COMING UP
May 4th LUNCHTIME CORONATION JAZZ with MARK CROOKS & COLIN OXLEY
May 16th SIMON SPILLETT & BRUCE ADAMS
July 18th VIMALA ROWE – For The Love of Ella
April 18th
MOSCOW DRUG CLUB
A curious musical place where elements of Berlin Cabaret, Latin Tinge, French musette and storytelling meet…
Imagine having a few to drink and staggering arm in arm into the darkness of an eastern European cobbled street and stumbling into a bar where Django Reinhardt and Tom Waits are having an after-hours jam with the local Tziganes.
Combining their original material with songs by the likes of Jaques Brel, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen & Eartha Kitt, Moscow Drug Club delivers an intoxicating and intimate musical experience.
★★★★ Brilliant – The Jazz Mann
Tickets £20 online here, from the Box Office on 01252 811009 or on the door (cash or card). Doors and bar open from 7.15pm, performance 8pm to 10pm
May 4th
CORONATION LUNCHTIME JAZZMARK CROOKS & COLIN OXLEY
Friends for 30 years , clarinet /saxophone player Mark Crooks and guitarist Colin Oxley,two of the UK’s finest jazz musicians have been performing together since first meeting at the Guildhall School of Music in 1991. Quickly discovering they liked the same records, the same players and the same humour, they have enjoyed each others playing and company since an early duo residency at Cafe Bohème in Soho in the 1990s. A shared love of learning and playing standards has led to hundreds of gigs together in jazz venues around the country .
Join us for an hour of lunchtime jazz with this wonderful duo as they perform a selection of songs from the Great American Songbook along with bossa novas and classic jazz pieces.
The Harlington Function Room, 12 to 1pm, £10 cash or card on the door
May 16th
SIMON SPILLETT & BRUCE ADAMS QUINTET“An evening to remember!”
Simon Spillett – tenor sax, Bruce Adams – trumpet/flugelhorn, Rob Barron – piano, Marianne Windham – bass, Pete Cater – drums
Simon Spillett is a musician with a considerable following and is considered by many to be the natural heir to the late, great Tubby Hayes. He is a technically accomplished and highly fluent saxophone soloist who cites Hayes as his primary source of inspiration. Spillett is also an established authority on Hayes and his music having authored a book about his musical hero in addition to providing the liner notes for numerous archive releases of Hayes material.
Not only is Bruce Adams one of the jazz scene’s most dramatic and stimulating performers, he is also one of its most affable companions to fellow musicians and audiences alike. Bruce has the ability to produce jazz in a great range of styles, while all the time maintaining his own personal approach and possesses a level of musicality that enables him to get the right ‘feel’ for whichever genre he chooses. On top of all that, Bruce is a master of trumpet and flugelhorn (sometimes simultaneously), his command of his horns never fails to captivate with a rare blend of power and control that can leave you breathless. All of this plus his tendencies to indulge in a sense of outrageous humour and generally to have a great time means that you can anticipate evening to remember.
Rob Barron is a London based jazz pianist, arranger and composer and has been described as “one of the most creative and versatile musicians of his generation”. Born in East Yorkshire he started playing the piano at the age of five and by the time he was in his teens, was performing his first gigs with infamous local band Jazz Soup, playing a weekly residency in Hull that lasted over two years. Rob moved to Leeds in 2000 to study Jazz at Leeds College of Music where he was awarded the prize for outstanding performance on the BA Hons programme. During his time in Leeds he played with Bob Mintzer, Tim Garland and Soweto Kinch and was a first call sideman for visiting artists. After four years of working as a pianist on the Leeds and Manchester scene, Rob moved to London in 2004 to further his studies at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, gaining an MMus with distinction in Music Performance. Rob has become a mainstay of the London jazz and studio scene playing with visiting American artists Al Jarreau, Marlena Shaw (Ronnie Scott’s club residencies,) Benny Golson, Phil Woods, Grant Stewart, Sheryl Bailey and in groups lead by leading UK artists Jacqui Dankworth, Stacey Kent, Claire Martin, Dave O’Higgins, Steve Fishwick, Allison Neale, Anita Wardell, Georgia Mancio and Jean Toussaint. Rob was also a member of the award winning group Kairos 4tet. He regularly appears with the BBC Big Band and Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra.
Pete Cater is best known for his superb big band which is currently playing the Buddy Rich repertoire and he has played with virtually every big band in the UK. The son of a drummer and grandson of a saxophonist and bandleader, Pete has worked with USA legends Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis, Benny Carter, Barney Kessel, Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison and Nat Pierce as well as UK jazz luminaries Elaine Delmar, Ronnie Scott, John Dankworth, Humphrey Lyttelton and many, many more…
“A gifted and versatile drummer, at home in any context…” Rough Guide To Jazz
Tickets £20 from the Box Office on 01252 811009 or on the door (cash or card). Doors and bar open from 7.15pm, performance 8pm to 10pm
June 20th
JAZZ SAMBA!Featuring leading tenor saxophonist Mark Crooks and award winning guitarist Nigel Price, JAZZ SAMBA! spotlights Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd’s ground-breaking 1962 recording, the first ever fully fledged bossa nova album recorded by American jazz musicians. A commercial success, it topped the LP charts on its release and produced its own pop hit single, Desafinado.
With Mark Crooks – tenor sax, Nigel Price – guitar, John Cervantes – piano, Marianne Windham – double bass, Demi Garcia Sabat – drums/percussion
Much in demand as both leader and sideman, MARK CROOKS is a lyrical and passionate saxophonist in the Stan Getz mould. He has appeared at jazz clubs and festivals throughout Europe, and at the Lincoln Center in New York and is a long-standing member of the celebrated John Wilson Orchestra with whom he plays at the BBC Proms each summer. He is also a member of the award-winning Back to Basie Orchestra and was the featured clarinet soloist in the TV special “A Swingin’ Christmas “ and also the JWO’s Gershwin in Hollywood album , recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall in 2016.
Mark 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 Center in New York. Currently Mark is enjoying playing in ‘Jazz At The Movies’ with singer Joanna Eden, ‘Salud Tom Jobim!’ with Georgia Mancio and with his own quartet in concerts around the UK. He also features in ‘Getz, A Musical Portrait’ with the Chris Ingham Quartet and in drummer Matt Skelton’s Manne – Date Quintet.
Over a career spanning more than 25 years, award winning jazz guitarist NIGEL PRICE has become widely acknowledged as one of the hardest working musicians in the business.
Musically, his blend of flowing bebop lines, deep blues sensibility and his mastery of chording continue to delight audiences and fellow musicians alike. Starting his professional career in his early 20s, Nigel toured Europe with various reggae and funk bands before settling on a solo guitar career and turning his attention to jazz. Citing early influences as Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Nigel honed his craft by attending gigs and sitting in with the players of the time.
Nigel has played on more than 50 albums including 5 as a leader, spent ten years with acid jazz outfit The Filthy Six, was a member of James Taylor’s band for 3 years (with whom he recorded 5 albums) and performed with the legendary David Axelrod.
He has worked tirelessly to organise his own tours and has picked up a Parliamentary Jazz Award (Best Jazz Ensemble, 2010), a nomination for a British Jazz Award (Best Guitarist, 2014) and a British Jazz Award (Best Guitarist, 2016) along the way. Nigel is a regular performer at London’s Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club where he has made more than 500 appearances.
JOHN CERVANTES is a jazz pianist, composer, and arranger whose playing has strong roots in the swinging jazz tradition, inspired by masters such as Oscar Peterson, Kenny Barron, Mulgrew Miller, and Benny Green. However, he also incorporates classical and world music influences into his compositions… in his quest to express those undefinable flashes of life, creation, emotion & passion that make music so powerful! He has appeared at the biggest jazz festivals in the country, including Cheltenham, Love Supreme, Glasgow, and EFG London. And is a regular presence in the UK’s leading venues, both as a bandleader and as an accompanist for singers, big bands, and instrumentalists. We are delighted to welcome John for his first visit to Fleet Jazz.
Originally from Barcelona, now based in London, DEMI GARCIA SABAT studied at the London College of Music and is currently studying through Artistworks with jazz legend Peter Erskine. He works as a freelance percussionist specializing in Flamenco, Jazz, Arabic, Latin, Iberian Folk, and pop music and has toured all over Europe, North Africa, and USA.
“A thoroughly joyful evening!”
“Thank you for a tremendous evening, one of the nicest gigs I’ve seen in a long time. We’re still smiling!”
Tickets £20 from the Box Office on 01252 811009 or on the door (cash or card). Doors and bar open from 7.15pm, performance 8pm to 10pm
July 18th
VIMALA ROWE QUARTET“FOR THE LOVE OF ELLA“
An evening celebrating Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady of Song, featuring Vimala Rowe and Janette Mason
Trace the golden thread that weaves through Ella’s life, from her youthful heights to her mature majesty. Love, pain and joy, she has connected the world through song. The show offers an insight into this legendary songstress and how she influenced the emerging world of jazz through her collaborations with Chick Webb, Duke Ellington and Count Basie to her immense catalogue of Grammy awarded recordings peaking with the iconic Ella Songbook series of the 1950s which has become the soundtrack to an era.
Vimala and Janette honour the unique honesty that she brought to her recordings and live shows, whilst delivering a swinging time for all.
World Jazz vocalist Vimala Rowe has had musical projects such as a highly successful duo with guitar legend John Etheridge, a show as Billie Holiday with Café Society performing at the Theatre Royal in London, writing and blending the blues with flamenco legend Paco Pena and performing at Sadler’s Wells, and has just had successful sold-out appearances at Ronnie Scott’s 2022 and London Jazz Festival 2021 including her interpretation of the famous 1956 Billie Holiday at Carnegie Hall. Her self-titled EP Vimala of original work earned her an Indy Music Award.
Her range is from big band to intimate duo, Jazz and blues through to international folk and Northern Indian Classical – which she studied for a year in Nagpur, India. ‘I love to make music that can be a shared heart opening experience, especially when performing live. The musicians, the audience coming together in moments of love and clarity and in pain, it’s what I live for’. – Vimala Rowe
‘Immensely soulful, powerful performance’ London Jazz News
‘One of the most distinctive singers to come along in some time’ – The Sunday Times
‘Vimala Rowe, who is recognised as one of the best vocalist of her generation’- The Week
‘A wonderful singer with a passionate delivery which completely captures the audience ‘- John Etheridge
Tickets £20 from the Box Office on 01252 811009 or on the door (cash or card). Doors and bar open from 7.15pm, performance 8pm to 10pm
The La Casa Trattoria restaurant, whose menu offers all manner of Italian food delights, are offering a 25%discount for pre-show meals. Please book a table or view the menu here and just show your ticket on the night to claim your discount (offer applies between 5pm and 7pm on show days).
Fleet Jazz Club 