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Andy Panayi is an exceptionally gifted jazz musician, skilled in performance, composition 
and arranging.
He plays all the flutes and all the saxophones and currently leads his own groups, both jazz and classical. He also writes commissioned works and compositions & arrangements for his own ensembles.
Andy has performed and recorded with singers like Shirley Bassey, Jessye Norman, Paul McCartney, Patty Austin to name a few. He has also worked alongside or supported Abdulla Ibrahim (Dollar Brand), Freddie Hubbard, Louis Belson Octet and Big Band, Ed Thigpen, Phil Woods, Roy Hargrove, Ronnie Scott, Billy Cobham, Indo-Jazz Fusions run by Johnny Mayer, John Dankworth and Cleo Laine, Humphrey Lyttelton, Pepper Adams, the BBC Big Band with many guests, the Vale of Glamorgan Contemporary Music Festival, the Moscow City Ballet, the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the English National Ballet and many more. He was recently a guest player with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra at the Barbican.
He’s also worked alongside or supported Abdulla Ibrahim (Dollar Brand), Freddie Hubbard, Phil Woods, Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra, Joe Lovano, Roy Hargrove, Louie Bellson Octet & Big Band, Ed Thigpen, Jiggs Whigham, Billy Cobham, Indo-Jazz Fusions run by Johnny Mayer, Vale of Glamorgan Contemporary Music Festival, RPO, BBC Concert Orchestra, LSSO, The Moscow City Ballet, Ronnie Scott & his Side-men, Scott Hamilton, Ken Peplowski, Pepper Adams, Kenny Baker, Ted Heath/ Don Lusher Big Band, BBC Radio Big Band, Bert Kaemphert Orchestra, Stan Tracey Big Band -Septet – Octet, John Dankworth & Cleo Laine, The John & Alec Dankworth Generation Big Band, Humphrey Lyttelton and many more.
The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) & Trinity College London Exam Boards: Andy works as a consultant/composer/arranger for the ABRSM & Trinity College London specialising in developing the Jazz & Classical syllabuses for future examinations. He is a professor at The Royal College of Music and The Royal Academy of Music in London and the Birmingham Conservatoire.
Andy has received The Marty Paich Arranging Award, The John Dankworth Soloist Award, The Worshipful Company of Musicians Jazz Medal and the British Jazz Awards for his Jazz Flute performances.
Andy works with the examination boards, the ABRSM and Trinity Guildhall helping to set syllabus music for the grades. He has been awarded the Marty Paich Arranging Award, the John Dankworth Soloist Award, the Worshipful Company of Musicians Jazz Medal and the British Jazz Award for Jazz Flute.
With a pedigree such as that it could only turn out to be stupe4ndous gig – and of course it was!
Andy Panayi played with the Jazz Nights 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.
Peter Lemer – Keyboards
Peter studied at the Royal Academy of Music. He remained a fixture of In Cahoots – he can be heard on Parallel (1996), Out Of The Blue (2001), – as well as playing one-off gigs with old friends Steve Cook (bass) and Roger Odell (drums), recording an album with them in Israel
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 some great jazz standards including:
Weaver of Dreams by Don Gronick and is an album by guitarist Kenny Burrell recorded in 1960 and 1961.
Make This City Ours by the Brazilian troubadour Milton Nascimento
Whisper Not” is a composition by Benny Golson
I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You is a 1932 song recorded by Bing Crosby. The music was composed by Victor Young, with lyrics written by Ned Washington and Bing Crosby.
Andy Panayi then joined the band to play extended versions of:
Bye Bye Blackbird is a song published in 1926 by the American composer Ray Henderson. It is considered a popular jazz standard and was first recorded by Sam Lanin’s Dance Orchestra in March 1926.
Shadow Waltz was written by Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna in 1933.
You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To is a popular song written by Cole Porter for the 1943 film Something to Shout About.
Following the Jazznights raffle of 3 jazz cd’s (one of which was donated by Andy Panayi) we had the traditional Jazznights sitting in spot which is open to all musicians who have an opportunity to play with the band. Tonight we had the pleasure of vocalist Carol Bleiker and John Reeve-Butler with his electric bass guitar playing Make Someone Happy a song from the musical Do Re Mi. John Reeve Butler then continued with Andy Panayi to play Peter Lemer’s composition of Another Day another Holler
Andy Panayi the continued with the band to continue his extended versions of:
Cole Porter’s Ev’rything I Love (1941)
Meditation” (“Meditação” in Portuguese) is a song composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Newton Mendonça.
In Your Own Sweet Way is a 1955 jazz standard, and one of the most famous compositions of Dave Brubeck. It was written around 1952.
Andy then invited Larraine Odell to the stage to join him with a great rendition of Skylark is an American popular song with lyrics by Johnny Mercer and music by Hoagy Carmichael, published in 1941.
Andy Panayi then played I Want to Be Happy is a song with music by Vincent Youmans for the 1925 musical No, No, Nanette. We were all very happy except for the fact that this was his last number of this marvellous gig, we cannot wait another 8 years for Andy’s return to Jazz Nights.
Mick Hanson (guitar) will be at Jazz Nights on Sunday 17th July 2016, he is formerly from the local area, Mick moved on to establish himself as one of the major players on the UK jazz guitar scene with his duo performances with Dave Newton and in the trio Organic Matters. His forte is hard-swinging, straight-ahead jazz with a contemporary Blue Note school approach.
THE BEST IN BRITISH MODERN JAZZ is at Jazznights, The Bell Hotel. Clare, Suffolk.
Admission £10. Doors open 7.00 pm. Music 7.30 – 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
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