Joe the Hat presents Jo Harrop - The Exchange, Twickenham

Dave Green - bass

Jo Harrop - voice
Dave Green - bass
John Pearce - piano
Alan Barnes - saxophone and clarinet
Matt Home - drums

Joe the Hat

After a hiatus of 18 months due to the Covid pandemic I like many others at The Exchange in Twickenham (09/09/2021) were back listening to live Jazz again. We the hope the resumption will be a long term affair and the Jazz clubs of London will be alive once again. This night was organised by dapper jazz lover and local personality Joe the Hat. 

Jo Harrop

Jo Harrop - Born in Durham and raised on a heady musical diet of Nina Simone, Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin, Jo Harrop cut her teeth as a session singer, working with a host of iconic artists including Neil Diamond, Rod Stewart, Gloria Gaynor and Enrique Iglesias. After moving to London, she quickly established herself as one of the most unmistakable voices in British jazz, performing everywhere from the Royal Albert Hall to the Sunset Sunside Jazz Club in Paris.
 https://www.joharrop.com/

Matt Home - drums

Matt Home - Born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire in 1973, Matt Home started with the trumpet and switched to drums at the age of 8. After taking private lessons  in 1991 he enrolled on the three year course in Jazz and popular music at CLCM graduating in 1994 and soon began playing professionally, based in Leeds. In 1999, Matt moved to London and soon began playing with many of  the leading musicians in London, the UK and Europe including  Alan Barnes, Claire Martin, Stacey Kent, Atila, Brandon Allen, Allison Neale, Jim Mullen, Dave Cliff, Steve Fishwick, Matt Wates and Nat Steele among others. Current projects include ‘ Five- Way Split’ a UK quintet comprising 5 of the leading straight ahead jazz musicians on the London scene: The Nate Najar U.S Trio and more recently The Raible/Gradischnig Quintet “ Elmo Hope Project “ with UK trumpeter Steve Fishwick.
 https://www.matthomedrums.com/

Alan Barnes

Alan Barnes is a prolific international performer, composer, arranger, bandleader and touring soloist.  He is best known for his work on clarinet, alto and baritone sax, where he combines a formidable virtuosity with a musical expression and collaborative spirit that have few peers.
 https://www.alanbarnesjazz.com/

Jon Pearce

Gentle, lyrical and thoughtful, John Pearce is one of Britain’s most respected and versatile musicians and one of our best kept secrets.  John became interested in jazz as a twelve-year old.  He played his first gigs locally in Essex, before turning professional in 1968, working in Geraldo’s Navy, and then joined the QE2 for her maiden voyage to New York in 1969.   From 1975 to 1985 he was in Ray Ellington’s Quartet and did two world cruises and radio and TV work; and became a regular session player, with the BBC Radio Orchestra, Jack Parnell’s Orchestra, Robert Farnon, Billy May, and with the James Last Orchestra.  
https://fleetjazz.wordpress.com/john-pearce-2/

Dave Green

Dave Green (born 5 March 1942) is an English jazz bassist. His first public performances were with his childhood friend Charlie Watts in the late 1950s. While performing with Humphrey Lyttelton from 1963 to 1983, he also played with the Don Rendell–Ian Carr band in the early 1960s, and went on to play with Stan Tracey. In the early 1980s, he led his own group, Fingers, featuring Lol Coxhill, Bruce Turner and Michael Garrick. In 1991, he was a founding member of Charlie Watts's quintet, together with Gerard Presencer, Peter King and Brian Lemon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Green_(musician)

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

Two sides of Sara Dowling

Sara Dowling

Joe the Hat presents

Sara Dowling - voice
Gabriel Latchin - piano
Dario di Lecce - bass
Steve Brown - drums
Vasilis Xenopoulos - saxophones

3rd December 2018
The Exchange, Twickenham, UK

Steve Brown

Jazz aficionado Joe the Hat presented a high calibre night of entertainment and music at The Exchange in Twickenham this week. Sara Dowling has long been a darling of the West London set with regular appearances at Twickenham Jazz Club, and it is a testament to her appeal that both recent local gigs have been sell outs. She shared the front of the Exchange stage with popular saxophonist Vasilis Xenopoulos.

Gabriel Latchin

Sara Dowling is undoubtedly making an impact on the UK jazz scene. Her passion for both music and film from the 1930’s and 40’s inspires and informs her choice of material and her performances. Those who have seen her shows saluting Jerome Kern, George Shearing and their contemporaries will attest that she is an absolute delight. Sara has just released her second album, “Two Sides of Sara”, a duo record featuring the piano of Gabriel Latchin and the unique joy of Bill Mudge's organ playing.

Vasilis Xenopoulos

Saxophonist and composer Vasilis Xenopoulos is one of the most accomplished Greek jazz musicians of his generation. London became his permanent home after graduating from the infamous Berklee College of Music, and gradually established himself as one of London’s up and coming jazz saxophonists. He has worked with some of the best musicians in the British jazz scene, such as Jim Mullen, Steve Waterman, Alan Barnes, Derek Nash, Bruce Adams, Martin Shaw, Nigel Price, Ray Gelato, and many others. On an international level, he has appeared with a variety of top performers such as sensational pianists Hiromi, and Jason Lindner.

Dario di Lecce

The Exchange is a newly built venue owned by Richmond Council and leased to St Mary’s University under an agreement that the building will be used for a mixture of University use, Community Group use and public events. The building has a 300 seat theatre, 5 studio rooms, a cafe and a bar. It is the building directly opposite the entrance to Twickenham station.

.