BIOGRAPHIES

Paul Clarvis
Sonia Slany
Stuart Hall
Belinda Sykes
Henry Lowther
Stan Sulzmann
Tony Hymas
Thaddeus Kelly
Martin Speake
Pete Saberton
Dave Green
Kenny Wheeler
Norma Winstone
Fred Hersch
Julian Argüelles 		www.fredhersch.com
www.julianarguelles.com


PAUL CLARVIS

Paul Clarvis brings his unique style to all musical genres and has worked with musicians ranging from Mick Jagger, Nina Simone, Steve Swallow, Harrison Birtwhistle and John Dankworth to Paul McCartney, John Taylor and Moondog. He has recorded with Gordon Beck; Brian Ferry; Marc Ribot; Sam Rivers; Richard Thompson; The Orb, John Adams; Michael Nyman; Loreena McKennitt; Mark Anthony Turnage and Michel Legrand.

He works with many London orchestras, plays ethnic percussion on TV and film sessions, and was the late Leonard Bernstein's preferred percussionist in London. He was featured as a soloist on the last night of the Proms in 1996 in a concerto for saxophone and drum kit by Sir Harrison Birtwhistle. In1998, 2000 and 2001 he was chairman of the Percussion judges for the BBC Young Musician of the Year.
Paul is in several regular bands, Andy Sheppard’s "Learning to Wave"; Stan Sulzmann’s Big Band; "Four in Perspective" - Wheeler, Hersch, Winstone; Henry Lowther’s "Still Waters";"Bubbling Under with Sonia Slany, Stan Sulzmann, and Tony Hymas; John Williams and friends; Colin Townes Mask Orchestra; and Victoria Mullova’s "Through the Looking Glass" with Julian Joseph.

He has recently performed with Nina Simone, Fred Hersch, Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone; Mose Allison; Herbie Hancock; Noel Akchote and Sylvain Kassap in CAKE; Ernst Reisenjeger; Terence Blanchard; Myra Melford, Leroy Jenkins, and Joseph Jarman; and recorded with Mick Jagger, John Harle; Paul McCartney; Maurice Jarre; John Williams; Victoria Mullova; Elton John; Andy Sheppard; Damon Albarn; Tony Hymas / Stan Sulzmann / Sonia Slany / Henry Lowther; and Elvis Costello. As one of the most requested session musicians, he has played on numerous films including Star Wars, Thunderbirds, The Passion, Troy, King Arthur, Kingdom of Heaven, Around the World in 80 Days, Alien v Predator, Lord of the Rings, Madgascar, On a Clear Day, Spy Games, Captain Corellis Mandolin, Shakespeare in Love, G.I.Jane, James Bond, Billy Elliot, Notting Hill, and many others.

Paul co-leads Orquestra Mahatma which specialises in improvisations on folk tunes from all over the world. He also leads an improvising trio "For All the Saints" with Stan Sulzmann and Tony Hymas. He has travelled widely researching and studying music from other countries and is a professor at the Royal Academy of Music, recently made an HonRAM.

Paul has written "Global Heartbeat 1,2 and 3" on KPM, which is music of the world, "Drumming" and "Jazz notes" on West One, and "Shadow Soul", percussion based urban grooves, on KPM. He has recently recorded double album "Power Percussion" for KPM.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY:
Four In Perspective w/ Kenny Wheeler, Fred Hersch, Norma Winstone.
Gordon Beck "Once is never enough" w/ Stan Sulzmann,Chris Laurence
Victoria Mullova "Through the Looking Glass"
John Williams "The Magic Box’’
Moondog "Big Band"
Harrison Birtwhistle "PANIC"
London Symphony Orchestra "Rite of Spring"
Mick Jagger "Goddess in the Doorway"
Andy Sheppard "Learning to Wave" w/Chris Laurence, John Parricelli, Steve Lodder.
"Dancing Man and Woman" same plus Steve Swallow.
Richard Thompson "Industry"
Mark Anthony Turnage "GREEK"
John Adams "Chamber Symphony"
"For All the Saints" Pauls trio w/ Stan Sulzmann and Tony Hymas.
Orquestra Mahatma "A young Persons Guide" Pauls trio w/Stuart Hall, Thad Kelly.
"The Nightingale of a Thousand Joys" with the Solid Strings.
Paul Clarvis with various "Global Heartbeat 1,2,3"
Paul Clarvis,Tom Garrad-Cole "Shadow Soul"
Paul Clarvis "Drumming"
Henry Lowther "Still Waters" w/Julian Arguelles, Dave Green and Pete Saberton
"Bubbling Under" w/Tony Hymas, Sonia Slany, Stan Sulzmann.
Stan Sulzmann Big Band "Birthdays, Birthdays"
Sam Rivers-Tony Hymas "Eight Day Journal" w/Sylvain Kassap, Noel
Akchote, Chris Laurence.
John Harle "Terror and Magnificence" and "Silencium"
Sonia Slany "Meeting Electra"
Martin Speake "Fever Pitch" w/Chris Batchelor,Dawson Miller,Oren
Marshall,Dave Hassell,Stuart Hall
Nick Weldon "Lavenders Blue" w/ Andy Cleyndert
"Live at the Albert" w/ Andy Cleyndert
John Law "The Onliest"
Christine Tobin "House of Women"
Chris Batchelor-Steve Buckley "Life as we know it "


SONIA SLANY

"...One of my favourite musicians, of the highest calibre..." Ryuichi Sakamoto

Violin soloist Sonia Slany has worked with many pop and jazz artists including Mark Knopfler, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Peter Gabriel, Sam Rivers, Laurie Anderson, Lee Konitz, Goldfrapp and Jim Hall. She writes and performs her own music with her group, The Solid Strings, with whom she records and works with world music and jazz artists, Michael Brecker, Salif Keita, Elvis Costello, Phillip Glass, Egberto Gismonti, Sakamoto etc. Her previous group group Electra Strings were the resident quartet on LATER with Jools Holland, working with Bjork, Transglobal Underground, The Communards, Massive Attack, The Cranberries, The Stranglers and William Orbit. She also records on many Hollywood soundtracks, most recently, "Shakespeare In Love", "Captain Corelli’s Mandolin", "Harry Potter", "Lord of the Rings", "Cold Mountain", "Thunderbirds" and "Troy".

Sonia as a composer and producer has written four albums and many string arrangements for pop artists, has production credits on seven albums, various commissions for film and TV work, and varied recording and live performances.
Well known on the London session recording scene, she has worked on numerous large film scores, as a soloist on violin and monochord and for composers such as Stephen Warbeck, Howard Shore, Anne Dudley, George Fenton, Geoff Alexander and Adrian Johnston. She has worked as a musician on many film scores by James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith, Nicholas Dodds, Craig Armstrong, Bjork, Damon Albarn, Michael Nyman, Gabriel Yared, David Arnold and Trevor Jones.

SELECTED FILMTRACKS:
Shakespeare In Love,
Dancer in the Dark,
The End of the Affair,
The Avengers,
G.I.Jane;
The Cell (solo monochord),
Billy Elliot,
James Bond (several),
The Mummy,
Enemy at the Gate,
JUDE (Solo vln),
Quills,
Gabriel and Me, (solo mono)
chicken run,
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin,
Lord of the Rings (solo mono),
Harry Potter,
Thunderbirds,
Troy and Cold Mountain.


STUART HALL

Stuart Hall is a musician and senior lecturer in jazz at Middlesex University. Main instruments: guitar, violin and double bass. Also various gratuitously obscure string instuments.

Performed with:
Django Bates' Human Chain, Loose Tubes, Steve Arguelles Quintet, Lol Coxhill, Corrinne Curchellas, Frevo, Moire Music, John and Alec Dankworth's Generation Band, Nick Purnell's Pocket Orchestra, Delightful Precipice, Burning Bush, Joglaresa, Orquestra Z'maan, Tim Berne, Cleo Laine, Jorrit Dykstra, Pigs Head Sons, Fever Pitch, The Ritz Tea-dance Band.


SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY:
Lol Coxhill "The Inimitable"(w/ Veryan Weston, Steve Beresford)
Human Chain "Cashin' in" (w/ Django Bates, Steve Arguelles)
Steve Arguelles "Busy listening" (w/ Huw Warren, Mick Hutton, Julian Arguelles)
Billy Jenkins "Uncommerciality Vol 3", "Blue Moon in a Function Room" (w Steve Arguelles, Steve Watts)
Trio Jorrit Dykstra "Whistle" (w/ Steve Arguelles, Mischa Kool)
Django Bates "Music for the third policeman" (w/ Powder Room Collapse) and
"Winter truce" (w/ Delightful Precipice and Human Chain)
"Here is the News" (w/ Human Chain)
Frevo "Frevo" (w/ Thad Kelly, Dylan Fowler, Jon Gee, Winston Clifford, Bosco, Lee Goodall)
Alec and John Dankworth Generation Big Band
"Rhythm Changes"


STAN SULZMANN
SAXOPHONIST, FLAUTIST, COMPOSER.

For over twenty years Stan Sulzmann has been at the forefront of European contemporary jazz. An instantly recognizable sound coupled with breathtaking technique, as well as a boundless creative imagination, has meant that his talents have been sought after by a host of discerning musicians, including Kenny Wheeler, Gil Evans, Gordon Beck, Mike Gibbs, Kenny Clarke/Francey Baland, and John Taylor. In recent times he was a featured soloist with the N.D.R. Big Band in Hamburg alongside Claret Baker, and has been seen on major British fours with David Murray and the New York Composers Orchestra.

In his work as a leader Sulzmann has constantly striven to explore fresh approaches to making jazz music. Take, for example, his Aspects of Paragonne band, which featured two keyboard players and tuned percussion, or the two bass player line up of the Steam Bass Band. Never one to rest on his laurels, his current quartet sees him alongside the major new talents of pianist Nikki lles and drummer Tim Giles as well as long standing partner Chris Laurence on bass. A new duo with lies is currently receiving groat acclaim both for its live performances and the stunning debut album Treasure Trove. Another current project is The Dangerous Kitchen, a free improvising trio which places Sulzmann's uniquely lyrical sax and flute lines amid an extraordinary sound world conjured up by percussionists Simon Allen and Martin Pyne, drawing on world music and the avant-garde as well as jazz.

An accomplished and distinctive composer, Sulzmann has written for small groups and large jazz orchestras alike. Recent work has included pieces for the London Trombone Quartet and the Guildhall School of Music Jazz Orchestra. He has also written a number of pieces for The European Jazz Ensemble. The Guardian has described his music in glowing terms": . . . meticulously written, sometimes echoing the imaginative and much missed orchestra of Michael Gibbs."
While creative work remains a priority Stan Sulzmann is an experienced and enthusiastic educator, equally at home working as a tutor at a summer school or taking a masterclass at a conservatoire. He places emphasis on developing an approach where technique remains at all times at the service of personal musical expression.

February 1997 saw him leading a major projet at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and he continues to work regularly at The Royal Academy of Music, and Trinity College of Music.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY:
Troasuro Trove (Ascension)
Feudal Rabbits (Al, Uril)
Never At All (Future Music)
Some Of Our Best Friends (Ascension)
Once Is Never Enough (Future Music)
Flutter by Bullerfly (Soulnole)
Music for Large and Small Ensembles (ECM)
Kayak (All Um)


MARTIN SPEAKE
ALTO SAXOPHONE, COMPOSER, JAZZ EDUCATOR

Martin was born in Barnet in 1958 and took up the saxophone at the age of 16. He studied classical saxophone at Trinity College of Music from 1977-81. Whilst there he was awarded the Dame Ruth Railton prize for woodwind playing. Since then he has been a freelance jazz musician, composer and teacher performing throughout the world. He became first known as founder member of the award winning saxophone quartet Itchy Fingers with whom he toured Europe, South America, Africa, USA and Britain and recorded two albums. Since leaving this group in 1988 he has performed, recorded and composed extensively with his own projects.

The Martin Speake Group is a quartet that features John Parricelli, Mick Hutton and Tom Skinner playing original music and has toured China, Indonesia, Philippines and Croatia as well as appearing regularly throughout Britain. The first CD by this band is called 'In Our Time' and they have recently released their second 'Trust' .The 7 piece Fever Pitch is a "world music" band with three percussionists (Paul Clarvis, Dawson Miller, Dave Hassell) Stuart Hall, Oren Marshall and Chris Batchelor and performs Indian and Arabic influenced music. In 1994 the group toured Britain with support from the Arts Council and have recently released their first cd on the new Village Life label. Martin's interest in Indian music has resulted in a collaboration with sitarist Dharambir Singh and tabla player Sukhwinder Singh. In 1996 they performed at the Bloomsbury Theatre as part of a festival organised by the Asian Music Circuit
The Martin Speake\Phil Lee Quartet featuring Mick Hutton and Bryan Spring perform 'standards' and compositions from the jazz repertoire. They were featured live from the Appleby Jazz Festival by the BBC in 1996 and had their first CD 'Amazing Grace' (Spotlite Records) released in 1997. Martin Speake\ Nikki Iles Duo have recently released a CD featuring compositions and also freely improvised duets on FMR Records entitled 'The Tan T'ien'. Eternal Triangle is a trio featuring drummer Mark Sanders and bassist Tom Herbert exploring free improvisation, compositions by Martin Speake and material from the jazz repertoire. Mind and Time is a project performing the music of the saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman. The band features trumpeter Chris Batchelor, bassist Mick Hutton and drummer Clark Tracey. They toured in the spring of 1997.

Apart from these projects of his own, Martin has also performed with Paul Motian, Loose Tubes, Stan Tracey, Bhavani Shankar, Billy Jenkins, Django Bates, Bob Wilber, Conrad Herwig, Don Weller, Alison Bentley, The Style Council, Ann Pigalle, John Williams, Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, Shiva Nova, Jim Mullen, Dave Cliff, Julian Arguelles, Ephie Resnick, Sankalpam(Indian Dance Company) and the Royal Shakespeare Company among others. He is very involved in jazz education and is saxophone professor and contemporary music co-ordinator on the Royal Academy of Music Jazz Course and saxophone teacher at Middlesex University. Martin has also taught in schools, adult education classes, weekend courses and summer schools throughout the country. He has composed music for the Associated Board jazz piano syllabus and a solo saxophone piece for Faber Music

 


TONY HYMAS

Tony has a long musical involvement with the United Remnant Band from the Shawnee Nation having written two double albums with poet Barney Bush. His fascination with American Indian culture has developed into two more of his own projects, 'OYATE' working with traditional and original tunes, and 'THE LONELY BEARS' which is a partnership between Terry Bozio, Tony Coe, Hugh Burns and himself. This strong connection to the outcasts from the 'American Dream' illuminate Tony's approach to sound, linking odd elements together in unlikely ways and opening your listening to his integration of different styles of music.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY
OYATE
FLYING FORTRESS
Eight Day Journal
The 'Mr Bean' theme tune
Lunchtime Automatic Ballet
Symphony recorded by the LSO FOR ALL THE SAINTS

As a pianist Tony is in much demand for recordings of film scores, working with Cleo Laine, the MATRIX Ensemble (Alan Hacker),John Dankworth, Stan Sulzmann, Jaques Thollot, Terry Bozio, Sam Rivers, The Ballet Rambert, Paul Clarvis, Tony Coe and has played one night deputising with Frank Sinatra. He has also performed classical works on Radio 3 by Stravinsky, Mussolov and Roslavits.


DAVE GREEN

is every drummer's favorite bassist, for many good reasons. Equally happy playing swinging mainstream jazz with such masters as Benny Carter, the late Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster as he is working with more modern artists such as Sonny Rollins and George Coleman, Dave is without doubt the most experienced and most in demand bassist in the country soda!. His longest associations have been with the bands of Humphrey Lyttleton and Stan Tracey, and he is currently a member of Peter King's Quintet Dave's playing has been described by Jazz Journal as 'flawless and masterly', and with these qualities in mind, he is the firm foundation stone of still waters.


HENRY LOWTHER

is a trumpet player of formidable talent, and has been described by Jazz Journal as having no superiors amongst European jazzmen, and precious few anywhere. Henry has worked on the jazz scene with- amongst others-Mike Gibbs. John Taylor. John Surman, Stan Tracey and Kenny Wheeler. He was a member of the Peter King Quintet for eight years and is one of only two or three trumpeters who have played lead trumpet with both Gil Evans and George Russell. Unusually for a jazz musician, Henry is also engaged frequently as a classical trumpeter by major symphony orchestras and has recorded with Simon Rattle, the London Sinfonietta and the London Buss Virtuosi, of which he is a regular member. He was also the featured flugelhorn soloist with the strings of the BBC Radio Orchestra until it's demise.


PETE SABERTON

is one of the finest piano players in Britain today, and is also an accomplished composer He has performed regularly in duo format with John Taylor and his long been. associated with Pete Hurt. His album The Year of the Buffalo was greeted with high critical acclaim. His playing is harmonically adventurous, displaying an almost orchestral, yet still economics approach to the piano. His stunning originality and inventiveness make him the ideal pianist for still waters.


THADDEUS KELLY

Thad turned down a proper job to become a bass player 'the instrument that likes to be talked over'. As one of the main double bass players in the UK he has played with most of the leading jazz musicians in the country.Well, bass players get around a bit.

He switched to the electric bass for the 'Partisans’ with Phil Robson, Julian Siege lGene Calderazzo. Partisans played at Cheltenham festival 2003 with Wayne Krantz & the gig was recorded by Radio 3’s ‘jazz line up’. Chris Parker & John Fordham hailed the gig as the highlight of the festival. (www.partisans.org.uk)

He can often been seen ripping it up the with musical anarchist Billy Jenkins (www.billyjenkins.com) who explores the urban blues pallet (of late night tescos and boarded up shopping malls etc.).

Member of Orquestra Mahatma with multi-instrumentalist Stuart Hall and percussionist Paul Clarvis. "A little miracle of home grown jazz"-independant. OM explore the more ethnic side of contempory music.
Thad is currently working with the UK's best male jazz vocalist Ian Shaw (www.ianshaw.biz) Ian and Thad performed at the lincoln center New York Jan 04 and other jazz festivals in the USA.

He has recently done a remix (with Big Hair) for Billy Martin (Medeski Martin & Wood) released as : Antidote (illy B Eats vol.2 remixes). This will be a limited edition compilation CD on Amulet Records.

Has played in/at:
Berlin, Bulgaria, New York City, South Africa, Yemen, Ireland, Finland, Austria, France, Holland, Spain, Hungary, Brecon Jazz festival, Appleby Jazz festival, Cheltenham Festival, Bath Festival, Glasgow Jazz festival, Edinburgh, Ronnie Scott’s, Jazz café, Pizza Express (Dean St.), The Vortex & most UK venues e.t.c

Has appeared on:
Radio 3 - ‘Jazz notes’, ‘Jazz on 3’, ‘Jazz Line Up’, Radio 4 - ‘Loose Ends, Jazz FM, BBC2 - ‘Jazz 606’

Has appeared with:
Henry Lowther's 'still waters', Jackie Dankworth's 'fields of blue', Stan Sulzmann's Big Band, Colin Towns'' Mask Orchestra', eddie Parkers 'EPG', John Paracelli's 'Matheran', Mark lockheart's 'Scatch band', 'Orquestra Mahatma', Billy Jenkins and the 'Blues Collective', Ian Shaw, Jim Mullen, Bobby Wellins, Iain Ballamy, Julian Argüelles, Annie Whitehead, slim Gaillard.


JULIAN ARGUELLES

is perhaps the finest of all the young British saxophonists to have emerged during the last few years. He has played with the European Jazz orchestra and Loose Tubes and in the bands of Mike Gibbs, John Taylor. Kenny Wheeler, Diango Bates and Carla They. He is a member of Arguelles, the band he leads with his older brother Steve. Julian his Been the recipient of the distinguished Pat Smythe award, and has also won two solo prizes in the BBC's annual Big Band competition, including the John Dankworth award fair the most promising young musician His eloquent, poised and lyrical sound makes him the perfect partner to Henry in the front line.


KENNY WHEELER

Kenny Wheeler has established himself as one of the most outstanding musicians and composers in contemporary jazz. Over the years, he has been associated with Ronnie Scott, The Clarke-Boland Big Band, Keith Jarrett, Dave Holland, John Abercrombie, John Taylor and Bill Frissell, to name but a few. Wheeler is a major jazz talent with an acknowledged international reputation and his influence on the younger generation of musicians is highly significant. He is hugely in demand as a soloist and spends much of his time working and recording with groups in several countries, most recently in his native Canada with the Maritime Jazz Orchestra.


NORMA WINSTONE

Norma Winstone began her career singing jazz standards, gradually becoming involved in the avant-garde movement, exploring the use of the voice in an experimental way and evolving her own wordless approach to improvisation. She has worked with many of the major European names and visiting Americans including Mike Westbrook, Mike Gibbs, John Surman and Michael Garrick. In the late 1970s she joined John Taylor and Kenny Wheeler to form "Azimuth" and in this setting she combines the instrumental use of the voice with words, most of which she writes herself. She has become known as a very fine lyricist writing for Egberto Gismonti and Ivan Lins.


FRED HERSCH

Fred Hersch, the American pianist and composer, is among the foremost artists in the world of jazz today. He has been widely recognised in recent years for his ability to re-invent the standard jazz repertoire, investigating time-tested classics and interpreting them with keen insight, fresh ideas and extraordinary technique. He has had long-time musical associations with such outstanding jazz artists as Joe Henderson, Stan Getz, Art Farmer, Toots Thielemans, Charlie Haden and Eddie Daniels, and classical artists Dawn Upshaw and Jeffrey Kahane. The classically trained Hersch continues to appear as soloist with orchestras in the USA and Europe, recent commissions include a dance score for the Bill T Jones/ Arnie Zane Dance Company and Hersch is also a part-time faculty member of The New England Conservatory of Music.