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.

Al Nicholls - Richmond Rhythm Club

Al Nicholls  demonstrating Nelson Riddle's slinky arrangement of I've Got You Under My Skin

Al Nicholls

Date - 31st May 2016
Venue - Richmond Rhythm Club

Current release - That Swing Thing by The Al Nicholls Quartet (Harlem Records HARLCD01)

Joe the Hat

Sketches from a talk by Al Nicholls (King Pleasure & The Biscuit Boys, The Ray Gelato Giants) at the Richmond Rhythm Club on the theme of arranging. Normally I like to sketch musicians in action, in the thrall of the music, where the beat and swing push the pen. Here I had a rare opportunity to visit the Richmond Rhythm Club, documenting some of their patrons and learn more about the structure of music. It was a pleasure to discover new recordings and hear about the arrangers who were the architects of some of the biggest hits in Jazz.

a RRC listener

Al Nicholls gained a sound musical education at Leeds College of Music (1983/6) where, significantly, he completed a thesis on “The Texas Tenors” (Buddy Tate, Arnett Cobb, Illinois Jacquet, etc.), players whose muscular musical style became a strong influence, along with Ben Webster and Plas Johnson. After leaving college he cut his teeth in a succession of Jump Jive and Rhythm and Blues bands. Then in 1987 he joined Mike Sanchez’ Big Town Playboys, undoubtedly the best British R&B band of their generation.

Madame Iris

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. 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. At the same time he had a notable success with a recording project by “The Big Six” which led on to several extensive tours of the US (1995/9).

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.

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Clive Evans

The Richmond Rhythm Club meet on Tuesdays from 2-4pm, with drinks in the bar before and after. Tomorrow (14/06/2016) listen to Tomasso Starace, followed by Jack Honeyborne (21/06/2016).

AL.