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Details of musicians appearing at St Ives Jazz Club between January and March 2010 follow (also added to gig list)...

ST IVES JAZZ CLUB at the WESTERN HOTEL Royal Square, St Ives
Doors open 8pm. Music 9pm-11.15pm
For more info, call 01736 798061 or 796082.


Tues 26 January £10/£6
NEON
STAN SULZMANN (sx), GWILYM SIMCOCK (pn), JIM HART(vb)
A collaboration led by legendary UK saxophonist Stan Sulzmann featuring two of the hottest stars on the UK jazz scene. This is fresh,vibrant, exhilarating, uplifting, melodic music of the highest order played by three virtuosi whose aim is to reach beyond the conventional jazz audience. ‘Sulzmann avoids the over-predictable, while Hart and Simcock eschew the college-jazz inanities that are often the bane of their generation. The result is a concentrated set ... both highly adventurous and listenable. If you liked Gary Burton’s work with Chick Corea, you’ll love this.’ Roger Thomas, BBC Music Magazine.

Tues 2 February £10/£6
KEN CHURCH QUARTET plays Wes Montgomery
KEN CHURCH (vb), NEIL BURNS (gt), MARCUS VERGETTE (db), DAVE SHEEN (dm)
Formed a couple of years ago to play the original compositions of Wes Montgomery and Milt Jackson, the band also pays tribute to Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Oliver Nelson et al. They get hearty receptions wherever they go to play these wonderful tunes. Promises to be a great gig!

Tues 9 February £10/£6
TONY WOODS PROJECT
TONY WOODS (sx), MIKE OUTRAM (gt), ANDY HAMILL (db), JUSTIN WOODWOOD (vb), MILO FELL (dm)
The Project plays its own brand of melodic, accessible, original, folk/rock/world influenced jazz. The music is contemporary yet tuneful, catchy yet sophisticated. According to Claire Hadaway of Jazz Views, the music is, ‘contemplative without being soporific and innovative whilst still being accessible and listenable.’ ‘"Now" jazz music of excellent quality.’ John Critchinson - Musician Magazine.

Tues 16 February £10/£6
DALE/MILVERTON QUARTET
MARTIN DALE (sx), CRAIG MILVERTON (pn), KEVIN SAUNDERS (db), COACH YORK (dm)
Two of the South West's finest jazz musicians team up in a quartet to perform a great collection of jazz standards, Latin and funk, tender ballads and raunchy blues. Their album was described by Derek Nash as, ‘A delight from beginning to end, full of twists and turns,’ a collection containing ‘delicacy, passion, fun and joie de vivre.’

Tues 23 February £10/£6
TREVOR WATKIS TRIO
MARK HODGSON (db), SHANEY FORBES (dm)
A scholarship to Berklee enabled Trevor to study with some of the world’s greatest jazz musicians. Back in the UK, he established himself as a respected pianist, band leader and composer, working with the likes of Courtney Pine, Jean Toussaint, Cleveland Watkiss, Kenny Garrett, Stanley Turrentine, Eddie Henderson and Betty Carter. He was one of the founding members of Gary Crosby’s Tomorrow’s Warriors and Nu Troop. He has appeared at most of London’s top jazz venues in addition to many others here and abroad. Trevor frequently visits New York, where he is fast becoming well-known on the New York jazz scene, performing at prestigious venues like The Blue Note, and has worked with the legendary saxophonist James Spaulding.

Tues 2 March £10/£6
IAIN BALLAMY
with RALPH FREEMAN TRIO
PETE KUBRYK-TOWNSEND (db) & PIP HARBON (dm)
Iain Ballamy is a self taught saxophonist, best known for his part in the legendary Loose Tubes and his work with Bill Bruford’s Earthworks. He’s currently working with Django Bates bands, Indian dance company Sankalpam and his own band, ‘Food’. In 1999 he formed Feral records with graphic artist and filmmaker, Dave McKean for whom he recently scored the acclaimed movie ‘Mirrormask’. Ballamy has written commissioned works for pianist Joanna Macgregor and the Apollo Saxophone Quartet, and performed live and recorded with such notables as Hermeto Pascoal, Britten Sinfonia, Gil Evans, Cedar Walton, Gay Dad, The London Sinfonietta and many others. He’s also the resident agony uncle for Jazz UK, counselling the nation each month with his advice column.

Tues 9 March £10/£6
NICOLAS MEIER QUARTET featuring GILAD ATZMON
Since John McLaughlin melted frets with the Mahavishnu Orchestra we’ve become used to frenetic guitar-led groups. None, however, quite mixes styles and sounds like that of Meier, a Swiss player as happy in flamenco and Arab melodies as he is in Western jazz. His travel-mates in these intercontinental sorties are Gilad Atzmon - whose passionate reeds playing often steals the show - the amazing Asaf Sirkis on drums, and bassist Paul Bettison. One of Europe’s most original and sparkling working bands. ‘Meier is elegant in tone and bubbling with ideas’ John Fordham, The Guardian.

Tues 16 March £10/£6
BEN CLATWORTHY
with RALPH FREEMAN TRIO
MARCUS VERGETTE (db) & PIP HARBON (dm)
Born in England but a resident of Los Angeles since 1980, Ben has worked with a host of luminaries including Cedar Walton, Otmaro Ruiz, Lionel Hampton, Jimmy Cleveland, Roy McCurdy, Tony Insalaco, Jeff Berlin, Martin Drew, The New Jazz Couriers, Alan Barnes Nonet, Anita Wardell, Tony Lujan, Larry Gales, Alex Acuna, Ray Armando, Henry Franklin, Bobby Shew, Pete Christlieb, Garcia Brothers, Carl Burnett, Al ‘Tootie’ Heath, Jimmy Branly, The Ebonic Blues Orchestra, Theo Saunders, Gary Novak and Dave Carpenter. He has released eleven CDs to critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic.

Tues 23 March £10/£6
RENATO D’AIELLO QUARTET ITALIANO
RENATO D’AIELLO (sx), BRUNO MONTRONE (pn), DARIO DI LECCE (db), FABIO DELLE FOGLIE (dm)
Welcome return of these great musicians. ‘Relaxed, unhurried but imbued with intense warmth tinged with poignancy, D'Aiello's tenor sound prioritises the expression of sentiment rather than the demonstration of instrumental facility ... one of the most attractive and affecting tenor sounds in contemporary jazz. Recommended’ Chris Parker.

Tues 30 March £10/£6
GEOFF GASCOYNE QUARTET
JIM MULLEN (gt), GRAEME BLEVINS (sx), GEOFF GASCOYNE (db), SEBASTIAN de KROM (dm)
After six full years touring and recording with Jamie Cullum, this acclaimed bassist/composer/arranger returns with a new jazz quartet, touring to promote his his album ‘Pop Bop’ - his sixth CD as a bandleader. It’s a journey through Geoff's favourite pop songs from the last thirty years, newly arranged for jazz quartet. Geoff has also worked with Claire Martin, Ed Jones Quintet, Norma Winstone, Van Morrison, Bill Bruford's Earthworks, Cedar Walton, Dianne Reeves, Ben Sidran, Lisa Stansfield, and opera singers Willard White and Sally Burgess. ‘... immaculate bass playing ... a highly original composer. His touch, as bassist, composer, arranger and bandleader, is light but firm. We are really lucky to have players of this calibre around.’ Dave Gelly, The Observer.