Gigs normally take place at:
East Hastings Sea Angling Association
The Stade, Hastings, TN34 3JF
Doors open 7.45 for 8.30 start.
Tuesday 5th November
DAVID PRESTON – ‘Mµ Quartet’
featuring Ivo Neame, Jeremy Stacey & Tom Farmer
David Preston: Guitar
Ivo Neame: Piano
Jeremy Stacey: Drums
Tom Farmer: Bass
London based guitarist and composer, David Preston has been described by the Guardian as “Virtuosic” and Time Out as “A superb modern jazz guitarist”. He released his debut solo album ‘Purple / Black Volume 1’ on Whirlwind Recordings in 2023. It received Editors Choice and a 4 star review in May 2023 issue of Jazzwise Magazine. Volume 2 is scheduled for 2024. A finalist at the Montreux International Guitar competition, David has been active as a sideman for a variety of UK musicians such as Nathaniel Facey, Asaf Sirkis, Emma Rawicz, and the internationally celebrated piano and drum virtuoso Gary Husband. He has performed/toured/recorded with many US artists such as Grammy-Winning US jazz vocalists Melody Gardot, Curtis Stigers and Jesse Harris. His band for this session will feature multi-award winning pianist Ivo Neame; brilliant drummer Jeremy Stacey, who has worked with such stars as Robbie Williams, Will Young, Gary Barlow, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Beverley Knight and Sheryl Crow; and bass-player Tom Farmer, probably best known for his work with Empirical (see December).
Tuesday 3rd December
EMPIRICAL
Nathaniel Facey: Alto Sax
Tom Farmer: Bass
Shaney Forbes: Drums
Founded in 2007, Empirical is ‘still a reliable touchstone of contemporary British jazz at its most sophisticated’ (Jazzwise 2022). For the last 16 years, the band has featured the same line-up, though for this session they will be without their regular vibraphone player Lewis Wright. Collective study and exploration has remained the bedrock of Empirical’s creative process and has seen the band assimilate influences from right across the rich history of jazz. Oblique harmonies, translucent textures and jagged, quick shifting rhythms are the signposts of Empirical’s musical territory.
Alongside their ceaselessly fearless creative fervour, Empirical have succeeded in establishing an instantly recognisable group sound that is rife with raw energy and roiling emotion. “As anyone who has heard the band live will know, their approach is so fresh and their sound so appealing that there’s never a dull moment.” (The Observer)
Over the years the band have won multiple awards, including two Parliamentary Jazz Awards as Best Jazz Ensemble and MOBO and Urban Music Awards for Best Jazz Act.