Peter Jones at Twickenham Jazz Club

Leon Greening

Peter Jones - vocals
Kelvin Christiane - saxophone
Leon Greening - piano
Andy Cleyndert - bass
Sophie Alloway - drums

Kelvin Christiane

14th January 2020
Twickenham Jazz Club, Twickenham, UK

Sophie Alloway

Lesley and Kelvin Christiane ushered in the new jazz decade at Twickenham Jazz Club with the Peter Jones Quartet. 2020 here we come!

Peter Jones

Peter Jones has taught film and media at a variety of London colleges, and published a short book on black cinema (BFI Publishing), followed by a handbook for media and film students (Hodder Arnold). During the making of his first album (`One Way Ticket to Palookaville' - 2013) he developed a serious interest in the work of Mark Murphy. In 2018 he published This is Hip, an outstanding book on the life and music of Mark Murphy. His second album (`Utopia') was released in 2016.  

Andy Cleyndert

Al Nicholls - The Exchange, Twickenham

Al Nicholls

Joes the Hat presents
Al Nicholls
Sandra Mae Luykx
Leon Greening
Dave Chamberlain
Sebastiaan de Krom

29th March 2019
The Exchange, Twickenham, UK

Leon Greening

Al Nicholls gained a sound musical education at Leeds College of Music (1983-6).  After leaving Leeds he cut his teeth in a succession of Jump Jive and Rhythm and Blues bands. In 1987 he joined Mike Sanchez’ Big Town Playboys, undoubtedly the best British R&B band of their generation. Al met Dick Laurie when he moved London (Putney) and played in various versions of Dick’s ‘Elastic Band'. In the 90s he became a major figure in the R&B/Jump Jive scene. 

Sebastiaan de Krom

After bringing some discipline and musicianship to the wonderful musical mayhem which was King Pleasure & the Biscuit Boys (1992/4), he fitted in superbly with the highly skilled masters of the JJ idiom, The Ray Gelato Giants (1994/6), becoming their principal arranger. In recent times Al continues to be a sought-after session musicians and freelance swing saxophonists, regularly invited to appear at prominent jazz venues, clubs and festivals, with such as Pete Long’s Echoes Of Ellington and many others. He’s also a regular member of T.J. Johnson’s band, Tony Pitt’s All Stars and, of course, Blue Harlem. 

Sandra-Mae Luykx

A talented singer and multi-instrumentalist, Sandra-Mae Luykx plays saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophone), guitar, piano, percussion and has performed around the world in places like London, Amsterdam, New York, Brazil and in some of Vancouver's most prestigious venues including The Orpheum Theatre. Now living in London (UK), Sandra-Mae was a regular on the Vancouver music scene. She has played almost every venue in Vancouver (including the Vancouver International Jazz Festival) with her own groups performing jazz, pop, soul, R&B, folk, disco, Motown, funk and Brazilian music. She was in the house band for Vancouver's Backstage Lounge for five years playing baritone saxophone in the Funk/Soul/Motown band The Phonix.

Dave Chamberlain

Richmond Rhythm Club - 2018 Winter Concert

Sara Dowling

Richmond Rhythm Club
Sara Dowling - voice
Amy Roberts - saxophone, flute
Richard Exall - saxophone, clarinet
Al Nicholls - saxophone
Dave Chamberlain - bass
Leon Greening - piano
Sebastiaan De Krom - drums

Date - 10th January 2018
Venue - Turk's Head, St Margarets, UK

Joe the Hat

The Richmond Rhythm Club meets on Tuesdays from 2-4pm, with drinks in the bar before and after. Based at The Twickenham Club, 7 Church Street, Twickenham, TW1 3NJ their schedule is full of fascinating speakers from the Jazz world. The booking of these personalities is largely due to the hard work of 'Joe the Hat', one of Twickenham's great treasures. Twice a year the Richmond Rhythm Club organises a concert that is much more about walking the walk rather than talking the talk. A hand picked group, representing the crème de la crème of the current scene, performs to a packed audience. The Winter Concert 2018 was a swinging affair with a hugely appreciative 120 listeners in attendance. The energy and fervour of the musicians rippled across the Winchester Room at the Turks Head, enthusing and captivating in equal measure.

Sebastiaan De Krom

RRC Schedule Winter 2018

16 Jan - Gary Wood – Trumpet, vocals

23 Jan - Sara Dowling – Vocals
30 Jan - Matt Home – Drums
6 Feb - Charles Alexander & Andy Robinson – Guitars
13 Feb - Gordon Campbell – Trombone
20 Feb - Allison Neale
27 Feb - Andy Dickens – Trumpet, vocals
6 Mar - Olly Wilby – Sax, clarinet
12 Mar Note: this is Monday - Colin Skinner – Sax, band leader, arranger
20 Mar - Walter Houser – Sax, raconteur​​
​3 Oct - Jeff Williams – drums 

Sara Dowling is a Singer/Songwriter currently living in London. Gifted with immensely emotional vocals her influences are wide and far reaching, reminiscent of jazz and  soul greats such as Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin and Candi Statton, but mixed with poetic lyrics and haunting melodies. Born in Oman to an Irish father and Arabic mother, she spent the early part of her life travelling through the middle east due to the nature of her fathers work. As a child she experienced great journeys through endless desert, in years to come this would provide much inspiration for poetry and lyrics. http://www.saradowling.co.uk/

Amy Roberts

Amy Roberts, from near Penzance, West Cornwall, is a multi award-winning flautist, clarinettist and saxophonist. Voted winner of the Miscellaneous Category in the 2015 British Jazz Awards, and the Rising Star Category in the British Jazz Awards in both 2009 and 2011, Amy has earned an enviable reputation throughout not only the UK but also abroad. http://www.amyrobertsjazz.co.uk/

Richard Exall

Richard Exall studied clarinet at the Royal College of Music with international soloist Michael Collins. Self-taught on saxophone, he formed his own jazz quartet and big band while still at college and quickly became a familiar figure on the London jazz scene. Recently, Richard has worked with Kenny Ball and toured with American pianist Johnny Varro’s Swing Seven throughout Germany and Switzerland, and runs his own band “Richard Exall’s Shooting Stars” which is a favourite  at jazz clubs and festivals. http://www.richardexall.com/home.html

Al Nicholls

Al Nicholls is the product of a sound musical training, both academically through Leeds College of Music and practically via the bands of Ray Gelato, The Big Town Playboys, King Pleasure and many others bigger and smaller. Al is also the leader and musical driving force of London's renowned jump jive and good time swing band Blue Harlem. Al also plays regularly with the band of TJ Johnson and with fellow tenor saxophonist Jo Fooks. http://www.alnicholls.co.uk/homepage

Dave Chamberlain

Dave Chamberlain has been playing the double bass since the age of 16. He studied in London and Paris with Dominic Black, Simon Woolf and Pierre Boussaguet, the latter an alumnus of Ray Brown. From 2002 to 2008 he was the full-time bass player with Blue Note recording artist Stacey Kent. Current projects with which I'm involved include 100 Years of Jazz in 99 Minutes, the Graham Harvey Trio and the Back To Basie Orchestra. https://www.davechamberlain.biz/

Pianist Leon Greening's hard swinging style has made him a favourite on the jazz scene for over a decade, and makes no apologies for his adoration of the great bebop pianists, with Wynton Kelly, Bobby Timmons and Bud Powell among his primary influences.

Leon Greening

Sebastiaan De Krom graduated with distinction from Berklee College of Music and went on to study a Masters degree at New England Conservatory. In 1995 he won the prestigious Buddy Rich Award and from 1997 to 1999 was the drummer for the renowned Thelonious Monk Institute Jazz Performance programme. Sebastiaan has performed with artists such as Herbie Hancock and John Scofield, and played regular sessions for Jamie Cullum from 2001 to 2008.

Purity not Parody - Nick Mills' Blue Note Project

Nick Mills - Trombone

The fur-cheeked trombonist Nick Mills brought his Blue Note Project to Twickenham Jazz Club earlier this month (10/04/2014) in a display of love and devotion to the long established record label. This was not a history lesson but a celebration of classic compositions by six intelligent performers.



Brandon Allen -
Tenor Saxophone

First impressions do not suggest that Nick Mills is a paid up member of the Jazz intelligentsia but as you hear him speak about his chosen subject you realise that still waters run deep. With his round face, furry chops and a face that turns a subtle shade of puce when in the groove I always imagine he sprung from the Jackanory episode when the BFG meets The lion who came to tea.

Jeremy Brown - Bass

Early exchanges were in honour of Wayne Shorter whose "Hammer head" and "Children of the night" could have been dedicated to saxophonist Brandon Allen who has recently became a father of an infant young enough to disrupt a few nights sleep. There is always a little knee bend in his expressive playing and his solo during the latter tune included a series of rhythmic small steps as though he were a toddler having a tantrum. This was grown-up performance though by Allen and he excelled on the subsequent Lee Morgan tune "Calling Miss Khadija".



Leon Greening -
Piano

Behind band leader Mills I caught brief glimpses of bassist Jeremy Brown who looked every inch the corduroyed  professor complete with spectacles and wild hair. Leon Greening also lurked in the shadows, and visually he was even more incognito under his 'Cousin Itt' bouffant. Not for long, the Twickenham Jazz Club crowd were not going to let him lurk at the back of the stage and he received the strongest response from these wise men and women. In fact Greening was central to the overall performance, his musical motifs during another Shorter tune "Ping Pong" was as light and esssential as the air in a table tennis ball.

A murmuration from the audience greeted Henry Armburg-Jennings on "Skylark" but it was the lines of attack opened up by drummer Matt Home that continued to impress especially on Curtis Fuller "Buhaina's delight" where his direct playing rolled down from dexterous clenched paws to a driving twisting left leg. I raise this Low's hat to his high-hat in admiration.


Henry Armburg-Jennings
Flugel and trumpet

Matt Home wasn't the only player with attack and drive on the Fuller tune. Nick Mills was territorial on his fellow trombonist's composition and roamed the stage with lager in hand like a man eager to once again engage in combat.



Matt Home - Drums

The familiarity of "Caravan" as their final tune could have signalled this as a pastiche of past glories, but in the hands of the Nick Mill's Blue Note Project  it had a sinister and discordant edge that made one feel alive like a kick in the vein. It was frantic and leftfield. It reflected a time when drug addiction was synonymous with moments of creation and originality but in this case it proved that this was not a night for parody but for purity.

AL.