LLANDUDNO JAZZ FESTIVAL
The Musicians
With over 40 musicians performing across the festival weekend, you'd be forgiven if a few of them had slipped by your radar! Find out who everybody is, and what else they've been up to, below... click on a name to read more about that musician
Peter King
PETER KING, hailed by one critic as, “ the finest alto saxophonist that Britain has ever produced, and one of the finest in the world today” has been a major influence on the British Jazz scene ever since he played (at the age of eighteen!) the opening of Ronnie Scott's Club, London’s internationally famous Jazz Mecca. Peter’s has also recently completed a new and extensive autobiography which is available now through Northway Books.
Appearing: 2pm, Friday, Peter King Quartet, Festival Marquee.
Alan Barnes
ALAN BARNES is probably the best loved jazz musician on the UK scene. Not only is he a great saxophonist, playing the kind of jazz audiences love, but he posesses a ready wit and can always be relied upon to present a show which is both thoroughly engaging musically and genuinely funny. He's won too many British Jazz Awards to mention.
Appearing: 6pm, Friday, Jazz Messengers Legacy, Festival Marquee
10pm, Friday, Barnes / Adams Quintet, Festival Marquee
10pm, Saturday, Festival Octet, Festival Marquee
10pm, Sunday, Festival Big Band, Festival Marquee
Dave Newton
DAVID NEWTON is a huge favourite on the UK jazz circuit and has been voted best Jazz Pianist in the British Jazz awards over 10 times. He's bringing his new trio with whom he's just recorded a new CD. Entitled 'Big Screen Volume 1', the album is set for release on Linn Records next spring. It features music from the movies - some well known things, some not so well known and even some downright obscure.
Appearing: 10pm, Saturday 25th July 2015 with Festival Octet, Festival Marquee
12pm, Sunday 26th July 2015, Dave Newton Trio, Festival Marquee
Anita Wardell
Anita Wardell's singing is exciting and breathtaking. She is noted for her mesmerizing and captivating vocal improvisations and vocalese lyrics to instrumental solos. Anita is a musician who uses the voice as her instrument, displaying precision and agility, mixed with heartfelt emotion.
Appearing: 8pm, Sunday, Anita Wardell, Festival Marquee
Mark Nightingale
The UKs most reknowned trombonist, MARK NIGHTINGALE is an internationally acclaimed jazz soloist, highly respected writer, and one of the UK’s most in demand studio musicians.
Appearing: 4pm, Sunday, Mark Nightingale Quartet, Festival Marquee
10pm Sunday, Festival Big Band, Festival Marquee
Bruce Adams
BRUCE ADAMS is a dramatic and stimulating performer who cut his musical teeth on solid commercial work – on cruise liners, in dance halls, music halls, and even worked in support of comedy legends like, Tony Hancock and Freddie Starr. He has been a regular jazz poll-winner and with his spectacular range and power on the instrument has been in demand as a lead, and jazz trumpet man. He didn't fail to take influence from his days on the comedy circuit either, always presenting a happy and often riotous show.
Appearing: 10pm, Friday, Barnes/Adams Quintet, Festival Marquee
8pm, Saturday, Top Brass Revisited, Festival Marquee
10pm, Saturday, The Festival Octet, Festival Marquee
Dean Masser
Described as "British Jazz's best kept secret" DEAN MASSER has been storming the jazz club circuit with his huge sound and swinging energy. A former student of the great New York pianist Hal Galper, Dean is as well versed in rip-roaring Dexter Gordon style excitement as he is in the more thoughful approach championed by Stan Getz. Dean makes the classic jazz repertiore his own.
Appearing: 6pm, Friday, Jazz Worriers' Messengers Legacy, Festival Marquee
10pm Saturday, The Festival Octet, Festival Marquee
10pm, Sunday, The Festival Big Band, Festival Marquee
Don Weller
Tenor saxophonist DON WELLER is among the true originals of British jazz, with his cavernous sound and utterly unpredictable turn of phrase. A powerful player with a robust sound, Weller is one of the best post-bop tenor saxophonists in the UK.
Appearing: 6pm, Saturday, Don Weller Quartet, Festival Marquee
10pm Saturday, Festival Octet, Festival Marquee
Esther Ambros
Esther Ambros came to the UK a year ago for a break from the demands of the Barcelona jazz scene. Daughter of a famous opera star and a jazz pianist, her vibrant performance reflects the enormous musical personality of the former and the intimate musical integrity of the latter. A relaxed improviser, comfortable singing in Spanish, English or Portuguese, Esther has been wowing UK audiences with her effusive mixture of jazz standards, Brasillian songs and Spanish flamenco sensibilities.
Appearing: 2pm, Sunday, Esther Ambros Band, Festival Marquee
Denys Baptiste
Baptiste played with Gary Crosby and Nu Troop before releasing his debut album in 1999, Be Where You Are, which was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize and won the MOBO award for Best Jazz Act 1999. He since released two albums. His third album Let Freedom Ring! was nominated for the MOBO award for Best Jazz Act 2004, the BBC Jazz Awards for Best New Work and Best Album 2004, and the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Album 2004.
Appearing: 6pm, Sunday, Denys Baptiste's "Late Trane", Festival Marquee
Huw Warren
Welsh pianist and composer Huw Warren has achieved an international reputation for innovative and eclectic music making over a twenty year career. Equally at home crossing the often exclusive worlds of Jazz, World and Contemporary music, he has a distinctive and personal voice. He was awarded the BBC Jazz award for Innovation, and the ACW Creative Wales Award and is currently artist in residence at Brecon Jazz.
Appearing: 4pm, Saturday, Art Theman's Festival Five, Festival Marquee
Neil Yates
After a long period experimenting with the blending of traditional music and jazz, which spawned two albums and a number of commissioned works for jazz orchestra, NEIL YATES recently took a sabatical in New York. After an intense period of study with stars like Scott Wendholt, Mike Rodriguez, Jeremy Pelt, Hal Galper, Barry Harris and Billy Drewes, he has returned to the UK jazz scene with a new vigour and a new authority. He received the ACW Creative Wales Award 2012.
Appearing: 6pm, Friday, Jazz Worriers' Messengers Legacy, Festival Marquee
12pm, Saturday, Tribute to Cannonball, Festival Marquee
8pm, Saturday, "Top Brass" Revisited, Festival Marquee
2pm, Sunday, Esther Ambros Band, Festival Marquee
Jim Mullen
Glasgow-born Jim Mullen is probably Britain's best known jazz guitarist. With a distinctive style, like Wes Montgomery before him, picking with the thumb rather than a plectrum, Jim performs a richly dynamic set of originals and "Mullenised" standards. Expect hard swinging, melodic, blues-drenched Modern Jazz. Excitingly and uniquely, Jim’s band has elements of the old and the new. It’s a mixture of “tradition and transition” as he puts it. Contemporary knowledge applied to a basic determination to swing.
Luke Flowers
LUKE FLOWERS is the first call jazz drummer in the north of England. His high octane performances are reminiscent of Art Blakey, Jack De Johnette and Elvin Jones and he is the fire under most of the region's top bands and visiting soloists. His work with the Cinematic Orchestra and Corrine Bailey Rae has brought him some recognition on the world stage, but his jazz chops make one of the UKs most under-rated jazz drummers.
Appearing: 4pm, Saturday, Art Themen's Festival Five, Festival Marquee
John Ellis
JOHN ELLIS is Northern England's most respected jazz and soul pianist. When his contemporaries on the Manchester jazz scene (Mike Gorman, Mike Outram, Neil Yates, Steve Brown et al) moved to London in the mid-nineties, Ellis chose to remain in the North, and has kept the scene there bouyant for two decades with his many and varied projects including the Big Bang, Baked A La Ska, Kirsty Almeida's Troubadores, Cinematic Orchestra.
Appearing: 2pm, Sunday, Esther Ambros Band, Festival Marquee
Rob Fowler
Long time associate of the Humphrey Lyttleton Band, ROBERT FOWLER's swinging, exhilerating tenor and baritone sax playing is very much in the style of Scott Hamilton, Zoot Sims and Al Cohn. Since leaving the Pasadena Roof Orchestra, Robert has worked with many bands and has also released his own CD entitled Front and Centre. He has also been working and touring with Bryan Ferry on his recent album As Time Goes By and he runs the Gerry Mulligan Concert Band.
Appearing: 4pm, Sunday, Mark Nightingale Quartet, Festival Marquee
Steve Brown
Manchester-born STEVE BROWN is regarded as one of the most swinging drummers around. Working as a sideman he's lent his authentic jazz feel to all the capitol's finest jazz musicians and visiting soloists including engagements with jazz greats Harry 'Sweets' Edison and Conte Candoli, Benny Golson, Benny Green, Carl Fontana, Barry Harris, Junior Mance, Charles McPherson. Steve was the winner of the 'Drums' and 'Rising Star' categories in the 1999 British Jazz Awards.
Appearing: 10pm, Friday, Barnes/Adams Quintet, Festival Marquee
8pm, Saturday, Top Brass Revisited, Festival Marquee
Arnie Somogyi
Based in Leighton Buzzard, Arnie is a powerful bass player, a talented composer, bandleader and a jazz lecturer at Birmingham Conservatoire. He’s performed and recorded with a wide variety of leading musicians, from pop legends Tom Jones, Amy Winehouse and Charlie Watts to renowned jazz artists including John Dankworth, Stan Tracey, Steve Grossman, James Moody, Bobby Hutcherson, Art Farmer, Joey Calderazzo and Bud Shank. "Somogyi has respect for the jazz tradition whilst simultaneously subtly undermining it. Long may he continue to do so."
Appearing: 8pm, Saturday, Top Brass Revisited, Festival Marquee
2pm, Sunday, Mark Nightingale Quartet, Festival Marquee
Dick Pearce
Trumpeter, jazz educator and author of "Dizzy Gillespie Was At My Wedding" DICK PEARCE has created his own theoretical concept of taking the "Scenic Route" through a tune. He has written an insightful tutor book on the subject. Since the mid 1970s he's been a prominent figure on the UK jazz scene thanks to his unique style and his long term involvement with the Ronnie Scott Quintet.
Appearing: 4pm, Saturday, Art Themen's Festival Five, Festival Marquee
Rod Youngs
Originally from Washington DC, USA, now resident in London, has been heard with the late Gil Scott Heron, Gary Crosby’s various groups, Jon Hendricks and the late Abram Wilson among others. Propulsive yet still sensitive, Rod is The engine powering Denys Baptiste's new band Late Trane.
Appearing: 6pm, Sunday, Denys Baptiste's Late Trane, Festival Marquee
Bryan Archer
BRIAN ARCHER is an unsung hero of the jazz trombone in the UK. He's been crucial to the John Dankworth and Michael Garrick Orchestra, committing many fine trombone solos to CD. His solo work is always stunning and should be much better recognised. Away from the jazz scene, Archer's trombone has worked its magic enhancing the careers of established pop/mainstream heavyweights such as Chris Rea, Brand New Heavies, Shirley Bassey, Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick.
Appearing: 6pm, Friday, The Jazz Worriers' Jazz Messengers Legacy, Festival Marquee
Percy Pursglove
Birmingham graduate PERCY PURSGLOVE honed his amazing trumpet chops at The New School in Manhattan, where he also trained on double bass, and performed with The Duke Ellington Orchestra at Birdland, The Coltrane ensemble and the Rene Marie Big Band at Town Hall. An exciting, dynamic player and a free spirit on both instruments he also recently featured as soloist with the German WDR Big Band.
Appearing: 8pm, Saturday, Top Brass Revisited, Festival Marquee
Art Themen
A highly individual playing style marks ART THEMEN’s performances and had he chosen to adopt music as a full-time career he would have doubtless been an international artist of considerable stature. That he has achieved his present high standing in the jazz world while at the same time pursuing his medical career as a consultant surgeon, is testimony to his remarkable gifts.
Appearing: 4pm, Saturday, Art Themen's Festival Five, Festival Marquee
Trefor Owen
Internationally renowned guitarist TREFOR OWEN has for many years been the driving force behind the North Wales Jazz Society and North Wales Jazz Guitar Festivals. He recently toured California, appearing in San Francisco and at John Pisano’s Guitar Night at Spazios, Sherman Oaks, L. A and appeared at the prestigious Jazz Cafe, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. and performed in the Jazz Bar at the Classic American Guitar Show.
Appearing: 2pm, Saturday, Shades of Shearing, Festival Marquee
Jamie Brownfield
Young trumpeter JAMIE BROWNFIELD was awarded 1st place in the 'Rising Star' category of the 2012 British Jazz Awards. Equally at home in traditional jazz and modern jazz he's been taking the UK circuit by storm with his partner in crime Liam Byrne and their two diverse projects the Brownfield Byrne Quintet (BBQ) and the Brownfield Byrne Hot Six.
Appearing: 8pm, Saturday, Top Brass Revisited, Festival Marquee
Kevin Holborough
KEVIN HOLBOROUGH is the top jazz trombone teacher at Leeds College of Music and is a sensitive yet daring soloist on the instrument. As a composer he writes great hard bop tunes that wouldn't be out of place on a Jazz Messengers Album.
"Kevin is one of a new breed of British trombone players making waves on the jazz scene. Check him out!" Dennis Rollins
Appearing: 10pm, Sunday, The Festival Big Band, Festival Marquee
Andy Hulme
North West guitarist Andy Hulme has enjoyed a long term partership with Trefor Owen, and is a regular member of the Brownfield Byrne Quitet and Hot Six. He's a deft accompaniest and soloist with an arsenal of killer jazz guitar styles he draws upon from every era of jazz.
Appearing: 2pm, Saturday, Shades of Shearing, Festival Marquee;
Clark Tracey
Growing up in a jazz environment as the son of Stan Tracey CBE, the UK's leading jazz pianist CLARK TRACEY started playing the drums at 13, and turned professional at 17. His place in UK jazz is indisputable. As a band leader and sideman he's been a pro-active leader from behind the kit for over 30 years and has graced the stages of pretty much every major British jazz artist, every jazz festival, and every venue. He's also been instrumental in kick-starting the careers of many a young jazz turk.
Appearing: 8pm, Friday, Clark Tracey Quintet, Festival Marquee
Mike Gorman
MIKE GORMAN moved to London in 1995 and quickly caught the attention of the top players. He's been a pro-active force on the scene ever since, lending his fluid, Oscar Peterson influenced chops to the bands of Peter King, Don Weller, Guy Barker, Alan Skidmore, Bobby Wellins, Art Themen, Stan Sulztmann and Alan Barnes and Tina May and Clare Teal. He's also a rocking Hammond Organist, holding down the groove with Jim Mullen's organ trio for years. He's more recently become interested in arranging for big band and so has taken on the massive task of running his own, gigging at the Bull's Head in Barnes among other venues.
Appearing: 2pm, Friday, Peter King Quartet, Festival Marquee.
4pm, Friday, Jim Mullen Trio, Festival Marquee
Tom Hill
American bassist and actor TOM HILL is based in the Midlands and is a huge presence on the jazz scene there with his singing double bass tone, stylish and exciting solos, solid basslines, and big sense of humour. He always kicks up a storm whoever he's working with, and that's everyone who visits the Midlands...
Appearing: 6pm, Friday, The Jazz Worriers' Jazz Messengers Legacy, Festival Marquee
12pm, Saturday, Chris Gumbley's Tribute to Cannonball, Festival Marquee
Dan Nicholls
As a founder of the Loop Collective in London, keyboardist Dan Nicholls will more often be found in the world of experimental electronica, but his four years at Birmingham Conservatiore provided him a solid grounding in Modern Jazz piano. His straight ahead playing is always challenging the genre, drawing influence from his work in current idioms, but staying true to the ethos of swinging acoustic piano. His solos always turn a corner, lead you down a path you weren't expecting, then guide you gently back to safety again!
Appearing: 12pm, Saturday, Chris Gumbley's Tribute to Cannonball, Festival Marquee
Carl Hemmingsley
Midlands based drummer Carl Hemmingsley's understated swing playing is a familiar sound to audiences in the area where he's kept busy providing his characteristic slow-burn intensity under all the visiting soloists. including John Dankworth, Julian Arguelles, Guy Barker and Wynton Marsalis. Carl was awarded the Kenny Clare Drum Award as the "most exciting drummer on show" in the BBC Big Band competition a few years back...
Appearing: 12pm, Saturday, Chris Gumbley's Tribute to Cannonball, Festival Marquee
Tom Farmer
TOM FARMER became a familiar figure in UK jazz through his association with the celebrated young jazz group Empirical. He's equally at home backing London's top jazz names or working on the more experimental fee jazz and electronica scene. He's also bass tutor at Guildhall School of Music.
Appearing: 12pm, Sunday, Dave Newton Trio, Festival Marquee
8pm, Sunday, Anita Wardell, Festival Marquee
Mark Fletcher
Drummer MARK FLETCHER's band has a regular late set slot at Ronnie Scott's where drummers come to learn and other musicians come to ask to play with him. His CV reads a bit like a modern jazz lovers record shelf: Dizzy Gillespie, Mark Murphy, James Moody, Michel LeGrand, Norma Winstone, Liane Carroll, Ronnie Scott and Pete King. He doesn't mind telling the crowd to shut up either, so beware!
Appearing: 2pm, Friday, Peter King Quartet, Festival Marquee.
6pm, Friday, The Jazz Worriers' Jazz Messengers Legacy, Festival Marquee
John Donaldson
Pianist JOHN DONALDSON lived for then years in California where he studied with Joe Henderson, worked and gigged with local notables including Eddie Henderson, Red Holloway, John Handy, Richie Cole. Upon returning to UK in 1993, with remarkably little publicity or fuss, he's become one of Britain’s most exciting jazz pianists with his own distinctive style. The leading musicians on the British scene choose him fist or second call, and he also accompanies visiting U.S. soloists like, Art Farmer, Conte Condoli, Freddie Hubbard, Scott Hamilton, and Ingrid Jensen. He was the winner of the piano category at the 2006 British Jazz Awards.
Appearing: 6pm, Friday, The Jazz Worriers' Jazz Messengers Legacy, Festival Marquee
10pm, Friday, Barnes/Adams Quintet, Festival Marquee
6pm, Saturday, Don Weller Quartet, Festival Marquee
Matt Skelton
Drummer MATT SKELTON has kept London's drummers on their toes through his hard swinging work with Stacey Kent, Kate Williams, Alan Barnes, Damon Brown, The Pasadena Roof Orchestra, Harry Sweets Edison, Scott Hamilton, Harry Allen, and Warren Vache, and his classical percussion chops with the Halle, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Britten Symphonia, Sir Richard Rodney Bennet and the John Wilson Orchestra, with whom he recorded the soundtrack for Beyond The Sea, starring Kevin Spacey.
In his spare time he co-runs a big band, the Skelton-Skinner All Stars..!
Appearing: 4pm, Friday, Jim Mullen Trio, Festival Marquee
Andrzej Baranek
ANDRZEJ BARANEK is a Manchester based pianist who reached the semi-finals of the Nottingham International Jazz Piano Competition 2010. An adept Latin pianist, his work with Salsa stars Jimmy Bosch and Joe Bata has lent him an edgy and fiery sound that makes him a key member of many bands, most notably The Magic Hat Ensemble and The Jazz Worriers. More recently he has turned his hand to playing contemporary songs in a jazz style in his solo set which is both quirky and classy.
Appearing: 8pm, Saturday, Top Brass Revisited Festival Marquee
THE JAZZ LIST :
Bill Colman
Leicestershire born bassist BILL COLEMAN started his jazz career with the legendary American drummer Kenny Clarke. He's continued to support the UKs top players and visitors like American guitarist Mundell Lowe. He has featured as resident bassist on several jazz festivals, promotes jazz events and assists, whenever possible, in funding jazz projects. Bill also writes compositions for groups from trios to orchestras. In other spheres, he was Helen Shapiro's musical director and pianist for many years, toured with Kiki Dee plus spells with Sir Harry Secombe and The Barron Knights.
Appearing: 2pm, Saturday, Shades of Shearing, Festival Marquee;
Chris Gumbley
Saxophonist CHRIS GUMBLEY has for many years juggled promoting jazz events around the Midlands with travelling the world as an Associated Board Examiner. His educational music for woodwind features widely on ABRSM and Trinity/Guildhall syllabuses. He taught saxophone at Birmingham Conservatoire for 15 years and presented his own radio show, Jazzbeat, on BBC Radio. But besides all that he's an accomplished and exciting altoist and own band is a tribute to his all time hero Cannonball Adderley.
Appearing: 12pm, Saturday, Chris Gumbley's Tribute to Cannonball, Festival Marquee
Neil Charles
Ex-Tomorrow's Warrior and former member of Empirical, NEIL CHARLES is a classically trained double bass player who is pretty handy as a jazz electric bassist. Leader of the free-improv trio, Zed-U, Charles also collaborates with a vast range of UK based artists from both the jazz and pop genres. He's a member of Denys Baptiste's new project Late Trane.
Appearing: 6pm, Sunday, Denys Baptiste's Late Trane, Festival Marquee
Eryl Roberts
ERYL ROBERTS moved out of London 15 years ago and has been the backbone of the North West jazz scene ever since. His live appearances and recording work with Mike Walker, Iain Dixon, Les Chisnall, Neil Yates, Richard Illes and John Ellis have been key in keeping jazz alive and well in the north of England and across North Wales.
Appearing: 2pm, Sunday, Esther Ambros Band, Festival Marquee
Paul Sawtell
PAUL SAWTELL plays both piano and vibraphone - but usually not on the same gig! Well known for his prowess on both he's a favourite all over the UK jazz scene as both sideman and guest soloist.
Appearing: 2pm, Saturday, Shades of Shearing, Festival Marquee
Geoff Gasgoyne
GEOFF GASGOYNE's early jazz work was playing electric bass in the groups lead by Jim Mullen and Ian Shaw. In 1993 he founded his first group 'Wabash with guitarist Malcolm MacFarlane in which he started playing the acoustic bass. He's enjoyed long associations with the bands of Georgie Fame, Guy Barker, Bill Bruford, and Jamie Cullum. He's released six CDs of his own and produced albums for many others.
Appearing: 2pm, Friday, Peter King Quartet, Festival Marquee.
Robin Aspland
Pianoman ROBIN ASPLAND moved from Leeds to London in 1984 and became very well known in UK jazz circles, playing with resident and visiting artists such as Iain Ballamy, George Coleman, John Dankworth and Cleo Laine, Pete King, Dick Morrissey, Orphy Robinson, Arturo Sandoval, Ronnie Scott, Bobby Watson, Kenny Wheeler. He is also known and respected as an especially adept accompanist to vocalists.
Appearing: 8pm, Sunday, Anita Wardell, Festival Marquee.
Andy Cleyndert
ANDY CLEYNDERT's first professional experience was as resident bassist at the George Chisolm Club in Manchester where he backed visiting Jazz soloists including Americans such as Art Farmer and Joe Newman. Early tours included working with bands led by saxophonists Bobby Wellins, Don Weller and Bobby Watson, and trumpeters Ted Curson and Red Rodney. He also began working with a string of visiting soloists including Bud Shank, George Coleman, Ray Bryant, John Hicks and Lee Konitz. He was a menber of the Ronnie Scott Sextet and Quartet and now runs the Trio Records Label.
Appearing: 12pm, Friday, Peter King Quartet, Festival Marquee.
