Anita Wardell vocals, Dave O'Higgins tenor sax, Mike Gorman piano, Oli Hayhurst bass and Tristan Mailliot drums
Anita Wardell, renowned for mesmerising vocal improvisation, won best vocalist in the 2013 British Jazz Awards. Dave O’Higgins has long been a major figure among British tenor sax players. High quality straight-ahead jazz with great vocals and outstanding improvisation.
Anita Wardell
Anita’s singing is exciting and breathtaking. She is noted for her mesmerizing and captivating vocal improvisations and vocalese lyrics to instrumental solos. Anita is a musician who uses the voice as her instrument, displaying precision and agility, mixed with heartfelt emotion. This, coupled with the release of Kinda Blue, is now propelling Anita into the major artist arena.
Singer Norma Winstone praised her “unexpected vulnerability, which makes her reading of the ballads both beautiful and touching. Her honesty shines in this well-chosen collection of songs.”
Bebop pioneer, Mark Murphy, proclaimed Anita, “a gift from Australia”, adding, “What hits me is how expressive her ballad singing is. Then she has the courage to scat a ballad or two, not unlike a young lady disciple of the Ben Webster school.”
“For many, the most creative jazz singer operating in London, this sweet toned Australian chooses superior songs and can improvise with the best.” – Jack Massarik, Hot Tickets Magazine, London Evening Standard.
www.anitawardell.com
Dave O’Higgins
Born in Birmingham Dave O’Higgins first emerged on the British jazz scene in the 1980s. After playing in the National Youth Jazz Orchestrafor three years he played with Cleo Laine, Roadside Picnic and Mezzoforte and then went on to work with Jim Mullen, Ray Charles, Martin Taylor, Itchy Fingers, Frank Sinatra, Salif Keita, Jimmy Smith, Joe Locke, Kyle Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Stan Tracey, Matthew Herbert, Chico Chagas and the BBC Big Band, to name only a few. Dave performs as the leader of the Dave O’Higgins Quartet, and as part of Most Wanted, with trumpeter Graeme Flowers and trombonist Barnaby Dickinson. He is a popular and well-known figure on the international jazz scene, having recorded 13 albums as leader with various line-ups.
www.daveohiggins.com
Mike Gorman
Born in Sheffield, attended University College Salford 1990-1993 where he gained a BA(Hons) in Band Musicianship. He attended the Postgraduate Diploma Jazz Course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama 1995-1996 and since then has been working in London and throughout the UK. He has worked with US players Jimmy Witherspoon, Bill Watrous, Ken Peplowski, Basie band alto player, Brad Leali, Lanny Morgan. Mike has played with numerous UK musicians including Don Weller, Bobby Wellins, Martin Drew, Stacey Kent, Mornington Lockett, Matt Wates, Gilad Atzmon, Andy Panayi, Jim Mullen, Guy Barker, Dave O’Higgins, Trudi Kerr, Adam Philips, Jamie O’Donnell, Alison Neale, Paul Jones and Rick Bolton. Mike released his debut album “The Maze” on the label 33 Records in March 2002. The album received much critical acclaim and was named Jazz CD of the Month in the November ’02 BBC Music Magazine.
Oli Hayhurst
Since moving to London from Cambridge in 1995 to study at the Royal Academy of Music, Oli Hayhurst has worked in a wide range of musical fields, playing double bass, bass guitar and guitar. n 2006 Oli was featured on Zoe Rahman’s Mercury nominated album, ‘Melting Pot’ which also won the Best Album award in the 2006 Parliamentary Jazz Awards. As a member of Ray Gelato’s Giants since 2008 he has played all over Europe, North Africa and Brazil and held residencies at Ronnie Scott’s in London and the Blue Note Milan. He is currently working with Ray Gelato, Julian Siegel, Kate Williams, Sam Crockatt, Juliet Kelly and Respectable Groove. He has worked with artists as diverse as Vanessa Mae, Bill McHenry, Tom Rainey, Kirk Lightsey, Maria Ewing, Jim Mullen, Curious Paradise, Patrizio Buanne, Melanie C, John Donaldson, Cara Dillon, Bobby Wellins, Liam Noble, Koby Israelite, Mark Lockhart, Anita Wardell, Thomas Lang, Jacqui Dankworth, Charlie Wood, Polly Gibbons, Kit Downes, Bob Monkhouse, Ian Shaw and Michael Rosen.
Tristan Mailliot
Tristan is active on the UK jazz instrumental scene with recent CD releases including the Jim Hart quartet, Kate Williams’s quintet and septet, and Anita Wardell’s group. During the early 90′s he toured the US with the acclaimed smooth jazz guitar group Acoustic Alchemy. Since then he has performed with many top American and UK jazz artists such as Art Farmer, Jim Hall, Stan Tracey, John Dankworth, Fred Hersch, Jim Mullen, and Bobby Wellins. Tristan has toured with most of the leading UK jazz vocalists including Stacey Kent, Anita Wardell, Jackie Hicks, Tina May, Norma Winstone and Claire Martin and has appeared three times at Ronnie Scott’s with Californian vocalist Jackie Ryan and at the pizza Express and Istanbul JC’s with US Grammy nominee Karyn Allison. He is currently drumkit tutor at Trinity College of Music and guest tutor at the LCCM London and director of Loire music summer schools and courses.
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