East Side Jazz Club

Tuesday, 7 May, 2019 8.30 - 11.00pm £7 on the door
Chris Biscoe (saxes)... Kate Williams (piano) Dave Whitford (bass) Jon Scott (drums)
Chris Biscoe is self taught, starting on alto sax then tenor, soprano, baritone, flute and alto clarinet. He started working with Mike Westbrook in 1979 and has played in many of Mike’s projects. He has also toured and recorded with George Russell, Andy Sheppard, Grand Union, Chris McGregor, Didier Levallet and worked with Hermeto Pascoal, Dewey Redman, Kenny Wheeler and the New York Composers Orchestra. A recent venture for Chris (on baritone & alto clarinet) along with Allison Neale on alto has been a new band 'Two of a Mind'. The band’s debut album on Trio Records, includes some tracks using arrangements from those original recordings, as well as new compositions and arrangements by Chris and Allison. "Exploring afresh the freewheeling, wonderfully melodic interpretations of standard material recorded 50 years ago by Gerry Mulligan and Paul Desmond on Blues in Time and Two of a Mind, this new band promises to evoke the spirit of these classic recordings while giving free reign to the personalities of the five musicians."
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Clive Fenner 1949 - 2019 Sadly, drummer, educator and club host Clive Fenner passed away on Sunday 28 April. Clive started the East Side Jazz Club over 20 years ago and has been inspirational in its development and popularity ever since. His friendly, relaxed manner was familiar to so many musicians and customers. He was the driving force and literally the beating heart of the club and leaves a legacy that will sustain his memory forever. RIP Clive

Tuesday, 30 April, 2019 8.30 - 11.00pm £10 on the door
Omar Puente with the East Side Latin All Stars
... Omar Puente (violin & vocals) Al MacSween (piano) Jimmy Martinez (bass) Oscar Martinez (timbales) Flavio Correa (congas) TBC (drums)
Tonight we get in the Cuban groove with our good friend Omar Puente and I defy anyone to sit still for long. The infectious cross rhythms from this authentic combo are guaranteed to get the club cooking. Omar began serious music studies at the age of 8. At 12 he left his family to take up a place at the prestigious Escuela Nacional de Arte in Havana. His education was furthered by playing with fellow students and visiting tutors such as Paquito d’Rivera and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1998 he formed the group Raices Cubanas (Cuban Roots). Since arriving in England, Omar has maintained an international profile, playing all over Europe, USA and Africa with such musicians as Tito Puente, Kirsty MacColl, Jools Holland, Courtney Pine and recently Nigel Kennedy 's new, three-electric-violin "Chilling-est Violinists". Omar teaches jazz violin at Leeds College of Music and conducts workshops in schools on the cultural and musical development of Cuba.
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Tuesday, 9 April, 2019 8.30 - 11.00pm £8 on the door
Damon Brown (trumpet)... Christian Brewer (alto sax) Leon Greening (piano) Adam King (bass) Matt Skelton (drums)
"The tall, shaven-headed Damon Brown is a well-known figure in Europe, his trumpet and long-gauge flugelhorn a well-known and welcome sound in Paris, Barcelona and other jazz-friendly cities for years. Only back home in London is he taken for granted, a curious and regrettable state of affairs. On a good night he is one of the world's finest players, and last night was such a one. Fluent, impassioned and technically superb - unlike most of his rivals.. Damon never splits a note - he produced a series of swinging and shapely solos that had the crowded venue in the palm of his hand." - Jack Massarik, London Evening Standard. "Christian Brewer’s alto sound is light - though he can dig in when needed - and he is a remarkably fluent and craftsmanlike improviser. Though fresh ideas flow inexorably, Brewer is not tempted to waste notes despite his fluency, so that there’s a real sense of purpose about his work." - Peter Martin, Jazz UK
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d80L33LBf 4Q

Tuesday, 2 April, 2019 8.30 - 11.00pm £7 on the door
Art Themen (saxes)... Mike Gorman (piano) Arnie Somogyi (bass) Clark Tracey (drums)
Art Themen, orthopaedic surgeon (now retired) and illustrious saxman, remains a firm favourite on the British jazz scene with a pedigree as long as Southend Pier. Art was involved in the early British blues movement with Alexis Korner’s All Stars, Jack Bruce’s Band and Long John Baldry’s Hoochie Coochie Men. He has played and recorded with the bands of Michael Garrick, Graham Collier, Don Weller and in 1974 began a long association with Stan Tracey. He also toured and recorded with Charlie Parker alumni, Red Rodney and Al Haig. “Originally a Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins disciple..Themen has proved himself remarkably attentive to the saxophone styles of subsequent generations. The atonal whirlings of Evan Parker are evident, alongside John Coltrane's sheets of sound, and the full-bodied, vibrato-laden rhapsodising of long-gone swing stars such as Coleman Hawkins” - John Fordham, The Guardian.
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Tuesday, 26 March, 2019 8.30 - 11.00pm £7 on the door
Simon Spillett (tenor sax)... Robin Aspland (piano) Alec Dankworth (bass) Buster Birch (drums)
"Simon Spillett is the kind of big toned wailing tenor player that I like. The influences of Tubby Hayes and Johnny Griffin are clearly discernible in his sound, harmonic thinking and in his direct no-nonsense determination in getting things swinging. This refreshing attitude is also in evidence in his composing. He has written a whole raft of catchy hard bop tunes which are great launching pads for the soloist and that never fall into the trap of complexity for complexity's sake. A great player" - Alan Barnes. "Those of us who have heard him...have been left blinking in disbelief. It's not just his mastery of the tenor saxophone, phenomenal though that is, but the absolute conviction of his playing that is so impressive" - Dave Gelly, Sunday Observer. "The world's leading Tubbiologist" - Jack Massarik, Jazzwise.
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Tuesday, 19 March, 2019 8.30 - 11.00pm £7 on the door
Nat Steele (vibes)... Rob Barron (piano) Adam King (bass) Joe Dessauer (drums)
Tonight we welcome back Nathaniel Steele, a jazz vibraphone player and drummer based in London. Since his arrival on the scene, he has quickly gained a reputation as a talented musician to watch out for, described by Clark Tracey as "one of the best vibes players this country has ever produced." Principally self-taught, and following in the style of Milt Jackson and Cal Tjader, Nat takes a two mallet approach to improvisation, focusing on melodic interpretation and a great swing feel.
His "Nat Steele Quartet" is regularly featured at the Late, Late show at Ronnie Scott's and as a result he has recently attracted compliments for his playing from the likes of Benny Green, Joe Locke, Jason Marsalis, Harold Mabern and Eric Alexander, has studied with Mike LeDonne and had the good fortune to sit in with both Benny Green and Wynton Marsalis.
In September 2017 he launched his debut album, "Portrait of the Modern Jazz Quartet" on Trio Records, with the launch held at Ronnie Scott’s. "Sheer delight" Peter Vacher (Jazzwise), "Vibrant" - Bruce Lindsay (JazzJournal), "A refreshing treat for the ears" - Rebecca Franks (BBC Music Magazine), "Vital intensity…" - Dave Gelly (The Observer).
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Tuesday, 12 March, 2019 8.30 - 11.00pm £8 on the door
Chris Batchelor (trumpet)... Steve Buckley (alto sax) Liam Noble (piano) Dave Whitford (bass) Clive Fenner (drums)
Chris Batchelor, trumpeter and composer, gained his first professional experience with Dudu Pukwana's Zila aged 17, at the suggestion of Harry Beckett. He subsequently became a founder member, composer and soloist with Loose Tubes, contributing many pieces to the repertoire of the band from 1984-1990. He was also very active at this time as a member of legendary world music trailblazers 3 Mustaphas 3, as well as enjoying a varied diet of gigs with Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath, Congolese soukous band Taxi Pata Pata and Ashley Slater's Microgroove. As a sideman, Chris has appeared alongside many international stars, including Michael Brecker, Sam Rivers, Hermeto Pascoal, John Taylor and the Jazz Passengers with Deborah Harry. Steve Buckley was a key member of Loose Tubes (the highly acclaimed 21 piece jazz orchestra that became the focal point of the British jazz renaissance of the 80s). During this time, he was closely associated with the London African and Latin American scenes, playing with bands such as Taxi Pata Pata (a top Zairean Soukous outfit), Bosco D’Olivera’s Grupo Folia and Roberto Pla’s Latin Jazz Ensemble. His own projects included Orchestra Rafiki, co-led by long-time associate Chris Batchelor and featuring Kenyan Nyatiti player Ayub Ogada and Ghanaian drummer Nana Appiah, and also the Pigs Head Sons, another Buckley/Batchelor collaboration. He toured and recorded with Ashley Slater’s Microgroove, Norman Cook’s Beats International and the contemporary classical ensemble Jeremy Peyton-Jones’ Regular Music.
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Tuesday, 5 March, 2019 8.30 - 11.00pm £8 on the door
Nick Smart (trumpet & flugel)... Rob Townsend (saxes) Mark Ridout (guitar) Dave Whitford (bass) Clive Fenner (drums)
Rob Townsend started playing the sax when he got fed up with carting drums around. A senior lecturer in Jazz at Middlesex University, he has performed with a broad range of leading musicians including Django Bates, Sam Rivers, Iain Ballamy, Tim Garland, Mark Lockheart and Bill Bruford. Rob has been a featured soloist with ex Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett for a number of years, touring internationally and recording a number of albums and DVDs. Head of Jazz at the Royal Academy of Music, Nick Smart is an internationally renowned jazz educator, trumpeter and musical director. In 2013 he was the winner of the prestigious Parliamentary Award for Jazz Education. 2005, Nick released his debut album 'Remembering Nick Drake' to critical acclaim. The album featured Smart’s arrangements of Nick Drake’s music played by an all star line-up. It was described by Straight No Chaser magazine as "..a future classic because it really captures all that is best about British jazz.."
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