JUNE 10TH - PETE LETANKA TRIO
THE PETE LETANKA TRIO makes a welcome return to Steyning Jazz Club playing a blend of standards and originals with an exciting new line-up with PETE LETANKA, piano; SAM BURGESS, bass; and JON ORMSTON, drums. SAM BURGESS is a highly in-demand musician who has played in the Ronnie Scott's House Band for over thirteen years and JON ORMSTON’S inventive drumming has become especially admired at both domestic and international jazz festivals. Pete's love of the great Oscar Peterson and his South African heritage, which runs deep in his music, ensures an exceptional evening of jazz.
JULY 1ST NAT STEELE QUARTET
NAT STEELE is a jazz vibraphone player described by Clark Tracey as one of the best ‘vibes’ players this country has ever produced and returns to Steyning Jazz Club with his ever popular ‘Portrait of the Modern Jazz Quartet’, playing his own swinging take on the music of the iconoclastic MJQ, featuring some familiar and not-so-familiar tunes and arrangements taken from the MJQ songbook. Joining Nat are the pianist, GABRIEL LATCHIN; Italian bassist, DARIO DE LECCE; and the ever-swinging, STEVE BROWN on drums. So expect lots of swing mixed with a soupçon of classical influences.
AUGUST 5TH JONNY HEPBIR QUINTET
Making a welcome return and featuring MIKE PIGGOTT, violin;JONNY HEPBIR and JASON HENSON, guitars; DAN SHEPPARD, bass; and SARA OSCHLAG, vocals; this band play an eclectic mix of jazz standards influenced by The Hot Club of France all blended into snappy exciting arrangements with more than a dash of musical interplay.Mike Piggott’s lilting glissando violin is a thrilling experience, together with JONNY HEPBIR and JASON HENSON'S irresistibly driving swing rhythms and melodic tête-à-têtes. These are guitarists of the highest order playing instinctively together; with Dan Sheppard’s musically benevolent double bass and Sarah Oschlag’s hushed vocals they are all musicians who love playing together, and it shows.
SEPTEMBER 2ND TERRY SEABROOK QUINTET
Terry Seabrook’s Quintet explores the music of one of the greatest contemporary jazz composers: Wayne Shorter. Shorter was one of Miles Davis’s most important sidemen and contributed many great original songs for that quintet. He has been a prolific composer throughout his career and written for all of the bands in which he played, including: Art Blakey’s Messengers, The Miles Davis Quintet, and Weather Report, plus those bands which he led. Terry’s outstanding quintet will feature: ANDY PANAYI, sax and flute;ROBBIE ROBSON, trumpet; SIMON THORPE, bass; PETER HILL, drums; and TERRY SEABROOK, piano. The quintet also plays some new music inspired by Wayne Shorter in the form of A Shorter Suite by Terry Seabrook.
OCTOBER 7TH SPATS LANGHAM’S FIVE NICKELS
Thomas ‘Spats’ Langham was born in 1971 and spent his childhood in Buxton. Inspired by his Grandfather, he started Ukulele as soon as his fingers were big enough, turning to the Banjo at the age of ten. At 14 he was appearing with the Hot Spa Stompers, and soon after with Ged Hones Dixie Boys,who encouraged him to start guitar. With the loss of the outstanding pianist,Keith Nichols, in January 2021, remembered for his peerless interpretation of Ragtime as well as being a master of Fats Waller style stride piano, these ‘Five Nickels’ musicians have come together to keep his memory and music alive with jazz from the 20s and 30s played with the utmost authenticity and virtuosity. The band features: ‘SPATS’ LANGHAM and MARTIN WHEATLEY, guitars/banjos; MICHAEL MCQUAID and TREVOR WHITING, reeds; RICHARD PITE, tuba, bass and drums.
NOVEMBER 4TH CHARLOTTE GLASSON BAND
Charlotte Glasson is a multi-instrumentalist, band leader and session player, playing all the saxophones, flutes, clarinet, bass clarinet, violin and viola. Versatile contemporary jazz and diverse originals are all laced with her bluesy, expressive sax work;indeed,her witty, exuberant, genre defying music restores one’s faith in true jazz. The band line-up will be: CHARLOTTE GLASSON, saxes; MARK BASSEY, trombone; CHRIS KIBBLE, piano; LLOYD COOTE, tuba and double bass; and SAM GLASSON, drums.
DECEMBER 2ND ‘BUSTER PLAYS BUSTER’
Buster Plays Buster is a show devised by London jazz drummer Buster Birch that debuted in March 2011 and involves The Buster Birch Quartet performing jazz standards live to the screening of a Buster Keaton classic silent movie. The music has been arranged for the group, scored out and sync’d to the movie, but also features plenty of improvised solos from the musicians. This creates a cohesive work which merges the two art forms in to a unique experience for the audience. The movie we will be showing is ‘STEAMBOAT BILL JR’from 1928 and the band line-up will be: JO FOOKS, sax;NEIL CASEY, piano;PETE RINGROSE, bass; andBUSTER BIRCH, drums. Mince pies will be served to further enhance the Christmas spirit.