The Adam Glasser Quartet’s phenomenal gig at Jazznights, The Bell Hotel in Clare, Suffolk on Sunday 30th August 2015

(click on images for larger pictures)

Award-winning Jazz harmonica and keyboard player Adam Glasser grew up in South Africa and is currently London-based. Adam has played with artists such as Martha Reeves, Hugh Masekela and Dominic Miller.
Adam won the 2010 SAMA Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. His current album Mzansi has been nominated Best Jazz Album at the 2012 SAMA Awards.

“My dad gave me a harmonica when I was 17, for Christmas. I tried to play it, but it was too difficult”, The offending instrument then went into a drawer for 10 years…

Adam became a pianist working on cruise ships and in restaurants “that’s how I learned to play”. A modest description, because he studied in Paris before the mid-1980s when he regularly worked with various South African jazz artists. On a cruise ship in the Caribbean, he met a harmonica player and asked for a couple of lessons.

“At the same time I discovered a Stevie Wonder album, Eivets Rednow, which is Stevie Wonder backwards. It was Burt Bacharach songs on this album. They were the most fantastic interpretations. When I heard that I thought, Hey, I’ve got one of those and I started to check it out.”

As a pianist the plan was to figure out where the notes were. He played both instruments at the same time to visualise the knotty technicalities, a skill he now uses on stage.

“But, having said that, Toots Thielemans, the world’s greatest harmonica player, was already a guitarist… You need another instrument to help you learn the harmonica, particularly for jazz”.

Being the son of South African composer Stanley Spike Glasser exposed him to all sorts of 01 musicians, but he still had to find his own way to express his talent.

“I would never have dreamed I would be playing a jazz festival in Cape Town. It’s taken a long time and if there’s one thing I could suggest to people, it’s keep your nerve”.

While the harmonica still features under the miscellaneous category of jazz instruments, Adam not only plays it well but brings a uniquely South African touch to it.

He finally recorded his debut album Free at First in 2009. After winning a Sama for best contemporary album he really wanted to work with South African artists and prepared several tracks, and over a matter of days he worked with several artists to record Mzansi in September 2010, but it took another year of post-production to finish.

“Every single second of that album, I meant, there was nothing left to chance.”

The Adam Glasser Quartet Featured:

Rob Luft -Guitar
Rob hails from Sevenoaks, where he studied for his ‘A’ Levels at the Judd School. Having received tuition from jazz guitarist Mike Outram, he began professionally at the age of 15, and he has held the guitar chair in NYJO since early 2010.
He is also a member of the NYJO Nonet, as well as various small groups on the London jazz circuit, such as the Hammond band he co-leads, Organism.
Over the past few years he has enjoyed performing with British jazz luminaries such as Nigel Hitchcock, Gareth Lockrane, the Callum Au Big Band, and many others, and he has performed nationwide at renowned jazz venues, including the 606 Jazz Club, the Spice of Life, the Bull’s Head, and Charlie Wright’s International.

Jay Davis – Drums
Drummer and LCoM graduate Jay Davis was the winner of the Yamaha Jazz Scholar award 2012.
Studied Jazz percusion at the Royal Academy of Music and studied at the Leeds college of music.
A superb jazz drummer and a powerful corner stone of the Adam Glasser Quartet.

Joe Downard – Double Bass
oe started playing electric bass at the age of 12, when he spent 5 years training with, and being mentored by, the great Herbie Flowers – bass player on landmark records with Davie Bowie and Mark Bolan – giving him great insight in to a wide variety of playing styles.
Though Herbie, Joe was granted a scholarship to join the Dartington International Summer School Youth Music Programme, where he played bass in a group of very fine musicians.
Currently a member of NYJO, Joe has also appeared with the BBC Big Band and is now pursuing a successful studio and session career as both an electric and upright bass player of Jazz, Blues, Country, Soul and Hip-Hop.

A great gig of extended versions of South African Township music and jazz standards from cannonball Adderley, Duke Ellington, Sonny Rollins, Wesb Montgomery to name just a few with Adam Glasser playing superbly on both his Hohner CX12 harmonica and keyboards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Jazznights raffle not only consisted of 3 jazz CDs but also a Hohner Melody Star Harmonica – with a free lesson!

Sun 13 Sep – KRISTIAN BORRING (gtr) will be at Jazznights on Sunday 13th September 2015.
Danish guitarist, composer and bandleader, Kristian Borring, has been described as a “guitarist of enormous technical ability who utilizes his considerable gifts thoughtfully and tastefully, a highly accomplished guitarist.” – The Jazz Mann. “Hyper-cool..warmth, confidence and a rhythmic hipness”. John Fordham – The Guardian.

THE BEST IN BRITISH MODERN JAZZ is at  Jazznights, Clare, Suffolk.

Admission £10. Doors open 7.00 pm. Music 8.30 – 10.00 pm.

Reserve seating on 01787 237653 or email info@jazz-nights.com
Pay on the night.

You can join us at facebook, read reviews of previous performances on more opinions blog or tweet at twitter.com/jazznightsuk 

Pictures from past gigs can also be seen HERE

For further information on future gigs go to www.jazz-nights.com
__________________________________________________________

Brandon Allen returns to Jazznights at Clare to play with the Roger Odell Trio and Larraine Odell.

(Click on images for larger pictures)

Brandon Allen was born in Perth, Western Australia. He started playing the piano at the age of 10, then played classical guitar for one year before taking up the saxophone at age 13. After graduating from Corpus Christi College he was accepted into the Western Australian Conservatorium of Music, studying for a bachelor degree, majoring in jazz performance. He toured extensively with Dr Bogus and the Wizards of Wonder (a show band) throughout Australia for a year and a half, as well as working with various groups in Perth before relocating to London.

Since arriving in the UK, Brandon has worked with many varied artists and groups/ensembles. He have performed within the jazz, funk, R&B, hip hop, soul, big band, classical and pop genres.

He has performed with Eric Clapton, Mica Paris, Jools Holland, Paloma Faith, Neil Diamond, US3, Antonio Forcione, Jason Rebello, Omar, Hamish Stuart, Kyle Eastwood, Mike Nock, Liane Caroll, Dennis Rollins, Gwyneth Herbert, Rumer, Keith Tippett, Tony Hadley, Candi Staton, Ernesto Simpson, Dave O’higgins, Carleen Anderson, James Torme, Adrian Utley(Porteshead), The BLOCKHEADS, Tony Christie, John Etheridge, Soweto Kinch, Sharlene Hector, Joe Cang, Z Star, Gareth Williams, Will Vinson, Guy Barker, Natalie Williams, Mike Janisch, Laurence Cottle Big Band, Claire Martin, BBC Big Band, Jesse Van Ruller, Stan Tracey, Pete King, Darius Brubeck, Gerard Presencer, Mike Outram, Jim Mullen, Phil Robson, Ronnie Cuber, Lew Soloff, Mark Nightingale, Richie Cole,  Reel People, Benjamin Herman, Nigel Hitchcock and others.

Brandon Allen has appeared at various festivals around the world including the Womad World Music Festival, Oslo Jazz Festival, Reading Rock Festival, Edinburgh Jazz Festival, Isle of Wight, Brecon Jazz Festival, Marsiac Jazz Festival(France), Jazzinec Festival in the Czech Rebublic, the Vittoria and Terassa Jazz Festivals in Spain, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, The Australian Cultural Convention in the Philippines, Manly Jazz Festival in Australia, Kanazawa Street Festival (Japan), the London Jazz Festival and various jazz festivals throughout Italy. Last night he was in Hamburg, tonight Clare.

Brandon Allen played with the 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.

Simon Brown –Piano

Leading UK Jazz innovator and musical entrepreneur SimonBrown is a highly respected and popular jazz pianist who is equally known for his arranging skills. His bands include the  quintet Beyond Cantaloupe featuring the music of Herbie Hancock, as well a the very popular Simon Brown Trio and Quartet.  He is also a stalwart of the Jazznights Trio with Roger Odell and Bernie Hodgkins.

Bernie Hodgkins – Double Bass

Bernie grew up in a Jazz-oriented family and has toured in Europe and further afield with a wide variety of artists and  honed his skills and adding to his prodigious repertoire. Spending much of his time in the recording   studios, he is equally at home and in demand as an enthusiastic “live” rhythm section player.

Larraine Odell – Vocals

Larraine began 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, Royal Festival Hall. Boxford Fleece & Ronnie Scott’s.

 

Master of Ceremonies for the evening was the erudite Gareth Williams-James

Larraine Odell opened the first set with 5 innovative versions of some great standards

Brandon Allen then joined the the Jazznights Trio to start his phenomenal first set

The Roger Odell Jazznights Trio

           

This was a great set, a master class of the best of British jazz on the tenor sax and we are sure that the huge applause following each number will ensure that Brandon yet again returns to entertain us at Jazznights.

Sunday 30th August 2015 – ADAM GLASSER (harmonica) will be at Jazznights in Clare

A special treat as award-winning Jazz harmonica player Adam Glasser brings his own band to Jazznights. He has played with artists such as Martha Reeves, Hugh Masekela and Dominic Miller and he won the 2010 SAMA Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. His current album Mzansi was also nominated in 2012.

 

THE BEST IN BRITISH MODERN JAZZ is at  Jazznights, Clare, Suffolk.

Admission £10. Doors open 7.00 pm. Music 8.30 – 10.00 pm.

Reserve seating on 01787 237653 or email info@jazz-nights.com
Pay on the night.

You can join us at facebook, read reviews of previous performances on more opinions blog or tweet at twitter.com/jazznightsuk 

For further information on future gigs go to www.jazz-nights.com
__________________________________________________________________

KEVIN FLANAGAN & SIMON HURLEY with the Jazznights Trio at Jazznights at The Bell Hotel, Clare on Sunday 2nd August 2015

(click on images for larger pictures)

Note move to The Tudor Room, ground floor at The Bell for this session!

Kevin Flanagan (soprano and tenor saxophones)
Kevin comes from Lowell, Mass. USA. After dropping out of high school, he co-founded the group Antares, an improv and jazz-based cooperative which toured New England and the UK in the mid-70’s to early 80’s. During this period he was also involved in blues and popular music, both performing and recording. He settled in the UK in the mid-80’s and worked on the London jazz and pop scene, playing and recording with Ben E. King, B.B.King, Paul Weller, and members of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Sex Pistols and Portishead, as well as various West African High Life and salsa groups. He gradually became primarily involved in jazz, playing with his own group and the Tommy Chase Quartet at festivals in the UK such as Glastonbury, Brecon, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Brighton and festivals in Europe in Milan, Paris, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and the North Sea Jazz Festival. He spent much of the 90’s collaborating with Chris Ingham in FIQ, releasing two highly acclaimed CD’s, Zanzibar and Textile Lunch. A graduate of Goldsmiths University, with a post graduate degree in composition from ARU (where he lectures), he later studied composition at the University of Sussex with Martin Butler, and has had works commissioned and performed by orchestras in London and Cambridge. Kevin is also a leading member of Rebop.

Simon Hurley Guitar

Simon first picked up the guitar 23 years ago and, after having been self-taught, decided to embark upon his first formal musical education in 2006. In 2010 he graduated with a First Class Honours Degree from Colchester Institute, also being awarded the Centre Prize for Music. It was here that he began to study jazz under the tutelage of session guitarist Andy Watson, a relationship that has now developed into the Watson/Hurley Jazz Guitar Duo.
He has also had the pleasure of playing alongside such jazz artists as Martin Shaw, Brandon Allen, Josh Kemp, Simon Allen, Martin Speake (ECM records), Nigel Price (Woodville records), Osian Roberts, Steve Fishwick (Hard Bop Records),Quentin Collins, Roger Beaujolais and Mick Hutton (ECM records). Simon divides his times between teaching, recording, accompanying and performing in and around the Essex area. In another life he has also been the 5-string banjo player and singer in the Bluegrass quintet The Ragged String Band with many high profile appearances to their name including the Maverick Festival, Camp Bestival and Harvest at Jimmy’s Farm (supporting Newton Faulkner and Ed Sheeran).

The Jazznights Trio were:

Simon Brown –Piano

Leading UK Jazz innovator and musical entrepreneur Simon Brown is a highly respected and popular jazz pianist who is equally known for his arranging skills. His bands include the  quintet Beyond Cantaloupe featuring the music of Herbie Hancock, as well a the very popular Simon Brown Trio and Quartet.  He is also a stalwart of the Jazznights Trio with Roger Odell and Bernie Hodgkins.

 

Bernie Hodgkins – Double Bass

Bernie grew up in a Jazz-oriented family and has toured in Europe and further afield with a wide variety of artists and  honed his skills and adding to his prodigious repertoire. Spending much of his time in the recording studios, he is equally at home and in demand as an enthusiastic “live” rhythm section player

 

Alex Best – Drums

(Alex was standing in for Roger Odell who was in a 4 night residency with Shakatak at the Pizza Jazz Club in Dean Street, London)
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.

 

A stunning gig from Kevin Flanagan, Simon Hurley and the jazznights trio playing extended compositions from Michael Brecker, Wayne Shorter, Nat Adderley, Ray Bryant, McCoy Tyner amongst many others, it was a gig we were all privileged to attend.

        

Sunday 16th August 2015 Jazznights welcomes- BRANDON ALLEN (sax)

First bursting on to the UK jazz scene with the Clark Tracey Quintet, Brandon became a regular member of the Kyle Eastwood Band, the Paloma Faith Band, Sax Appeal and a host of other groups. “Brandon Allen is arguably the most exciting tenor saxophonist in Britain today … emotional, soaked in the blues tradition”. Tony Hall – Jazzwise. He has toured throughout Australia, The Philippines, Japan, Singapore, China, South Korea, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Scotland, Portugal, Denmark, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovenia, Lithuania, Croatia, Austria, Norway, Greece, Belgium, Italy, Bahrain, Holland, Germany, Czech Republic and the United Arab Emirates.

THE BEST IN BRITISH MODERN JAZZ is at  Jazznights,  Clare, Suffolk,

Go to www.jazz-nights.com for location and further information.

Admission £10. Doors open 7.30pm. Music 8.00-10.30pm.

Reserve seating on 01787 237653 or email info@jazz-nights.com
Pay on the night.

You can join us at facebook, read reviews of previous performances on more opinions blog or tweet at twitter.com/jazznightsuk 

Pictures from past gigs can also bee seen HERE

For further information on future gigs go to www.jazz-nights.com
____________________________________________________________________________