Louise Gibbs

Led by Tony Faulkner, composer/arranger, drummer, educator and recipient of a Yorkshire Jazz Lifetime Achievement Award, the Yorkshire Jazz Orchestra performs the music of Pepper Adams. The featured guest is US saxophonist, Gary Smulyan. LG is resident singer with the YJO.

The YJO project, a labour or love for its musical director and 20 core players, together with Gary Smulyan, deliver TF’s arrangements of Pepper Adams which are to be recorded in New York in April 2013.

Baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan is critically acclaimed as one of the major voices on the baritone saxophone today.He is the winner of of the 1990 JAZZ TIMES CRITICS POLL, the 1994 DOWN BEAT READERS POLL, the 1998 DOWN BEAT CRITICS POLL (TDWR), and is the winner of the 2001 DOWN BEAT CRITICS POLL (TDWR). He also listed in the 1998 DOWN BEAT and JAZZ TIMES READERS POLLS. Gary was recently announced the winner of the 2004 Jazz Journalists’ Award for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year and winner of the 2007 Down Beat Critics Poll.Mr. Smulyan currently performs with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Joe Lovano Nonet, the Dave Holland Octet and Big Band, The Three Baritone Saxophone Band, the George Coleman Octet, the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band and the Tom Harrell Octet, as well as his own projects.

Louise Gibbs is running a one-day jazz singing and improvisation workshop in Leeds, West Yorkshire, for singers with some experience of jazz who want to improve their ability to perform and improvise with greater understanding and confidence. The day offers you support, advice and guided experience to:
• Sing with greater ease and freedom
• Improve your rhythmic and harmonic listening for jazz
• Learn new repertoire quickly and more deeply
• Improvise and scat sing with more style
• Communicate with and direct a live jazz trio
• Improve your confidence as a performer

A careful choice of songs (see below) has been made to cover a range of jazz styles and interpretations (swing, latin, ballad). You are asked to prepare at least one of these tunes before the workshop. If you want to work on a song of your own choice, please bring four copies of a lead sheet in your key for the tutor and band.

Repertoire:
Agua de Beber (Carlos Jobim)
Angel Eyes (Matt Dennis-Earl Brent)
Pretty Eyes (Horace Silver)
Footprints (Wayne Shorter)
Night and Day (Cole Porter)

The workshop is limited to 8 participants, and the charge for the day is: £70.00. Morning/afternoon tea/coffee and a light lunch is provided. The workshop will be held in Louise’s home studio in Leeds.

For more information and to book a place and receive copies of the repertoire, contact: Louise Gibbs louise@jazzmine.co.uk Mob: 07813 684077.

Influential pianist, composer, conductor and pedagogue Mark Donlon is about to leave Yorkshire to take up the post of Professor of Jazz Piano at the New Zealand School of Music. To mark his departure, Wakefield Jazz Club will host an opening 45 minute set (at 7.30pm), just before Tina May/Nikki Iles‘ gig on Friday 2nd November, with a performance of Mark’s music and some choice standards. Mark be joined by Gavin Barras (bass), Steve Hanley (drums), and Louise Gibbs (vocals).

In a return invitation to the Frost School of Music, University of Miami, LG gives a lecture-recital-workshop to the Music Department at University of Miami for staff and jazz and vocal major students. She will feature songs by Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Christine Tobin-Phil Robson, Duncan Lamont and some of her own originals. In an interactive workshop students will have the opportunity to explore new repertoire and some distinctive approaches to phrasing, harmony and vocal tone that characterise British jazz.

With quite a bit of tongue and a lot of groove, Louise Gibbs Organix makes their debut at Seven Arts on Sunday 15 July, 1.30-4.00.  The grooving organ quartet of Martin Longhawn (organ), Eirik Svela (guitar), Tim Carter (drums) and Louise Gibbs (vocals) features music by Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Betty Carter, Horace Silver through Stevie Wonder, connecting bebop with its soulful R&B roots.  “Swingin’ music with ass…”

As part of the Song Art Performance Group Conference at University of London, Louise Gibbs (accompanied by pianist Jonathan Gee) will give a lecture-recital entitled: The Twisted Lyric: jazz vocalese unravelled.

The lyric by singer Annie Ross set to the tenor solo of Wardell Gray is the starting point of an exploration which looks at instrumental solos adapted by vocalists and lyricists and the demands made on their vocal technique, rhythmic performance and musicianship. For further information on the Song Art Performance Group Conference, contact: Dr Kathryn Whitney postbox@songart.co.uk. See www.songart.co.uk

LG appears at the Undercliffe Cricket Club in Bradford together with the talented young saxophonist, Ben Lowman with the bass-led Ken Butler Band. They will be playing their favourite standards for this very appreciative and well-established jazz audience.

Louise returns to Ronnie Scott’s Upstairs 

After a great night last December LG was invited back to perform choice jazz standards and originals with the irrepressible Italian tenor saxophonist, Renato D’Aiello, and his superb band: Andrew McCormack (pn); Mick Hutton (b); Enzo Zirillli (dr) – all top-drawer players

Music by: Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Ivan Lins, Styne/Comden/Green, Cole Porter, Kenny Wheeler, Charlie Parker, as well as Gibbs, and D’Aiello.

Capturing the spirit of the old Ronnie’s, the Upstairs bar offers an intimate and comfortable club atmosphere. This Monday night series has been drawing full audiences so get there early (doors open at 8pm) to secure your seat/table. £5 – Live music, real jazz. It couldn’t be better value!

LG sings Ellington with the Frank Griffith Nonet for the 21st International Ellington Study Group Conference 2012 (see www.Ellington2012.0rg). Besides the presence of musical luminaries, Darius Brubeck, Claude Bolling, and musicians, listeners, writers with serious addictions to the Ellington/Strayhorn oeuvre, the conference (23-27 May in Woking, Surrey) presents an array of events involving recordings, films, discussion and live performance.  Likely tunes for May 25th menu: Rhumbop (from Drum is a Woman); Lush Life (both arr. T. Faulkner); It Don’t Mean a Thing and C Jam Blues (both arr. F. Griffith)

An exciting new duo partnership with pianist Nikki Iles makes its debut with a recital and workshop at the University of Hull. The programme features songs by Michel Legrand, Styne/Green/Comden, Van Heusen/Burke, Phil Robson/Christine Tobin, and some of LG’s own originals.