PROGRAMME
2003
FRIDAY 25 JULY
12.00- 5.30pm.
DON WELLER & LEWIS WATSON QNT.
This opening set provides an opportunity for
the excellent northern tenor player Lewis Watson to work alongside
Don Weller, proving you don't have to live in London to be a good
sax player. Neither has played with the Bela Szaksi Lakatos Trio,
who themselves haven't played as a trio before. So we start the festival
in the great jazz tradition of jamming it.
SEBASTIAN ROCHFORD'S POLAR BEAR
Sebastian Rochord's debut appearance at Appleby in 2001 impressed
everybody so he returns with his own group featuring the twin saxes
of Mark Lockheart and Pete Wareham alongside bassist Tom Herbert.
This is a fresh and exciting band that has its own way of doing things.
THE JAZZ COURIERS
This band features the music of the great saxophone virtuosos Tubby
Hayes and Ronnie Scott
with Mornington Lockett and Nigel Hitchcock as their modern day counterparts.
Led sometimes at breackneck speed by the powerful trio of Martin Drew
(drums), Andrew Cleyndert (Bass) and Steve Melling(piano). Not for
the faint hearted.
7.0pm - 12.am
BELA SZAKSI LAKATOS TRIO.
Bass player Arnie Somogyi sent me a recording of Hungarian pianist
Bela Szakcsi Lakatos and told me that he and drummer Asaf Sirkis were
to accompany him for a weeks engagement at Ronnie Scots. On listening
I immediately booked him and when you hear him you will know why and
wonder why he isn't a huge name on the international circuit.
THE PETER KING OCTET
Since the octets' first appearance as the finale of the 1999 Appleby
Festival the great alto saxophonist Peter King has written more wonderfully
individual music for octet. The band includes Mornington Lockett and
Alan Barnes on saxes, Martin Shaw on trumpet, Mark Nightingale on
trombone and Peter's usual excellent trio of pianist Steve Melling
, drummer Stephen Keogh and bassist Jeremy Brown.
DON WELLER & ART THEMEN QNT.
The Don and Art partnership has been going for well over 30 years.
Although they have two very individual approaches to playing the saxophone
they compliment each other perfectly. Their enjoyment of playing together
has not diminished over the years and communicates itself to the rest
of the band - pianist John Donaldson, bassist Arnie Somogyi, drummer
Dave Barry as well as to the audience.
SATURDAY 26th JULY
11.0am - 6.0pm
NORMA WINSTONE.
Superb musicianship and quality of tone mark Norma as one of the premiere
contemporary jazz singers. Her technique is impeccable and interpretations
flawless, that she is not better known on the world stage is probably
can only be attributed to her modest nature. Another person of modest
nature is pianist Nikki Iles making a long overdue debut at Appleby
completing the rhythm section with bassist Chris Laurence and drummer
Martin France. Add to this all this is the wonderful Tony Coe and
there could be no better way to start the day off than to sit quietly
and enjoy the subtle musicality and imagination of these marvellous
musicians.
GILAD ATZMON'S ORIENT HOUSE ENSEMBLE.
The usual ensemble of with Frank Harrison (piano) and Asaf Sirkis
(drums) has been extended to include Yaron Stavi (bass) Romano Viazzani
(accordian), Marcel Mamaliga (violin) and the vocalist Reem Kelani
. This multi cultural band plays music that escapes categorisation
but demonstrates Gilad's splendid command of the idioms of jazz and
Middle Eastern music.
ALAN BARNES & ART THEMEN LATIN
BAND.
It was written recently that "Alan Barnes is the most reliably
entertaining, multi-skilled reed virtuoso on the UK scene". Alan
shares with Duke Ellington the rare ability of being able to entertain
an audience without compromising one inch of musical integrity. His
naturally honest between-tune banter will break the ice with any audience
and let them know they are there to enjoy themselves. Tenor and soprano
saxophonist Art Themen's angular and more abstract style provides
a refreshing contrast to Alan's more straight ahead playing and the
trio of Simon Thorpe (bass), Dave Barry (drums) and John Donaldson
(piano) keep up the sunny sense of off-beat rhythms while they all
set out to have fun exploring the rich diversity of Latin based music.
EVAN PARKER, JOHN EDWARDS & TONY
LEVIN
Evans persistent and unswerving determination to play and develop
his own brand of music over many years has paid off and and he is
now a much sought-after artist everywhere except Britain. These quotes
I found on the web say it all - "... time was jazz was jazz -
and then came Evan Parker.' and "Explosive free improvisation
from a master of the saxophone". Here this year with John Edwards
(bass) and Tony Levin (drums).
7.0pm - 12.am
THE KENNY WHEELER BIG BAND.
For me the single most important element for a creative improviser
is that they do things their own way, aiming not to play "jazz"
but to create music the way they feel it. Kenny Wheeler has been doing
just this for nearly 50 years. His writing is full of complex harmonies
and changing times and rhythms. It has a wide variety of styles from
straight ahead swing to totally free but is always recognisable as
Kenny Wheeler. Performing this wonderful music will be a saxophone
section of Stan Sultzman, Ray Warleigh, Evan Parker and Tony Coe,
trombone section of.Mark Nightingale,..............., Kenny on trumpet
and flugelhorn, Huw Warren on accordian, John Parricelli on guitar,
a trio consisting of Nikki Iles (piano), Chris Laurence (bass) and
Martin France (drums), vocalist Norma Winstone all conducted by Pete
Churchill.
GILAD ATZMON
THE NEW STAN TRACEY OCTET
A new line up to play some of Stan's vast catalogue of Octet compositions.
With Ben Castle and Stan Sulzmann on tenors, Nigel Hitchcock on alto,
Mark Nightingale on trombone and Mark Armstrong on trumpet. All driven
along by the great Stan Tracey Trio.
SUNDAY 27th JULY
11.am - 4.30pm
THE URBAN JAZZ QUINTET
This three sax line-up with just drums and bass was the concept of
drummer Stephen Keogh and bassist Jeremy Brown. They play compositions
by different members of the band which produces a rich diversity with
lots of opportunity for the soloists who are Peter King, Gilad Atzmon
and Michael Buckley - a young Irish flautist new to Appleby.
BELA LAKATOS SOLO.
A chance for this amazing pianist to stretch out without the restrictions
of style or genre.
THE DAVID NEWTON TRIO.
A new trio from Dave with guitarist Colin Oxley and bassist Dave Chamberlain.
I haven't heard this trio yet but I have no doubt that it will carry
the usual David Newton hallmark of excellence and provide one of the
highlights of the festival for many people.
ALAN BARNES & IAIN DIXON QNT.
I have been wanting to put these two multi-instrumentalists together
with a trio ever since I heard them play an impromptu two bass clarinet
duo at the 1998 Kendal Jazz Festival. It's good to have Iain at the
festival again after recording with the likes of Joni Mitchel and
June Tabor, touring with Bryan Ferry, and appearing in numerous jazz
outfits such as the Mike Gibbs Orchestra, The Creative Jazz Orchestra
and Dave Green Trio. Guaranteeing it will all happen will be pianist
John Donaldson, drummer Dave Barry and bassist Simon Thorpe.
5.0pm - 10pm
THE GORDON BECK TRIO.
Gordon Beck has worked alongside everyone - Tubby Hayes, Phil Woods
and Ray
Bryant, Jack DeJohnette, and Dave Holland to name but a few. He has
become an Appleby regular and this years he appears with his European
trio which includes Bruno Rousselet on drums and Philp Soirat on bass
- both of whom have come over from Paris for this gig.
THE STAN TRACEY TRIO
The Guardian jazz critic John Fordham wrote "Stan Tracey's piano-playing
is one of the most immediately recognisable sounds in British jazz,
full of thudding, flat-fingered chords, runs as jarring as a potholed
road and episodes of unexpected tenderness." Stan's recent trio
CD "Zach's Dream" is evidence that Stan is still at the
height of his creative powers. A great combination of the usual taut
muscular playing from Stan and great subtlety and empathy within the
trio - completed by Andy Cleyndert (bass) and Clark Tracey (drums).
THE STAN TRACEY QNT.
The powerhouse trio is joined by saxophonists Ben Castle and Nigel
Hitchcock. Ben played a tremendous set with Stan at last year's festival
so we've brought him back hoping he'll do it again. I remember 17
years ago when there was a lot of talk about a fifteen year old alto
player called Nigel Hitchcock who had an awesome technical facility
that could rival Peter King. I thought then as I do now that these
prodigies come and go and it takes more than that to sustain a living
as a jazz musician. But Nigel has come through as a soloist to be
reckoned with on today's jazz scene as well as being in demand for
pop gigs with artists such as Tom Jones, Wet Wet Wet, Beverley Craven,
Ray Charles and Robbie Williams.
THE DON WELLER QRT.
Don't leave before this last concert, take the Monday off work if
necessary because we have saved the best until last. Don is a giant
among tenor saxophonists anywhere, and unashamedly my favourite tenor
player. Add the trio with David Newton on piano, Dave Barry on drums
and Andrew Cleyndert on bass and you have my favourite quartet
ALSO THE FREE ZONE
WITH EVAN PARKER, KENNY WHEELER, TONY COE, ALAN HACKER,
MARCIO MATTOS, SYLVIA HALLET, JOHN EDWARDS & PHIL WACHSMANN.
SUNDAY 27th 1.0 - 6.0pm.