MACIEK PYSZ (guitar) gave us a great gig at Jazznights, The Cock Inn, Clare on Sunday 30th March 2014

Since arriving in the UK in 2003 Maciek has quickly established himself as an up-and-coming artist and has toured the UK, USA and Europe with his project and as a sideman to some well known international artists

He mainly plays acoustic and classical guitars and his influences come from Tango, Flamenco, Latin, Jazz, Brazilian and Classical music.

Maciek Pysz is originally from Poland and currently based in London. He has been playing guitar for over 16 years and has studied jazz, latin and classical music. Arriving in the UK in 2003 he quickly established himself as an up-and-coming young guitarist and has toured round Europe. “Incredibly talented” Jazz Forum.

“…combination of enormous talent, virtuosity and passion as well as a deep sensitivity” Rich Rainlore (Rainlore’s World Of Music)
“Incredibly talented young guitarist” Jazz Forum
“Acoustic guitar/Percussion/Bass-led world roots and modern jazz sounds from this EST/Avishai Cohen-sounding trio…Recommended!” Time Out
“Maciek…shows in his playing an unusual combination of passion and virtuosity which easily grabs the audience” Nowy Czas
“…combination of enormous talent, virtuosity and passion as well as a deep sensitivity” Rich Rainlore (Rainlore’s World Of Music)
“Incredibly talented young guitarist” Jazz Forum
“Mesmerising, magical music!” Torfaen Jazz Club
“Your tone is beautiful and there is some real sensitivity in your music which is what the world needs” Kai Eckhardt (bass player: John McLaughlin, Steve Smith)
“You sound great!” Mike Walker (Guitarist)
“Maciek Pysz has wowed the crowds at almost every Jazz venue that matters in London” Spoonfed
“
“He plays everything like he means it and plays with an impressive nimble precision and awareness of the whole sonic picture” Phil Wain (NoTreble.com reviewer)

Maciek’s improvisational and accompanying style is quite unique as it’s a combination of many influences coming from the jazz, Spanish, classical and Brazilian guitar traditions. He is able to improvise using chords and melody and sometimes detunes the sixth string of his guitar both to accompany himself while playing solo and to accompany others

He mostly plays using a pick and alternate picking style but also by finger picking, on both nylon and steel string guitars. Very often he uses both techniques on the same tune. He has never used many digital effects and produces all the sounds by himself using guitar’s natural palette of sounds

More recently, Maciek has found inspiration in the long solo improvisations of Keith Jarrett and French guitar virtuoso Sylvain Luc. Other people who have influenced him greatly are guitarists Pat Metheny and Paco De Lucia as well as South American masters of music Astor Piazzolla, Egberto Gismonti, the incredible John McLaughlin, Ralph Towner and the group Oregon, bassist Jaco Pastoriun, Turkish pianist Aydin Esen, Cameroonian bass player Richard Bona, Israeli bassist and composer Avishai Cohen, the jazz greats Wayne Shorter and Miles Davis, and gypsy jazz guitarist Bireli Lagrene.

Maciek Psyz played at Jazznights with:
Alex Best – Drums
After achieving his music degree and studying with the likes of Troy Miller (Mark Ronson, Amy Winehouse), Trevor Tomkins, Craig Blundell and Ash Soan (Adele, Cee Lo Green, Robbie Williams), Alex has become an in demand drummer for many artists in a variety of genres. His vast performance experience includes TV work, European & UK tours, numerous albums and session recordings, live radio broadcasts and music video, along with appearances in theatres, clubs, festivals and on various stages all over the UK.
Fluent in many styles including funk, rock, soul, jazz, blues and contemporary genres, Alex is relied upon for his groove and attitude in every musical situation.
Alex gas played with EZ Rollers (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Grand Theft Auto), Sian Evans (UK Singles Chart #1, Kosheen), Dave O’ Higgins, Mick Hutton, Trudy Kerr, Juliet Kelly, Bruce Adams, Carl Orr, Bridget Metcalfe, Pete Long, Michael Mondesir (Usher, Whitney Houston, Billy Cobham), Carl Hudson (Professor Green, Jocelyn Brown) amongst others.
Bernie Hodgkins – Double Bass Inspired by an uncle, who played and recorded with Django Reinhart and Stephane Grappelli in the legendary Quintet de Hot Club of France,Bernie grew up in a Jazz-oriented family.Their influence led him to  become a  respected bass player behind such people as Matt Munroe,Dickie Valentine and Dennis     Lotus, in the early stages of his career. Bernie is  particularly acknowledged as  being one of the few players to bring an authentic, driving jazz feel to both the double bass and the bass-guitar, and for his fluent and creative soloing. Tonight Bernie was playing his 5 string double bass with the extra C string.
Simon Brown – Piano
Simon’s piano playing has long been the sound accompaniment of first choice for nationally and internationally known jazz stars appearing at Jazznights as well as Norfolk’s two leading jazz venues, He is also an accomplished soloist in his own right, blending  vivacity and creative attack with often gentle lyricism.  His influences are Oscar Peterson,  Nat “King” Cole and Bill Evans. Since graduating from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in  1990,  Simon has worked as a performer, teacher of piano and music arranger and regularly appears at the most popular jazz clubs in East Anglia. His involvement in Blues, Jazz and Jazz-Funk combos have led to appearances at many jazz festivals and has shared the billing with the likes of Jools Holland, The James Taylor Quartet, Stacey Kent and Bobby Wellins apart from his regular performances as a primary member of the Jazznights Roger Odell Trio.
With additional vocals from:
Larraine Odell – vocals
Beginning her professional singing career with the group CMU with whom she recorded two albums, Larraine performed at numerous venues throughout the UK and Europe, including the Purcell Room, RFH.  Boxford Fleece & Ronnie Scott’s.Larraine possesses a  unique smouldering tonal quality and a subtle jazz phrasing style that has elicited great     praise from two of her own vocal mentors, Mark Murphy and Sheila Jordan. “A sensitive   singer who exudes a fine-honed jazz sensibility with every phrase.” She has since appeared at Ronnie Scott’s Club as a member of the group Jimpster, at the Boxford Fleece with pianist Steve Lodder, most of the other jazz clubs in the region, and at the Aldeburgh, Layer Marney and Southwold Jazz Festivals.

Maciek Psyz gave us a great first set which included:
Little Sunflower is a tune written by the great trumpeter Freddie Hubbard off of his 1967 album Backlash. This is a modal tune based around the key of D minor.
Fresh Look is a composition by Maciek which will be featured on his next album and will be released on 33Jazz later this year.
Amici,” co-written by Pysz and guitarist Gianluca Corona and featured on his latest album Insight which is a superb album that readily conjures images of warm, sun-kissed landscapes.

Following the Jazznights raffle for 3 jazz CDs and a bottle of wine Larraine Odell joined the band to sing a stunning version of But Beautiful Music    Jimmy Van Heusen and Lyrics from Johnny Burke. (Bing Crosby introduced “But Beautiful” in the fifth “Road” film that he made with Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. Road to Rio in 1948)
Maciek Psyz then continued with just the trio for:

Walking on the Moon is a 1979 song by The Police composed by Sting, from their second album, Reggatta de Blanc. The song was The Police’s second number-one hit single in the U.K.
Spain is an instrumental jazz fusion composition by jazz pianist and composer Chick Corea. It is probably Corea’s most prominent piece, and is now considered as a modern jazz standard.
Stella By Starlight composed by Victor Young and introduced in the 1944 Paramount film, The Uninvited. Charlie  Parker was responsible for making the first recording of it in a jazz context in January, 1952
Estate (meaning Summer) is an Italian song written in 1960 by Bruno Martino (music). A minor hit in Italy when released, it eventually became a worldwide jazz standard largely through its interpretation by João Gilberto.
I t may be considered a relatively short play list bit these were superb extended versions played by a master of the guitar very ably  supported by the Jazz Nights Trio. Alex Best stood in for our regular drummer Roger Odell who was playing in South Africa with Shakatak this evening.

Our thanks to Colin Attenborough for the additional photographs.

ANITA WARDELL (vocals)will be at the next jazznights gig on Sunday 13th April 2014
Anita’s singing is exciting and breath-taking. She is noted for her mesmerizing and captivating vocal improvisations and vocalese lyrics to instrumental solos. She is a musician who uses the voice as her instrument, displaying precision and agility, mixed with heartfelt emotion. Anita has been voted Best Vocalist in the 2013 British Jazz Awards.

This will be very popular so please book early’
Music 8.00 – 10.30pm   Admission £10.00
at The Cock Inn, Clare, Suffolk CO10 8PX
Reservations strongly advised on 01787 237653  or or email Your booking is held until 8pm on the night. Doors open 7.30pm.
For details of future gigs go to www.jazz-nights.com

ROSALIE GENAY (vocals) gave a great night at Jazznights on Sunday 16th March 2014. Rosalie is an exciting jazz vocalist with physical and musical roots in The Netherlands and a hint of a French heritage

A celebrated chanteuse; a vocalist with great technical skill and equally gifted in the expression of song.

In 2001 she moved to Sydney to continue her vocal studies at The Australian Institute of Music before settling in London for the past ten years. She was a semi-finalist in The Dutch International Vocal Competition in 2011.

Rosalie has been teaching and directing extensively in and around London since moving here in 2004. She has worked with BA Music Theatre and college students preparing for exams, auditioning for drama school entry, West End musicals and the Music Theatre MA course at The Royal Academy of Music and directed large scale productions such as ‘Les Miserables’, ‘Honk’ and ‘Annie’ for High Wycombe Swan Youth Theatre.

Besides working as a private tutor and free-lance as facilitator and coordinator, she is a Lead Music and Vocal Tutor for Tower Hamlets Arts and Education Services; providing singing classes, African drumming and Early Years Music Sessions for Children’s Centres and Nurseries as well as teaching singing and drama at Jigsaw Performing Arts Schools in Kent and Greater London.

Rosalie is a completely charming Dutch-born, London-based vocalist and songwriter who has appeared in various venues in Australia, Europe and the UK: Bb Jazz Club – Berlin, Chet’s Jazz Bar – Amsterdam, and all over London. She recently recorded her debut album REALMS, with pianist Rebecca Nash, which included the Dutch version of Leonard Cohen’s Suzanne some of which she sung at this lovely gig.

Rosalie Genay was accompanied by the Roger Odell Jazznights Trio who were:
Roger Odell – Drums
Roger was one of the founder members and drummer with the jazz-funk group Shakatak and the forerunner band Tracks. Roger has toured internationally and recorded numerous    CDs, which he continues to do on a regular basis to this day. Apart from a great power   drummer he is also a prestigious arranger. Musically, his first love was always straight-ahead contemporary jazz, and in the past he has played with many of the great names on the UK scene including Don Rendell, Barbara Thompson, Dick Morrissey, Terry Smith, Joe Harriott and countless others. Roger is the author of three technical articles which appeared in the international magazine Modern Drummer.
Bernie Hodgkins – Double Bass Inspired by an uncle, who played and recorded with Django Reinhart and Stephane Grappelli in the legendary Quintet de Hot Club of France,Bernie grew up in a Jazz-oriented family.Their influence led him to  become a  respected bass player behind such people as Matt Munroe,Dickie Valentine and Dennis     Lotus, in the early stages of his career. Bernie is  particularly acknowledged as  being one of the few players to bring an authentic, driving jazz feel to both the double bass and the bass-guitar, and for his fluent and creative soloing. Tonight Bernie was playing his 5 string double bass with the extra C string.
Simon Brown – Piano
Simon’s piano playing has long been the sound accompaniment of first choice for nationally and internationally known jazz stars appearing at Jazznights as well as Norfolk’s two leading jazz venues, He is also an accomplished soloist in his own right, blending  vivacity and creative attack with often gentle lyricism.  His influences are Oscar Peterson,  Nat “King” Cole and Bill Evans. Since graduating from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in  1990,  Simon has worked as a performer, teacher of piano and music arranger and regularly appears at the most popular jazz clubs in East Anglia. His involvement in Blues, Jazz and Jazz-Funk combos have led to appearances at many jazz festivals and has shared the billing with the likes of Jools Holland, The James Taylor Quartet, Stacey Kent and Bobby Wellins apart from his regular performances as a primary member of the Jazznights Roger Odell Trio.
With additional vocals from:
Larraine Odell – vocals
Beginning her professional singing career with the group CMU with whom she recorded two albums, Larraine performed at numerous venues throughout the UK and Europe, including the Purcell Room, RFH.  Boxford Fleece & Ronnie Scott’s.Larraine possesses a  unique smouldering tonal quality and a subtle jazz phrasing style that has elicited great     praise from two of her own vocal mentors, Mark Murphy and Sheila Jordan. “A sensitive   singer who exudes a fine-honed jazz sensibility with every phrase.” She has since appeared at Ronnie Scott’s Club as a member of the group Jimpster, at the Boxford Fleece with pianist Steve Lodder, most of the other jazz clubs in the region, and at the Aldeburgh, Layer Marney and Southwold Jazz Festivals.

Larraine Odell opened the first set with:
Too Close for Comfort (1956) Words and Music by Jerrold L Bock, Lawrence Holofcener and George Weiss.
Insensatez translated to How Insensitive in English, is a bossa nova jazz standard composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim, loosely based on Frédéric Chopin’s Prelude No.4 with English lyrics by Norman Gimbel.
You Stepped Out of a Dream is a popular song with music written by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Gus Kahn that was published in 1940.
Here’s That Rainy Day (1953)with Music from Jimmy Van Heusen and Lyrics    by Johnny Burke.

Rosalie Genay then joined the Jazznights Trio for her first set which included:
All Of Me. At the 2000 Award and Induction Ceremony, the Songwriters Hall of Fame selected this as one of two songs to receive that year’s Towering Song Award. Praising the Marks/Simons composition.
Embraceable You (1930) which is a popular song, with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The song was originally written in 1928 for an unpublished operetta named East is West.
Arthur Altman and Jack Lawrence’s 1940 All or Nothing At All.
Please Do It Again (1922) AKA Do It Again – Music by George Gershwin and Lyrics from BG De Sylva.
I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy. a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific.
I Just Found Out About Love is a popular song composed by Jimmy McHugh, with lyrics by Harold Adamson.

Following the interval and the Jazznights raffle of 3 jazz cd’s and bottle of wine Rosalie Genay then re-joined the Jazznights Trio for the second set which included:

Suzanne is a song written by Canadian poet and musician Leonard Cohen in the 1960’s. Rosalie recorded this with Rebecca Nash on her new album Realms.
Oh Lady, Be Good is from the musical Lady Be Good written by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson with music by George and lyrics by Ira Gershwin.
Blame It on My Youth (1934) written by Oscar Levant with lyrics by Edward Heyman.
A funky version of No Moon At All (1948) written by David A Mann with lyrics by Redd Evans.
Irving Berlin’s 1932 How Deep Is the Ocean? (How High Is the Sky?.
Love Is Here to Stay is a popular song and a jazz standard. The music was written by George Gershwin, the lyrics by Ira Gershwin, for the 1938 movie The Goldwyn Follies.
Tom Waits’s composition Yesterday Is Here which Rosalie also recorded on her new album Realms.
But Beautiful (1947) was scored by composer Jimmy Van Heusen and lyricist Johnny Burke, who collaborated for over a dozen years and produced dozens of hits and award-winning songs.
Bye, Bye, Blackbird is a song published in 1926 by the American composer Ray Henderson and lyricist Mort Dixon and has become a popular jazz standard and was ung by Rosalie with an up-tempo rhythm.
As a great finale by Rosalie we had But Not for Me, a popular song, composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.It was written for their musical Girl Crazy (1930) and introduced in the original production by Ginger Rogers.

MACIEK PYSZ (guitar) is featured on Sunday 30th March 2014 at a return visit to Jazznights.
Since arriving in the UK in 2003 Maciek has quickly established himself as an up-and-coming artist and has toured the UK, USA and Europe with his project and as a sideman to some well known international artists. He mainly plays acoustic and classical guitars and his influences come from Tango, Flamenco, Latin, Jazz, Brazilian and Classical music.

Book early for this gig with the Jazznights Trio and vocals from our own resident songbird Larraine Odell.
Reservations on 01787 237653 or email info@jazz-nights.com  
Admission £10.
Music p.m.8pm-10.30pm. Sitting-in spots from local musicians

For further information, future gigs and location go to www.jazz-nights.com