Three well-travelled musicians, lead by trumpeter Shanti Jayasinha, who wrote material exploring South Indian music with Cuban and African influences.
Shanti Paul Jayasinha studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has recorded with Kenny Wheeler, Bobby Watson, Tim Garland, The Brand New Heavies, The Stereophonics and Basement Jaxx. He has played in concert with members of the Buena Vista Social Club, including Ruben Gonzales and Cachaito, and appeared with Frank Emilio Flyn’s ‘Los Amigos’. He has also played with Matt Bianco, supported Wayne Shorter, performed with LPO and the BBC Concert Orchestra, composed for the ABRSM jazz syllabus, and
contributed transcriptions to John McGlaughlin’s DVD ‘The Gateway to Rhythm’. He has worked extensively with Alex Wilson, touring the UK and Europe, supporting the
Afro-Cuban Allstars, the Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, and recording on five of Alex’s CDs.
He is on the staff at Centre for Young Musicians in London, has been a visiting lecturer at the Guildhall and an external examiner at the Royal College of Music. He has a CD out on Candid Records, entitled ‘Round Trip’ and is currently writing a book of elementary world music trumpet tunes for Oxford University Press.
John Crawford was born in London of English/Spanish Parents. His father played Blues piano, and this is the first thing he learnt to play. His mother would introduce him to Latin music of all kinds, and he has gone on to perform at Montreal Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Getxo Jazz Festival, Ronnie Scotts, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, the 606 club, and Royal Albert Hall amongst others. His Ulia River of Time has just been nominated for best album in the jazz category by the Independent Music Awards USA.
Ramesh Shotham was born in Madras, South India. After graduating with a degree in zoology, he began his musical career as a self-taught drummer, co-leading a Rock band called Human Bondage. In 1970 the band established itself in Bombay (Mumbai) and Bangalore, after which it hit the road, performing all over the Subcontinent.
During the mid-seventies, after having spent several months in Bombay with the late Pakhawaj master Arjun Shejwal, Ramesh returned to Madras (Chennai), to take up study of the Tavil (a traditional temple music drum), under Vidwan K.P.Ramu. This lead him to extending his repertoire to other classical percussion instruments, like Ghatam, Mridangam, Kanjira and Morsing at the Karnataka College of Percussion, founded by Professor T.A.S. Mani.
Since then, he has lived and worked in Europe, performing not only with leading European and American Jazz and Rock musicians, but also with artists from Africa, Australia, China, Korea and several Arabic countries. He has recorded over 120 LPs and CDs.
Traditional music from Ireland, Cyprus and the Balkans, arranged and performed
by Irish violinist Darragh Morgan with Brian OhUiginn (uileann pipes)
and Gavin Ralston (guitar).
Irish violinist Darragh Morgan has collaborated with many leading composers including Philip Glass, Arvo Part, Michael Nyman, Sir John Tavener, Gavin Bryars, Kevin Volans and Michael Finnissy.
He has made numerous concerto appearances across the world, and is a member of the Fidelio Trio with whom he has appeared at the Wigmore Hall, Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre, Casa da Musica Porto and Symphony Space New York.
Darragh has recorded over 25 CDs for labels including NMC, Naxos, Delphian, Mode, Black Box and Nimbus. He is professor of violin and chamber music at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
Brian OhUiginn is an uilleann piper and whistle player from Dublin. He has performed extensively in Ireland and abroad, both with traditional and contemporary bands and as a solo performer. His main formative influences have been the Gaelic song traditions, of Ireland and in particular of Scotland, and the music of various Irish, Scottish and Cape Breton players.
Trad. Irish guitarist Gavin Ralston has worked with many artists & groups including Arcady, Beginish, Sharon Shannon, Frankie Gavin & De Dannan, Donal Lunny, Cormac Breatnach, Begley & Cooney, Marie Breatnach & the Irish Folk Orchestra. As a Folk/Rock musician he has toured & performed with The Waterboys, Picture House, Clannad, Bagatelle, Revelino, Frances Black, Mary Black, Luan Parle, Eimear Quinn, Kieran Goss, Leslie Dowdall, Thom Moore, Eleanor McEvoy & Luka Bloom. He recorded with among others Phil Coulter on “Irelands Call” track; featured with Sinead O Connor on a Luka Bloom song “love is a place I dream of”; played piano on Luan Parle’s top 10 selling hit “Ghost”; contributed guitar with Mike Scott on “bring em all in” for a Dan Ar Braz album featuring a Fiachra Trench orchestral arrangement and in total has over 70 album credits.
“A special piece featuring the great talent of Samuel Dubois on Pan, highlighting this essential carnival instrument in a less often heard, intimate setting.”
Jason YardeJason Yarde (sax) started his playing career with the Jazz Warriors at 16, and has performed in a wide variety of bands including work with Louis Moholo, Afro Blok, Mano Ventura and the big bands of Manu Dibango, Hermeto Pascoal, Sam Rivers, McCoy Tyner, Andrew Hill, Hugh Masekela and many others. His own bands include the multi-award-winning J-life and Acoutastic Bombastic, and his prolific talents as composer, arranger and producer have led to projects with dance companies and classical orchestras such as the BBCCO and the LSO.
Samuel Dubois has been playing pan since starting in his school band at the age of 13. A full-time musician, he is self taught, and has never studied music. “I relish opportunities to play with all musicians as I believe there is something to be learned from everybody.” Sam has won the National Panorama competition on both occasions of entering with Ebony Steel Band. He has also won the British Association of Steelbands’ competition as soloist. Samuel has arranged for various bands in the UK & Sweden, and has toured in more than 50 countries, mainly playing jazz. He is currently touring with Courtney Pine. “My goal is to bring steelpan to the forefront of the music scene, so it’s not just seen as something that is associated with Calypso and Carnival.”
A mix of different styles, but mainly Contemporary, Irish and Old Time.
Billy Hill has been playing folk fiddle since he was seven, and learns with Pete Cooper. (He loves the bluesy, syncopated Appalachian stuff best + Cajun music, and anything by Aidan O’Rourke.) Still only 14, he’s been performing at festivals and folk clubs for the last four years, and has won several awards and competitions, including Battle of the Buskers (People’s Choice). He has supported Bruce Molsky, Dave Swarbrick, Tim Eriksen and Eliza Carthy.
Dan Stewart is a leading clawhammer banjo player and guitarist. He plays regularly in three bands: Rattle on the Stovepipe (with Dave Arthur and Pete Cooper); Long Hill Ramblers (with Laura Hockenhull, Ben Paley and Tab Hunter); and also in a duo with his sister, fiddler Sarah Tadros, performing Irish, Scottish, Greek and English folk music.
“I’ve long been intrigued by the musical language, dance rhythms, repertoire and playing techniques of English, Irish, Scottish, Scandinavian, Eastern European, American Old Time and other fiddle traditions. These have variously influenced my own fiddle compositions, some straightforwardly, others less so. A musical phrase usually just comes to mind, or appears under my fingers as I noodle on the instrument, and germinates (if it does), without conscious design on my part as to its style or character.
I am not prolific, but occasionally several tunes have arrived in succession and I’ve felt like a stage magician pulling silk scarves out of my mouth, all different colours.”
Pete Cooper plays, teaches, composes, records and writes about fiddle music. He is best known for his tutorial book/CD The Complete Irish Fiddle Player (1995), published in the USA by Mel Bay, and his more recent collections issued by Schott: Irish Fiddle Solos (2004), English Fiddle Tunes (2006), Eastern European Fiddle Tunes (2007) and American Old Time Fiddle Tunes (2010). A firm believer in lifelong learning, Pete has run regular fiddle courses in London since the mid-1980s, bringing his group classes under one roof in 2001 as the ‘London Fiddle School’
“I have always been captivated by music that has been written by people in the midst of a spiritual experience or rite of passage within their society. The music has a rich, vital element to it and is often passed on via an oral tradition. It is owned by the society and is part of their folklore. The music when reinterpreted then has new elements that reflect what is happening at the time and is energised with the new elements of the culture. This is where folk meets jazz and carnival. My piece is a duet written for Shabaka Hutchings and myself that explores this relationship in sound and melody.”
Byron WallenRaised in a musical environment, Byron Wallen started learning his first instrument, piano, at an early age. He then went on to study trumpet with Jimmy Owens, Donald Byrd and Jon Faddis, in New York.
By the late 90s his work was receiving world wide attention and he could be heard performing with a myriad of artists such as David Murray, Andrew Hill, Butch Morris, Ralph Moore, Billy Higgins, Eddie Henderson, Wynton Marsalis, Herlin Riley, Freddie Hubbard, George Benson, William Orbit, Toumani Diabate, Brice Wassy, Lonnie Liston Smith, Ronnie Laws and Chaka Khan. His trumpet has also appeared alongside African pioneers such as Hugh Masekela, Manu Dibango and Amampondo.
The past few years have seen Byron perform with World Music artists Baaba Maal and Cheikh-Lo and a host of jazz legends including Bobby McFerrin, Sam Rivers, and Jack DeJohnette. He has also been working with Gregory Isaacs, Ken Boothe and Mikey Spice – pioneers of the reggae world.
Shabaka Hutchings was born in England and raised in Barbados – where he began his musical journey. There he played in local calypso bands, classical ensembles and various jazz groups. In 2003 he was awarded a place at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he completed a degree in classical clarinet. Shabaka has shared the stage with many top jazz musicians and ensembles, including Jack de Johnette, Charlie Haden, the trip-hop group Red Snapper, and Jerry Dammers’ Spatial AKA orchestra at the Barbican Centre. He is part of the London community of younger jazz musicians, and has recorded and performed in numerous ensembles. In 2010, Shabaka was named BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist.
His latest project is the group Sons of Kemet, with Seb Rochford and Tom Skinner on drums, and Oren Marshall on tuba. This group explores Shabaka’s Caribbean heritage.
Shanti Paul Jayasinha lead a small group of exceptional young musicians in a special presentation of world and carnival-inspired tunes, with free improviser Steve Beresford and blues guitarist Ramon Goose. This project was supported by Awards for Young Musicians.
Daniel Goodwin is a multi-instrumentalist and singer, having played drums since he was 4, piano since 7, and tuned percussion (marimba/vibes) for the last two years. At ages 8 and 9 he played drums in a band entertaining runners in two successive London Marathons. As a pianist/keyboardist , he has played jazz in London NYJO, and is now a regular performer in the Young Musicians Jazz Collective, in which he also plays vibes.
Billy Hill has been playing folk fiddle since he was seven, and learns with Pete Cooper. (He loves the bluesy, syncopated Appalachian stuff best + Cajun music, and anything by Aidan O’Rourke…) Still only 14, he’s been performing at festivals and folk clubs for the last four years, and has won several awards and competitions, including Battle of the Buskers (People’s Choice). He has supported Bruce Molsky, Dave Swarbrick, Tim Eriksen and Eliza Carthy.
Described as ‘a phenomenon’ by the late great jazz composer and pianist Michael Garrick, 13 year old Asha Parkinson took up the saxophone just three years ago, rapidly becoming an outstanding young jazz performer, winning several competitions and an AYM award. She is currently lead alto in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra 2, (NYJO2) leads her own jazz quartet ‘Out of the Loop’ and is also an accomplished pianist.
Established in 1998, Awards for Young Musicians believes that all musically talented young people should have the opportunity to develop that talent, and not just those from well off families. It funds young people, from 5-18, with exceptional abilities, from lower income backgrounds. Their programmes ensure the children can continue making music, providing vital financial backing and supplying opportunities that give them the confidence to progress.
A new work by Shabaka Hutchings exploring what folk means in a contemporary and industrialised context.
Shabaka Hutchings was born in England and raised in Barbados – where he began his musical journey. There he played in local calypso bands, classical ensembles and various jazz groups. In 2003 he was awarded a place at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he completed a degree in
classical clarinet.
Shabaka has shared the stage with many top jazz musicians and ensembles, including Jack de Johnette, Charlie Haden, the trip-hop group Red Snapper, and Jerry Dammers’ Spatial AKA orchestra at the Barbican Centre. He is part of the London community of younger jazz musicians, and has recorded and performed in numerous ensembles. In 2010, Shabaka was named BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist.
His latest project is the group Sons of Kemet, with Seb Rochford and Tom Skinner on drums, and Oren Marshall on tuba. This group explores Shabaka’s Caribbean heritage.
Trombonist Harry Brown was fortunate that he not only had a musical family (his first band was with his sisters), but that he also studied at the Kingsdale School, which had a highly respected music department. “This was fundamental to my musical development,” says Brown. “We had enthusiastic teachers like my first trombone teacher Tony Hogg – I remember the old Blessing I used to play on. And there were many different musical ensembles that I was able to join.” But it was at the Centre for Young Musicians that Brown’s playing really took off. “We did various ensembles/orchestras and did many international tours and concerts – I remember playing at the Barbican and the Royal Festival Hall.”
Brown’s musical pathway and interests have always been finely balanced between the jazz and classical genres. “I did a Master of Music Degree in Performance at the Royal Academy of Music which took in a range of influences – from Coltrane to Stockhausen. I was trying to raise the level of jazz music analysis to the same level as that of the classical composers and their output.”
Theon Cross is a young musician currently studying at the Guildhall school of Music and Drama. He has performed with many musicians in ensembles including the Nu Civilisation Orchestra, NYJO, Tomorrow’s Warriors, The Grand Union Orchestra, Dan Zanes and friends, Abram Wilson’s delta blues project, Tom Challenger’s Brass Mask and more. He has played in studio recordings for Channel 4, BBC Radio 3 and Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki. Theon has also performed in various famous music venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, The Barbican and the Royal Festival Hall.
Seb Rochford is a British drummer and bandleader who spans many musical genres. He comes from Aberdeen and has a large family of 2 brothers and 7 sisters. His father is an accomplished
Scottish poet.
Seb has worked extensively with Joanna MacGregor and Andy Sheppard; leads the band Fulborn Teversham, and has an improvising duo with Leafcutter John. He drummed for Pete Doherty, with his band Babyshambles, in the early days, and has continued to make guest appearances with them. Recently Seb has been working with Corrine Bailey Rae and Herbie Hancock.
Seb won the BBC Jazz Award for best newcomer in 2004, and has been nominated as best musician in 2006. He has also been nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2005 and 2007.
“I wanted to explore mixing the rhythms and melodies of the Maghreb with the Blues. I’ve been a frequent traveller to North Africa and am always hit by the wealth of cultures and musical traditions there. Yazid came over here from Algeria ten years ago, and his virtuosity on the Oud is now well known. Meeting him, we both instantly felt a kinship.”
Ramon GooseOne of the most versatile Blues artists of his generation, Ramon Goose is a guitarist who has explored many music genres and continues to do so. He has been involved with several World Music projects, and has travelled across the Sahara Desert and to countries such as Senegal where he has collaborated with many renowned musicians, including Diabel Cissokho, and formed the West African Blues Project. His most recent venture is Coconut Revolution: a collaboration with Jim Palmer and Modou Toure.. Through the years Ramon has worked with Eric Bibb, Pee Wee Ellis, Chris Thomas King, Diabel Cissokho, Daby Toure (Mauritania), Atongo Zimba (Ghana), Noumoucounda Cissokho, Justin Adams and Julian Joseph, to name but a few…
Yazid Fentazi moved to London in the early 90’s, began to play the Oud, and became involved in a project with The Fantazia band, resulting in two albums. He was invited to perform, record and tour with the Master Drummers of Africa, Richard Bignell, Robert Plant, Marc Almond, Peter Ind, Natacha Atlas, Transglobal Underground, Joi, Davide Mantovani and more. Yaz has produced two albums for Ali Slimane, Espoir and Maktoub, and is the main composer/producer for the Fantazia Band.
Two new works by Howard Skempton: for solo violin and ensemble.
Howard Skempton is a British composer and accordionist. Since the late 1960s, when he helped organize the Scratch Orchestra, he has been associated with the English school of experimental music. Skempton’s work is characterized by stripped down, essentials-only choice of materials, absence of formal development and a strong emphasis on melody; his music has been described as “the emancipation of the consonance” by musicologist Hermann-Christoph Müller.
Skempton was born in Chester, but moved to London in 1967, and began taking private lessons in composition with Cornelius Cardew. In 1968 Skempton joined Cardew’s experimental music class at Morley College, where in spring 1969 Cardew, Skempton and composer Michael Parsons organized the Scratch Orchestra. This ensemble had open membership and was dedicated to performing experimental contemporary music by composers such as La Monte Young, John Cage, Terry Riley, as well as by members of the orchestra itself.
Skempton has been working as a composer, music editor, performer and teacher (at Birmingham Conservatoire) since 1971.
Irish violinist Darragh Morgan has collaborated with many leading composers including Philip Glass, Arvo Part, Michael Nyman, Sir John Tavener, Gavin Bryars, Kevin Volans and Michael Finnissy. He has made numerous concerto appearances with orchestras across the world, and is a member of the Fidelio Trio with whom he has appeared at the Wigmore Hall, Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre, Casa da Musica Porto and Symphony Space New York.
Darragh has recorded over 25 CDs for labels including NMC, Naxos, Delphian, Mode, Black Box and Nimbus. He is professor of violin and chamber music at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
Internationally known as a free improviser on piano and electronics, Steve Beresford has also composed scores for feature films and music for various TV shows and commercials; and has worked with hundreds of musicians.
Born in Wellington, Shropshire in 1950, Steve moved to London in 1974, playing piano with improvisers like Derek Bailey and also trumpet with the notorious Portsmouth Sinfonia, which included Brian Eno and Gavin Bryars.
He plays with and conducts the London Improvisers Orchestra every month. He also regularly collaborates with musicians such as Elaine Mitchener, John Butcher, Satoko Fukuda and Shabaka Hutchings, playing at venues like Café Oto in Dalston, London.