writing and arranging skills have led to commissions for artist such as Black Voices. Sara was a finalist in the BBC Radio 2 “Sold on Song” songwriting competition. Her formidable talent is just emerging on the national scene and she was among the elite group of artists selected for the Jerwood series of Rising Star concerts at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and in 2006 she was a recipient of one of the inaugural Birmingham Jazz Awards. Sara sings with Liane Carroll and Jacqui Dankworth in the trio The Passion. Check them out at www.myspace.com/thepassiontrio
www.saracolman.com
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The Sub Ensemble
The Sub Ensemble are developing as one of the finest jazz bands to emerge from our scene in recent times. Led by bass player Chris Mapp and featuring a host of talent including Mike Fletcher, Sara Colman, Mike Adlington and many more this young band love to play to new audiences. Their sound is somewhere between Tribe Records, Strata East, Fusion and Samba with a modern twist. Wherever they play their following grows stronger and they have played at some great venues and with other fine artists. After playing as part of the Town Hall opening festival in 2007 with Gilles Peterson they have gone on to record new material which is out on Treble O Records.
www.myspace.com/thesubensemble
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Tony Levin
Tony played at Ronnie Scotts London club in the 1960’s with Joe Harriott Al Cohn, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Zoot Sims, Hank Mobley, Lee Konitz, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Ron Mathewson, Dave Holland, Toots Thielemanns, Mick Pyne, Clifford Jordan, Joe Henderson, Gary Burton, Kenny Wheeler, Tony Coe, and Ronnie Scott, among others.
His first major position came when he joined Tubby Hayes’ Quartet (1965-9). He has worked with numerous groups and artists, including the Alan Skidmore quintet (1969), Humphrey Lyttelton band (1969), John Taylor’s trio, quartet and sextet (1970s), Ian Carr’s Nucleus (1970s), Stan Sulzmann quartet, Gordon Beck’s Gyroscope, duo with John Surman (1976), European Jazz Ensemble, Third Eye (1979), Rob van den Broeck (1982), Philip Catherine’s trio and quartet (1990s), Sophia Domancich Trio (with Paul Rogers, double bass; 1991-2000), Philippe Aerts trio and quartet (2000s).
Since 1980, Levin has worked extensively with saxophonist Paul Dunmall, including as a member of the free jazz quartet Mujician, also with Paul Rogers (double bass) and Keith Tippett (piano). In 1994, Levin released his solo album Spiritual Empathy, again with Dunmall on saxophones. In 2006 he played a trio gig with Dunmall & Rogers featuring Ellery Eskelin, Ray Anderson, Tony Malaby as guests at John Zorn’s The Stone in NYC. More recently he has recorded again with Paul Dunmall but this time with the addition of his son Miles Levin on drums ‘The Golden Lake’.
wikipedia.com/tonylevin
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Mike Fletcher
As a young boy, he was often distracted by whimsy, and as a result was never sufficiently exposed to the concept of the working week and the like for it to become an established part of my conscience. Instead of working hard to provide for the economy like a good citizen, he embarked on flights of fancy and imagination, hoping one day to stumble upon a purpose that would be sufficiently becoming of him, and that he could wear in public. On one such adventure, whilst searching for a suitable patch of sand in which to bury his head for a while, he was interrupted by a wise old merchant who gave him, in exchange for nearly all of his beans, an old phone, quite unlike one that he had ever seen before. Unaccustomed as he was to this unfamiliar technology, he couldn’t understand why the reception he was getting wasn’t very good. In fact, his first thought was that it was broken. Nevertheless, he persevered with it, and little by little the reception improved. He realised that this particular phone was a very effective means of communication, and that when used correctly could, in fact, transmit vast quantities of information across time and space. ‘Wow.’ He thought ‘Who needs a purpose when they have one of these!’ He thinks he is getting the hang of using it now, because most of the time, the reception he gets is very good.
myspace.com/mikejfletcher
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Dan Nicholls
A multi-instrumentalist Dan plays alto, tenor and keyboards often in the same musical situations. The broad spectrum he has on his instruments is reflected in his spacious yet intricate writing. Dan is frank about his musical influences and claims that attributing his compositions is his main inspirational focus. Dan’s piano trio were the house band at the Cheltenham jazz festival jam sessions and has been showcased by Birmingham Jazz. The trio has now been augmented with the addition of Robin Finker, of London’s Loop Collective on clarinet and tenor. He co-leads Massacre a five piece, electric, free-form, fusion car-crash, playing saxes and nord. His musical appetite has lead him to study the tabla and Indian classical music, and has performed with Sampad. Dan graduated from Birmingham Conservatoire in 2007.
myspace.com/risquearts
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Ray Butcher
A fine, original and creative trumpeter, Ray is a popular face on the Birmingham Jazz scene, playing frequently at Symphony Hall’s Rush Hour Blues with artists such as Edgar Marcias, Levi French, Tim Amman, Ben Markland, Miles Levin and his own group. Ray is a member of the Birmingham Improvisers Orchestra, long-term collaborator with TG collective and frequent performer at Tony Levin’s Jazz Club sharing the stage with some top names in the jazz field including Jean Toussaint, Phil Robson and Julian Seigel. In 2003 Ray played the trumpet solo at the world premier of “Requiem for Ground Zero”, by Steven Berkoff, and in 2005, performed first trumpet in the International Christian Embassy of Jerusalem Orchestra. He has played in numerous international jazz and blues festivals alongside such luminaries as BB King, Afro Cuban Allstars and Tania Maria. Also a very fine pianist, Ray even made a working appearance at the delightful Stringfellows club in his time! He can always be found at jazz events in the city both as performer or an audience member and is one of the great contributors to the scene.
myspace.com/raybutcher
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MJHQ (Led by Mike Hatton)
MJHQ makes an exciting contribution to the UK’s Midlands Jazz scene producing a mix of music, some of whose roots stem from an American jazz sound and others which are distinctly European. It’s been consistently said of the music that it evokes a filmic, perhaps TV drama theme tune quality and seems to draw from the likes of detective series from the 1970s and 80s. With guitar and saxophone prominent as front line instruments, and funky grooves providing the rhythmic bedrock, it’s not hard to understand comparisons with the likes of the Crusaders and the jazzier side of Little Feat. Led by bassist Mike Hatton, MJHQ comprises a strong line up of experienced Midlands jazz musicians. Sam Rogers and Tom Robins form the sax/guitar frontline and these are backed by Tim Amann on piano/keyboards, with drummer Andy Wheeler. There is an imminent Spring 2009 release of the band’s debut CD, So What’s Up? – an album of original material written and arranged by Mike Hatton and the band on Birmingham’s Rehab Records label.
Through early forays into pop/rock, funk, reggae, and jazz/blues music in the late70s, Mike has clung on most of all to the latter up to the present time. As well as spending many years in his jazz line ups, he has performed consistently since 1982 with the hugely talented but relatively underexposed Birmingham guitar and sax blues/jazz legend, Steve Ajao in Steve’s Blues Giants. Mike has had over two and a half decades of experience playing as part of this powerful three-piece UK line up with a band steeped in the music of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Jimi Hendrix. Mike has also backed some high profile Blues stars such as Lowell Fulson, Diana Braithwaite and Chris Whiteley.
www.rehabrecords.co.uk
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Tom Chapman
Tom’s Found Objects band builds on the success of his final recital at Birmingham Conservatoire. The band centers on Tom on drums and percussion, Percy Pursglove on double bass and Mike Fletcher on flutes and saxes, exploring an expressive space that bridges different traditions, from flamenco and samba to British and European folk roots. Guests Neil Yates and Lydia Glanville recently joined the band for a debut public performance for Birmingham Jazz at The Jam House. As a key member of the Cobweb Collective, Tom was part of the team that set up cobwebcollective.com as well as running the thursday night at the Yardbird Jazz Club. He also drums for The Yardbird Nonet, whose debut performance featured composer/arranger Frank Griffith on tenor and Jeremy Price on trombone with more projects in devlopment. Whilst studying on the jazz course at the Conservatoire, Tom developed his passion for folk and world music joining the The Conservatoire Folk Ensemble, led by good friend and supporter, Joe Broughton. Tom still plays with the ensemble, which tours the UK annually. Tom is in increasing demand as a percussionist specialising in cajon. Performance credits include guesting with folk-punk band Violent Femmes at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, singer/songwriter Chris While, world-kit with Neil Yates and cajon and bohdran with The Old Dance School. Tom was recently featured in Paolo De Gregorio’s DG Cajones’ artist DVD, Los Caminos Del Cajon which charts the history and global spread of this increasingly popular instrument. Representing the UK, Tom appears alongside international artists including Hamid Drake, Zakir Hussain, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Stewart Copeland, Miguel “Anga” Diaz, Juan Flores and more.
