A multi-award winning pianist, Gwilym is unquestionably one of the finest musicians of his generation. Fluent and highly inventive his powerful piano playing adds class to any group that he’s in. He includes work with the likes of Bill Bruford, Kyle Eastwood, Kenny Wheeler and Lee Konitz on a dazzling CV and it’s a testament to his remarkable abilities that he has already won the Perrier, BBC Jazz and British Jazz Rising Star Awards and is a Radio 3 “New Generation Artist” (the first jazz musician to receive this accolade). He was voted “Jazz Musician of the Year” at the 2007 Parliamentary Jazz Awards and been nominated for two more BBC Jazz Awards...
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A multi-award winning pianist, Gwilym is unquestionably one of the finest musicians of his generation. Fluent and highly inventive his powerful piano playing adds class to any group that he’s in. He includes work with the likes of Bill Bruford, Kyle Eastwood, Kenny Wheeler and Lee Konitz on a dazzling CV and it’s a testament to his remarkable abilities that he has already won the Perrier, BBC Jazz and British Jazz Rising Star Awards and is a Radio 3 “New Generation Artist” (the first jazz musician to receive this accolade). He was voted “Jazz Musician of the Year” at the 2007 Parliamentary Jazz Awards and been nominated for two more BBC Jazz Awards. You get the idea – he’s very, very good! Not content with being a great player Gwilym also has a burgeoning career as a composer, including the highly acclaimed live televised performance (BBC 2) of his Jazz/Contemporary Classical piece “Progressions” with the BBC Concert Orchestra as part of the 2008 BBC Proms season. In 2011 his recording “Good Days at Schloss Elmau” received a Mercury Award and his most recent appearances at the 606 – with Lighthouse Trio and the Impossible Gentlemen – were major events on the 606 calendar. Now established as an international artist of considerable standing, Chick Corea described Gwilym as “a creative genius”, and he is rightly considered to be one of the most exciting talents to emerge from the UK in recent years. Gwilym’s “Tribute to Jaco Pastorius” that he will be performing this evening is a reprise of a similar programme that received rave reviews when it debuted last year, a tribute to the extraordinary bass player, composer and producer Jaco Pastorius. Jaco’s contribution to the bass lexicon cannot be overstated; from his first recordings with Pat Metheny to his later work with Weather Report and Joni Mitchell, he simply took the instrument to another level, a re-imagining of what the bass could be. That vivid, fervent intensity and intelligence runs through all Jaco’s own compositions, from “Continuum” to “Teen Town” to “Liberty City”, and it is no surprise whatsoever that, although he died in tragic circumstances in 1987 when he was only 35, his stature as an artist is as powerful and compelling as ever. Gwilym has asked two musicians who are held in the highest of regard on the British jazz scene to join him in this project, bassist Laurence Cottle and drummer Ian Thomas. Laurence, whose own ferocious technique has lead him to being considered one of the finest electric bass players in Europe, leads his own “Portrait of Jaco” Big Band and as such is the ideal bass player for this project. In a diverse career spanning some decades (Laurence was a regular at the 606 Club in its original location on Kings Road), he has worked with a range of artists across a wide spectrum of musical styles, including hard rock, prog and pop (Black Sabbath, Alan Parsons, Seal), as well as jazz and groove (Bill Bruford, Tim Garland, Nigel Hitchcock, Jason Rebello). He’s also a formidable composer and arranger in his own right, with dozens of credits to his name writing music for TV programmes such as Third Rock from the Sun, Friends and the Oprah Winfrey chat show! Ian Thomas is an exceptional player and the “go to” man for UK bandleaders across the musical spectrum. One of the most seasoned musicians around he has played with a myriad of celebrated artists including Sting, Tom Jones, Eric Clapton, Elton John and Seal. Ian's versatility suits the gig perfectly with an uncanny ability to play funk, jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms with equal ease. Booking highly recommended” “I feel confident that Simcock already deserves to occupy the inner circle of the great contemporary pianists along with Mehldau, Jarrett, and Rubalcaba” Cadence USA; “...remarkable...exceptional, as both player and composer.” The Observer; "A phenomenal talent, Simcock is a jewel in the crown of the country's jazz scene" Norwich Evening News
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