Results for "London"

Django Bates

Born: October 2, 1960

Django was born in a house near New Beckenham Station. A ropy, semitone flat D'Almaine Piano was the most fascinating toy in the house. He found the clatter of railway workers working throughout the night comforting, but had reoccurring nightmares about a Hippopotamus head slowly moving from one side of the ceiling to the other, and of having fluttering moths stuck between his toes. When he was three and a half, Django and sister Paddy were taken by their parents, Frances and Ralf, on a tour of Europe. They travelled in a motorbike and side-car. The door kept flying open as they trundled through France, Austria, Italy, Romania and Yugoslavia

Chris Barber

Born: April 17, 1930

Accolades for an English musician don't come more exotic than a description of Chris Barber as the "Bix Beiderbecke of British- style jazz"— this, from the pen of musicologist David Boulton back in 1958. Not that this kind of plaudit about Barber is confined to the past, nor to the jazz world. Blues-Rock Explosion published in 2001 states that, "Chris Barber, Alexis Korner, Lonnie Donegan and Cyril Davies were the real founding fathers of what became the British 1960s blues-rock explosion." Both of these quotes expose an obscured truth about Barber and his Jazz and Blues Band: namely, that without the man who celebrates nearly seven decades as a pro band leader, not only would British trad jazz have taken many more years to evolve – but also the British blues and rock scene would not have exploded in the way that it did

Ginger Baker

Born: August 19, 1939

Peter Edward 'Ginger' Baker found his way into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame by playing the drums with a degree of proficiency and expression matched by few others. He first gained fame in the late 1960s with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce as Cream, a now-legendary band that infused blues and jazz into rock and roll, producing an original and deeply textured sound. In its two-year existence, the English trio sold over 15 million records and played to adoring crowds and critical acclaim. Baker had much to do with the band's success—and likewise much to do with the band's demise. Baker began as an aspiring jazzman and found himself a rock demigod. His brisk, purely businesslike approach caused him problems with his fellow musicians, and drug dependency cast a dark shadow over his career and his relationships.

Koby Israelite

Born: November 23, 1966

I was born in Tel Aviv Israel November the 23rd 1966. I studied piano at the conservatoire of music from the age of 9. By the time I was 14 years old I begged my parents for a drum-kit. Within 2 years I settled for a makeshift drum-set. At 17 I studied the drums for 2 years with The David Rich drumming school in Tel Aviv. I came to London to pursue my studies at Guildhall. I began playing in and around London as a session drummer. I played, recorded and toured with various artists. During this period I started thinking about working on my own music. By 1999 I started writing and recording. Once I had written enough material that I was happy with I sent a demo to John Zorn

Joe Paice

Joe Paice is a pianist based in the UK. He was born in Bristol and has also managed projects for Jazz Services.

Taeko Kunishima

Born: September 2

"I was born in Japan and studied classical piano performance at university. When I heard Miles Davis on the radio, I switched to jazz.

I had a long absence from musical activity while living in the Middle East, and shortly after, in my youth. By experiencing different cultures and listening to Japanese, classical, jazz and  Arabic music I was inspired to write my own diverse compositions ." —Taeko Kunishima (June 2022)

Kunishima has released five albums on 33 jazz records and been played on  BBC Radio 3 Late Junction, Jazz FM, BBC World, and Resonance FM.

Paul Edmonds

Born: March 27, 1968

Paul Edmonds was born in 1968 and grew up in Bournemouth, England. By the age of 16 he was playing with respected South Coast groups. He progressed to the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, during which time he won First Prize in the International Trumpet Guild’s Jazz Improvisation Competition held at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. He then entered the Guildhall School of Music, graduating in 1989. After two years on the London jazz scene playing clubs with Jean Toussaint, Julian Argüelles, Cleveland Watkiss, Clark Tracey and Loose Tubes, he spent some time in Australia where he worked as a composer and led his own band in Sydney. On his return to England he led his own Quintet at Ronnie Scott’s on a number of occasions and as a member of the Mike Westbrook Orchestra was a featured trumpet soloist on the 1996 “Bar Utopia” album. Since 1997 he has worked principally as a composer and teacher, spending his time in the recording studio and performing his music in front of live studio audiences.

Asaf Sirkis

Born: March 22, 1969

Born in 1969 in Petah-Tikva, Israel, Asaf later moved to the town of Rehovot, where he spent his teens and early twenties. This was an influential move for Asaf, as it was here amongst the diverse cultural influences he found in Rehovot that Asaf began to show an interest in music and rhythm. In Rehovot he lived amongst people from North Africa, east and central Europe, and the Middle East. Living in Shaarayim, the Yemenite neighbourhood in Rehovot, Asaf was particularly drawn to Yemenite culture, music, and rhythms. At the age of 12 Asaf began drum lessons, while also having a strong interest in playing electric bass

Andre Canniere

Born: February 20, 1978

Andre Canniere is an acclaimed trumpet player, composer and educator currently based in London. Originally from the US, Canniere spent the first five years of his career in New York City where he worked with artists such as Maria Schneider and Darcy James Argue. Canniere has toured widely throughout the United States and Europe with performances at Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Birdland, the London Jazz Festival, The Hague Jazz Festival and the Rochester International Jazz Festival. Since his arrival in the UK, Canniere’s profile has been steadily rising, both as a solo artist and a collaborator

David Tughan

Born: December 1, 1972

Jazz singer David Tughan studied in the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Singing Jazz for twenty years now, David has worked worldwide with the best and brightest of today’s Jazz musicians across the globe. David’s voice stays true to the spirit of the Jazz greats, with his own unique timbre and style. Old standards & new songs with a fresh delivery, spanning across various genres. 

David Tughan was born and raised in Northern Ireland. He moved to London in 1994 to study at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His passion for Jazz began at 13 when he encountered the Count Basie Orchestra in Florida