TIME: 8.00 – 11.00PM

TICKETS: £14

PERSONNEL

Richard Fairhurst – piano
Chris Batchelor – trumpet
Julian Siegel – sax
Dave Whitford – bass
Tim Giles – drums

Launched at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club this new Quintet focuses on the music Wayne Shorter created throughout the 1960’s with Miles Davis’ Quintet and on his own, now classic recordings for the Blue Note Label made throughout this same period.

The music holds a special place in Jazz history, it resonates with both audiences and musicians and has contributed to some of the great records both with Miles Davis and on Blue Note.

Many of his compositions have now become jazz standards, and his music has earned worldwide recognition. He has won 11 Grammy Awards and was described by the New York  times as “probably jazz’s greatest living small-group composer and a contender for greatest living improviser”

The players

Steinway Artist Richard Fairhurst has been an important figure on the UK jazz scene since the mid 1990’s. His ongoing significance is evident in the recent album of superb duets which he recorded with the late, great John Taylor. Previously he had released 5 albums either as a trio or quartet

Press Quotes

‘Award winning pianist Richard Fairhurst, is a powerful keyboard virtuoso capable of both meditation and funkiness, but he is as sophisticated a composer as he is a player. He is one of the UK’s most inventive pianists’ – The Guardian

‘Fairhurst’s piano playing is always luminous and lyrical’ – The Times

‘In Fairhurst’s originals there is an attention to detail and thematic elegance that slots him neatly into the lineage of Brad Mehldau, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea et al’ – BBC Music

Chris Batchelor is well known at the East Side having played here recently with Adam Glasser and Pigfoot . He is an innovative and creative trumpet player and composer based in London. As well as leading several projects, including the avant-trad band Pigfoot, he is also featured as a sensitive and versatile soloist in many highly regarded groups on the UK jazz scene, and is a prominent soloist and composer in the re-formed Loose Tubes.
He has played alongside international stars such as Michael Brecker, Sam Rivers, Hermeto Pascoal, Tim Berne and Uri Caine. In November 2009 he was selected to receive the prestigious Paul Hamlyn Award for Composers.

Julian Siegel is one of the most respected players on the UK scene . He leads his own quarter plus he is a member of one of the longest running groups in British jazz , The Partisans. He has also led a big band playing his compositions from Tales of the Jacquard. He has also appeared as a member of some of the great large ensembles – he lists Hermeto Pascoal, Mike Gibbs, Kenny Wheeler, Django Bates and NDR Bigband amongst extensive performing credits.

Dave Whitford has become one of London’s most in-demand side-men and can frequently be heard in the capital’s top venues such as Ronnie Scott’s, The Vortex, The 606 and The Jazz Caf​é. He has also toured extensively nationally and internationally appearing at the Xerox Rochester international Jazz festival, Abu Dhabi Jazz festival, The Brecon Jazz festival, San Sebastian Jazz festival and Love Supreme festival.

Dave was the late great saxophonist Bobby Wellins’ bassist for many years . He plays in the Julian Siegel Quartet , Liam Noble’s Trio , Claire Martin , Ray Gelato , Marc Copland , Bill Frisell and many more.

Tim Giles is a jazz drummer who won the Daily Telegraph Young Composer of the Year Award in 1992 at the age of 12 and has gone on to perform with a variety of jazz musicians.  Whilst still in his teens, Tim was performing internationally at events such as the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, and St Louis Jazz Festival, Senegal (providing support for the late Joe Zawinul). After several years of successful freelancing, playing with the likes of Stan Sulzmann, Kenny Wheeler and Julian Arguelles Tim moved to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music. Since then he has played in numerous bands including Fraud , Lamdin’s Nostalgia 77, James Allsopp’s The Golden Age of Steam, Stan Sulzmann’s Neon Quartet and Neon Orchestra, Iain Ballamy, Tori Freestone ,  Ed Jones, Matt Bourne, Sara Mitra, Jamie Cullum, also co-leading Leverton Fox and The Twelves.