For information about other gigs at Southport International Jazz Festival 28th-31st May 2009, please visit www.southportjazz.net or www.visitsouthport.com or www.seftonarts.co.uk  You can buy tickets on line for Dave O'Higgins with Swingshift and Lea Delaria on this site.

'Jazz on Midsummer's Day'

We celebrate the Summer Solstice with a great day of jazz at The Royal Clifton Hotel
 
This is also the date of the programme launch for the 6th 'Jazz on a Winter's Weekend' 5-7 February 2010

11 am in The Balmoral Suite

The Jack Davies Quartet
Jack's arranging skills and trumpet virtuosity are well known to regulars at Manchester's Royal Northern College of Music where he is in his final year and where he features regularly in the RNCM Big Band. We heard his own quartet (which features colleagues from the RNCM) recently at The Sand Bar in Manchester and we are delighted they could accept this gig.

Bob Cope tenor sax
Tom Taylor keyboard
Jon Ormston drums

 Tickets £7 each concert ends at 1 pm

3 pm in The Balmoral Suite

The Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra - Musical Director Dr Ian Darrington MBE
Ian has honed this crop of talented WYJO players into one of the best ever in his 25 year leadership. The band has recorded a CD featuring music from past WYJO recordings and he is planning to take the band on tour to Ireland this Summer before it splits up and the senior players head off for universities and music colleges far and wide. Most of the proceeds from today's gig will go towards the WYJO tour of Ireland this summer. For more go to www.wiganjazzclub.co.uk

Tickets £10 each concert ends 5.15 pm

For anyone staying on for the evening gig (The Bob Gill Quartet) The Royal Clifton is laying on a 'Midsummer's Day Jazz' menu.

6-7.30 pm in The Chatsworth Lounge

Frank Garner on the piano
SMJC director Frank plays his inimitable cocktail style music in the lounge. The bar will be open.     

 8 pm in The Windsor Suite

The Bob Gill Quartet
Bob Gill guitar
David Newton piano
Paul Morgan double bass
Dave Hassell drums
Bob Gill is one of the UK's leading jazz guitarists. He lives in the North of England and has been absent from the jazz scene for a while due to ill health. We are delighted to say he is back and we can thank club member Rex Lawrence for alerting us to his musical talents. Suffice it to say that the talent of the man can attract such superb 'sidesmen'. Members will recall the superb 'Celebrating Oscar' concert 2 years ago when David and Paul were last together at the club. Tickets £14 Members £13 Concert ends 10.45 pm

Bargain value day tickets £25 each get you into all 3 'Jazz on Midsummer's Day' gigs
 
From SMJC Tickets 01704 541790 or
The Royal Clifton reception 01704 533771
Accompanied under 16's free admission

Nicolas Meier Group with
Gilad Atzmon (clari./alto)
Tom Mason (bass)
Asaf Sirkis (drums) 

We are delighted to welcome to the club for the first time the London based Swiss guitarist Nicolas Meier,one of the rising stars of the vibrant UK jazz scene. The Meier group have toured extensively in Europe, sharing the bill with the likes of Elvin Jones, Brad Mehldau and Bill Evans. Writing in the Guardian, John Fordham described Meier as 'elegant in tone and bubbling with ideas' and described his debut album "Orient" as 'a seductive balance of strong themes, inventive improvising and dynamic variety.' It's also a long overdue welcome to the brilliant Gilad Atzmon. John Bungey's review of the band in The Times commented that 'Atzmon's passionate saxophone often steals the show.'

For more information go to www.meiergroup.com

Tickets £13   Members £12 NUS students £8
Accompanied under 16s free

Benn Clatworthy Quintet

Benn Clatworthy tenor sax
Cecilia Coleman piano
Neil Yates trumpet
Simon Thorpe bass
drums TBC

Benn has been resident in Los Angeles since 1980, one of a very small and select number of British jazz musicians who has been succesful in the USA. With more than 10 CD's to his credit, he has worked with an impressive list of jazz musicians. His once or maybe twice annual visits 'back home' are eagerly awaited by his many devotees, not least the Southport jazz audience who have grown to love his robust and fluent tenor style, attack in uptempo numbers and his masterful treatment of tender ballads. On this visit he is bringing along New York pianist Cecilia Coleman who so impressed us in our 2008 Jazz on a Winter's Weekend festival and British trumpeter Neil Yates whom Benn rates as one of the UK's most creative talents. Simon Thorpe takes the bass spot and Benn has yet to confirm his drummer.

Tickets £14    Club members £13    NUS students  £8
Accompanied under 16's free admission

The Andy Panayi Quartet

'From Cole Porter to Monk + melodic originals'

Andy Panayi tenor, baritone, flutes
David Newton piano 
Mark Hodgson  double bass
Steve Brown  drums

Andy, David and Steve are so well known at the club as to need no introduction, except to say that you can expect the best in free swinging jazz from this hugely gifted quartet. The band can be heard on Andy's flute CD 'Time Displaced'. Mark Hodgson, a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music, is a leading UK bassist and first choice for many touring visitors including Cedar Walton, Randy Brecker, Bobby Watson, Bill Charlap, Eddie Henderson and Larry Coryell. He has also toured with Bill Bruford's Earthworks. 
For more on Andy Panayi's music go to www.jazzcds.co.uk/andypanayi

Tickets £14 
Club members £13     NUS students £8
Accompanied under 16's free admission 

Double bill starting at the earlier time of 7.30 pm

Luis D'Agostino & Pete Oxley - guitar maestros

Argentinian guitarist D'Agostino and the irrepressible Pete Oxley of 'Curious Paradise' fame started their collaboration in 2001. It lead to their first CD "The Play Of Light" (33JAZZ082) and the development of a pad of accoustic guitar duets, some drawing on work of contemporary jazz composers such as Corea and Methany and some timeless pop classics from the likes of Joni Mitchell and Lennon and McCartney. Since then they have toured the UK, playing to sell-out audiences at jazz clubs, theatres and festivals.

Their latest CD, "Double Singular" (33JAZZ144) was recorded live at three of their gigs in and around Pete Oxley's home ground, Oxford and issued in March 2009. Their musical empathy, warmth and vitality shine from this well produced album which has received some glowing reviews. Extracts from one in 'Jazzwise' sum them up.

"They are both seasoned practitioners in the art of jazz guitar, and combine in a delightful and sweetly executed duet - - Their respective approaches to melody, harmony and rhythm dovetail beautifully - - They choose a pleasing mixture of standards, latin tunes and contemporary compositions and play them in elegant, unhurried and enjoyable fashion  - -" 

Luis, currently back in Argentina, is returning in the Autumn for a UK tour which includes this gig at our club which we booked back in October '07 when Pete was last here.

For more go to www.peteoxley.com

 plus

The Dan Whieldon Trio

Dan Whieldon piano
Gavin Barras   bass
Marek Dorcik   drums

 Marek's a Slovakian drummer who moved to Manchester about a year ago. He also plays in a quintet with Dan (+ Kenji Fenton, Russ Bennett, Pete Turner) as well as this trio and in  Gavin's European Union Quartet and in general seems to be keeping busy on the Manchester scene. 

Gavin is also a regular at the club including a recent visit with 6Pac. His European Union Quartet is getting great reviews.  

Tickets £14    Members £13   NUS students £8 
Accompanied under 16's free admission

Alan Barnes's Christmas Special 
Alan Barnes saxophones & clarinet
Bruce Adams trumpet & flugelhorn
Robin Aspland piano
Simon Thorpe double bass
Bobby Worth drums

The 'dynamic duo' return to Southport with a superb rhythm section for our last gig of 2009 and Christmas bash. You can expect many things from this gig but, with certainty, some peerless straight ahead jazz, loads of fun and a full house. We're arranging for a meal (optional), party hats (compulsory) and a Christmas cocktail. Please be sure to book early.

For more information go to www.woodvillerecords.com 

Tickets £15      Members £14      NUS students  £8
Accompanied under 16's free admission.
Information about dining options to follow.

The programme for this event will be announced on Sunday 21 June 2009 at The Royal Clifton Hotel and will then be added to the website. If you would like to be amongst the first to know, why not come to the gigs taking place on that day.