All gigs take place at:
East Hastings Sea Angling Association
The Stade, Hastings, TN34 3JF
Doors open 7.45 for 8.30 start.
Tuesday 12th December
DARIUS BRUBECK QUARTET
Darius Brubeck: Piano
Dave O’Higgins: Saxophone
Matt Ridley: Bass
Wesley Gibbens: Drums
We are talking jazz royalty here. Like his legendary father Dave, Darius Brubeck is a renowned pianist. But has also enjoyed a lifetime of varied international experience as band leader, composer, teacher and broadcaster. Born in San Francisco, in the ‘70s and early ‘80s Darius led his own groups and toured with his father and two brothers Chris and Dan. In 1983 he moved to South Africa where he became Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and played and toured with some of the country’s leading musicians. In 2006 he moved to the UK where he founded the Darius Brubeck Quartet, which over 16 years has become a hugely successful and popular group in the UK and beyond.
On saxophone will be Dave O’Higgins, who has released more than 20 albums as leader and played with the likes of Jimmy Smith, Nancy Wilson, Peggy Lee and Frank Sinatra. Bass player Matt Ridley, last seen at Jazz Hastings in April, has been a core member of the Quartet since its inception, as has drummer Wesley Gibbens.
Tuesday 23rd January 2024
DICK OATTS QUARTET
Dick Oatts: Saxophone
Will Barry: Piano
Stephen Keogh: Drums
Mark Hodgson: Bass
Veteran New York-based saxophonist Dick Oatts grew up in Des Moines, Iowa, where his father Jack, a respected jazz educator and saxophonist introduced him to music. After a year at Drake University, he dropped out to begin his professional career in Minneapolis.
In 1977, he moved to New York to join the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, which later became the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. He played with them every Monday night at the Village Vanguard – and still does when he’s in town – as well as touring with them in the US and Europe.
Over the years Oatts has played with a wide range of big bands and performed and recorded as a sideman with multiple small groups led by the likes of Bob Brookmeyer, Jerry Bergonzi and Fred Hersch. He has recorded 10 solo CDs and 5 co-led CDs. He also accompanied singers such as Sarah Vaughan, Mel Tormé and Ella Fitzgerald.
For this session he’ll be appearing with established UK jazz musicians Will Barry on piano, Mark Hodgson on bass and Stephen Keogh on drums.
Tuesday 6th February
ROBERT MITCHELL ‘TRUE THINK’
Robert Mitchell: Piano
Liselotte Östblom: Vocals
Zayn Mohammed: Guitar
Tom Mason: Bass/Keyboard
Saleel Raman: Drums
Robert Mitchell is an award-winning pianist, composer, bandleader and published poet who has built a formidable reputation for working across creative genres. Over his 30 plus year career, he has released 12 albums of his own, participated in over 100 projects as a sideman and has performed in 40 countries. He has worked with an extraordinarily wide range of jazz artists, including opening for Wayne Shorter at the Brighton Dome and Branford Marsalis at the Barbican.
He always has a range of projects on the go. For this session he’ll be appearing with his new electronic/song ensemble TRUE THINK (Truth inc / Truth Ink). They gave an amazing performance last year at the Battle Festival which brought the house down.
They’ll be performing music from their new double album Hold The Light / The New Resistance, featuring powerful songs of protest, love and peace. They blend electronic, jazz, RnB, spoken word, film and folk influences together to create a unique sound. Not to be missed.
Wednesday 6th March
JERRY BERGONZI QUARTET
Jerry Bergonzi: Saxophone
Will Barry: Piano
Mark Hodgson: Bass
Stephen Keogh: Drums
He’s becoming a regular fixture! After two triumphant Jazz Hastings appearances in the last two years, the legendary American saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi is back once again by popular demand. Jerry Bergonzi gained worldwide recognition while playing with the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet. Bergonzi’s complex, assertive tenor saxophone improvisations brought a more contemporary element into Brubeck’s established style.
Between 1973 and 1981, Bergonzi recorded nine albums with Brubeck. He has also performed and recorded with other major stars such as Bill Evans, Paul Desmond, Dave Holland, Gerry Mulligan, Jack DeJohnette, Roy Haynes and many more.
Bergonzi is renowned for his innovation, mastery and integrity. In an endless series of rave reviews, he is credited for his relentless drive, inner fire, total command, awesome technique, elastic lyricism, rich resonance and musical vision.
As with Dick Oatts earlier in the year, Bergonzi will be appearing with established UK jazz musicians Will Barry on piano, Mark Hodgson on bass and Stephen Keogh on drums.
Tuesday 9th April
JOHN LAW’S RE-CREATIONS
John Law: Piano
Sam Crockatt: Saxophone
Henrick Jensen: Bass
Alex Goodyear: Drums
A classical piano child prodigy – he gave his first performance at the age of six – John Law won an open scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music. But despite being mentored by the great classical pianist Alfred Brendel, he decided at the age of 23 to switch to jazz. Since then, through appearances at concert halls and festivals all over the world, John has established himself as one of Europe’s leading jazz pianist/composers, often returning to explore his classical roots.
He started Re-Creations in 2016, as a counterfoil to his original compositions. It began as a fun project, playing lots of different tunes from different genres. But gradually the arrangements became more complex and interesting, while remaining accessible because the audience generally know the tunes.
The quartet’s repertoire includes jazz classics from the likes of Monk, Miles Davis and Gershwin and pop/rock tunes (Pink Floyd, Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Radiohead). More recently classical pieces started appearing such as the Kyrie from Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Debussy’s Claire De Lune and Satie’s Gymnopédie. A true musical feast.
Tuesday 7th May
ELAINE DELMAR QUINTET featuring JIM MULLEN
Elaine Delmar: Vocals
Jim Mullen: Guitar
Barry Green: Piano
Bobby Worth: Drums
Simon Thorpe: Bass
Elaine Delmar is widely recognised as a “Grand Dame’ among British female jazz singers. She was raised in a strong musical environment. Her father was the renowned trumpeter Leslie ‘Jiver’ Hutchinson, a leading influence in the jazz and dance band movement in Britain from the 1930s onwards. After initially learning classical piano, she followed a natural progression towards singing and became a vocalist in her father’s own band at sixteen.
Her stellar recording career has spanned some 60 years. She’s equally at home in the concert hall – she appeared with Andy Williams at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester and Michel Legrand and the LSO at the Royal Albert Hall – and in smaller venues. She makes regular and very popular appearances at Ronnie Scott’s.
Elaine has also had a successful career as an actress on the London stage and on Broadway, receiving critical acclaim for her role in Map Of The World at the National Theatre.
For this event, she’ll be supported by guitar legend Jim Mullen, a major figure on the UK scene in his own right.
Tuesday 4th June
CLARK TRACEY QUINTET
Clark Tracey: Drums
Alex Clarke: Saxophone
Emily Masser: Vocals
Graham Harvey: Piano
James Owston: Bass
Clark Tracey, son of the legendary British jazz pianist Stan Tracey, has been a major figure on the UK jazz scene for more than 40 years. He started by playing piano and vibraphone but switch to the drums when he was 13. He turned professional at 17, playing in ensembles led by his father, including one called Fathers and Sons with John and Alec Dankworth in the 1990s. He has recorded over 100 albums (15 as a leader) and performed in over 50 countries. He has been awarded “Best Drums” title six times in the British Jazz Awards (most recently in 2018) and Ronnie Scott’s Award for “Best Drums” in 2007.
Since the early 1980s he has led a series of his own groups, involving a whole range of leading UK jazz players and often showcasing the considerable talents of young musicians. For instance, in this session he’ll be playing with saxophonist Alex Clarke, winner of the Rising Star category in the 2019 British Jazz Awards, and 20-year-old vocalist Emily Masser from the Guildhall School of Music.