Commissions

ALAN BARNES
one of the UKs leading jazz saxophonists and composers. We haven't commissioned anything new from Alan but in 2005 we commissioned him to write "The Train Suite" for EMYJO. He has since performed it with them at several festivals and will be performing it with them again as part of their "The Commissions" concert.

GRAHAM COLLIER
The first ever Derby Jazz event was an afternoon education workshop and evening concert by Graham Collier Music with Harry Beckett. We are therefore very pleased to be commissioning a piece from Graham for East Midlands Youth Jazz Orchestra with Harry Beckett.
Graham's career spans four decades of innovation at the forefront of British jazz. He was the first British graduate of the Berklee School of Jazz, Boston, and the first British jazz composer to receive a commission from the Arts Council. During this time composition, conducting, education and journalism have taken him around the world.
On his return to England from studying in the USA in 1963 he formed the first Graham Collier Music, which became a nursery for British Jazz talent. In 1984 he formed a workshop band Loose Tubes which produced another generation of musicians. He has worked internationally and has written for ensembles ranging from wind quartets to symphony orchestras and big bands such as the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra and the NDR Big Band. Over a career spanning more than forty years, his list of compositions and commissions has grown to encompass ensembles and arts bodies around the world.

COREY MWAMBA
is a composer, vibraphone player and educator living and working in Derby. His previous major commission "Nature's Glory Fancy's Child" for a 14-piece ensemble was supported by the DECIBEL project and received its second performance at the last Derby Jazz Week. He is currently negotiating a commission for ViVA -the orchestra for the East Midlands. As a bandleader Corey has led several ensembles including the fourteen-piece SYMBIOSIS ENSEMBLE, a trio and a quartet. He was a beneficiary of "Now's The Time" a Derby Jazz RALP through which he was able to rehearse and perform with the internationally renowned Orphy Robinson. As a performer he has recorded with The Quantic Soul Orchestra and currently also works with Jonathan Gee and Tony Kofi.

We have commissioned Corey to write a suite of pieces for his new quintet under the general title ARGENTUM.

PHIL ROBSON
is a guitarist, band-leader and composer and one of the UK's leading jazz musicians and recording artists. Phil first played for Derby Jazz as a fourteen year old. He moved to London at the age of 18, to become the youngest student ever to study jazz at the Guildhall School of Music. As a composer Phil has written for Partisans, the quartet he co-leads with Julian Siegel, his own trios (he has three, one in London, another in New York and the international one he's using as part of this septet) and for The Christine Tobin Band. Much of this work has been recorded on a series of outstanding CDs on the award winning Babel label. Phil has also written for larger ensembles. Both Derby Jazz and Birmingham Jazz commissioned pieces for an octet and Derby Jazz commissioned a piece for The BBC Big Band, which was recorded and broadcast on BBC Radio 2. Awards include the prestigious BT 'Best Soloist of the Year' award presented by John Dankworth, the Perrier Young Jazz award for the best instrumentalist in 1998.

We have commissioned Phil to write for a new seven-piece ensemble, which includes his own international trio, two violinists and two cellists.

DOUG SMITH
is a video director/producer with more than twenty years of experience in broadcasting, commercials and music promos. Doug has a huge client list including Salvatore Ferragamo, Ford Motors, Sony, Boots, WEA Records, Roxy Music, XTC and Iron Maiden. He is also a dedicated live music fan. Since relocating his business from London to his home city of Derby five years ago Doug has made a video and a DVD about two Derby Jazz projects, one of which was screened to a capacity audience at the METRO Cinema.
Doug will be making a Derby Jazz Week video diary with interviews and extracts from rehearsals, performances and workshops. Each day's recordings will be rough edited for screening at the next days events. When the week is complete the material will be re-edited into a record of the whole project.

Established artists and ensembles seeking national and international opportunities with new projects

TOM CAWLEY TRIO
one of the UK's leading jazz pianists Tom was born near Derby. For the last few years he has worked with the award winning Acoustic Ladyland and Gwyneth Herbert. This trio is Tom's newest venture and features a lot of new, original material. The trio's drummer is Josh Blackmore, (see below)

DAVE O'HIGGINS MOST WANTED
Dave O'Higgins is an international saxophonist, band leader and recording artist who has worked for several years with Matthew Herbert as well as with many major jazz figures. He has recorded several CDS under his own name. His new project Most Wanted is a sextet featuring some of the UK's strongest soloists playing a new set of original music with a strong funk feel. Dave played his first gigs for Derby Jazz when he was still at school and since then we have featured almost all of his bands.

PARTISANS
one of the UK's most successful jazz-fusion bands with three, outstanding CDs. Co-led by Phil Robson and Julian Siegel the band has very deep Derby roots and plays all original music.

JONNY PHILLIPS ORIOLE
is part of the F-IRE Collective and plays all original material that draws on Latin rhythms and Brazilian sources as well as jazz. The band has been recognised by The Jerwood Foundation through its rising stars project. Jonny's family live in Belper near Derby

JULIAN SIEGEL QUARTET
with Liam Noble (piano), Jeremy Brown (bass) and Asaf Sirkis (drums) this band released an outstanding CD a couple of years ago. Julian is a saxophonist and composer from Nottingham. He co-leads Partisans with Phil Robson and has been playing for us since his school and college days when he first teamed up with Phil Robson.

CHRISTINE TOBIN BAND
will perform a set of original songs with a few very distinctively interpreted songs by other composers. Jazzwise hails Christine as "probably the most adventurous jazz singer of her generation in this country." The band features Phil Robson, who also writes original material for the band and all of its arrangements.

ALEX WILSON R'n'B LATINO
Alex is an international pianist, bandleader and composer. His continuing creative agenda has involved several working/study visits to Cuba, New York and Columbia. He has recorded several CDs under his own name. His ten-piece R'n'B Latino uniquely combines salsa with R'n'B in a programme of mostly original tunes for dancing. Alex is from near Derby and his mom still lives here and regularly comes to our gigs. Alex has also worked in our education projects.

Developing artists and ensembles seeking national opportunities

JOHN BAILEY
is a pianist and has recently completed his MA in jazz studies at The Guildhall. As an undergraduate he studies sciences but always kept up his music, much of it as a member of EMYJO. He was a beneficiary of "Now's The Time" a Derby Jazz RALP through which he was able to rehearse and perform with Alan Barnes. He has also been a tutor at our Giant Steps Saturday Jazz School and Giant Steps Jazz Summer School.

EAST MIDLAND YOUTH JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Under the direction of Jon Eno EMYJO has developed into one of the UK's leading Youth Jazz Orchestras. They perform regularly at major UK jazz festivals and have performed in New York and Los Angeles. Derby Jazz has commissioned several pieces for EMYJO including one by international saxophonist Alan Barnes, both which will be performed alongside the Graham Collier Commission.

GEORGE HARRIS
has been an exhibiting photographer since he graduated from the University of Derby in 2002. He lives in Derby and has documented several Derby jazz projects and the work of Corey Mwamba.

PHILLIP M. HARRIS
has been an exhibiting photographer for several years. He has a large portfolio of striking multiple exposure images of artists performing at Derby jazz events. He lives in Melbourne.

BOB MEYRICK
lives in Nottingham and has been photographing live jazz in Nottingham and Derby for several years. We often use his photographs in our promotion material and they appear frequently in the jazz press.

COREY MWAMBA
As a bandleader Corey has led several ensembles including the fourteen-piece SYMBIOSIS ENSEMBLE, a trio and a quartet. He was a beneficiary of "Now's The Time" a Derby Jazz RALP through which he was able to rehearse and perform with the internationally renowned Orphy Robinson. As a performer he has recorded with The Quantic Soul Orchestra and currently also works with Jonathan Gee and Tony Kofi.

DAVID REID
has been video documenting the UK improvised music scene from his home in Melbourne, Derbyshire for several years. He has recorded several Derby Jazz events David's website http://homepage.mac.com/misha_david/MishMusic/iMovieTheater56.html. Contains visually creative recordings of these Derby Jazz gigs among many others.

SECOND NATURE with the writer JOHN HARVEY
Nottingham's John Harvey is an internationally recognised novelist and poet. He has been performing his jazz poems with this East Midlands Quartet for several years.

WALT SHAW'S SYMBIO
Walt is a performance artist, improviser and experimental instrument maker who is a leading figure in experimental music in the midlands. He works with two separate communities of musicians in the east midlands and Birmingham. SYMBIO brings them together in a unique collaboration of entirely new, experimental music.

Artists seeking regional opportunities

JOSH BLACKMORE
An exceptional young drummer from Derby Josh is currently studying at The Royal Academy of Music. He was a beneficiary of "Now's The Time" a Derby Jazz RALP through which he was able to rehearse and perform with the leading saxophonist Alan Barnes. He has recently joined the Tom Cawley Trio.

MIKE BROWN
is an exhibiting photographer and co-founder of Derby's FORMAT photography festival. He has documented several Derby Jazz events

ANDY BUNTING
is a pianist and member of EMYJO. He is currently studying jazz at Birmingham Conservatoire. For the last two years he has been an assistant tutor at our Giant Steps Saturday Jazz School and Summer School

JON ENO BLUE PRINT QUINTET
Jon Eno is the Director of EMYJO, lead tutor at our Giant Steps Saturday Jazz School and Summer School and director of Jazz Education for Essex. He is also a trumpet player and small bandleader.

DAVE HAMBLETT
is a drummer and member of EMYJO. He is currently studying Jazz at the Royal Academy of Music. He has worked with Alex Wilson.

GEORGE HOGG
is a trumpeter and member of EMYJO. He is currently studying Jazz at the Royal Academy of Music. He has worked with Alex Wilson.

WENDY KIRKLAND / PAT SPRAKES DUO
Guitarist Pat Sprakes has been part of the jazz scene in Derby as long as Derby Jazz. He's been a member of several bands but has a particular skill for working with singers.

Creative and Education Director, and Project Manager

GEOFF WRIGHT
has been directly involved with Derby Jazz and has led its development since its inception. Until 2002 he had a career in education and education management. In 2002 he became fully committed to jazz and arts development. He is also a jazz journalist and occasional broadcaster. He has a wealth of experience in jazz promotion and education. He is a Director of Jazz Services, the national development agency for jazz, and a member of its Touring Panel. He has also had a leading role in the development of EMJAZZ. With the help of Arts Council East Midlands he has undertaken study visits to Appleby, Bath, Birmingham, Brecon, Cheltenham, Cork and London jazz festivals during the last two years.

MORE DETAILS AVAILABLE FROM

GEOFF WRIGHT
e-mail geoffw@breathe.com
tel 01332 606320

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