Tutor Team 2017
Adriano Adewale: UK (Percussions)
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Website: Adriano Adewale
Adriano Adewale was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He moved to London in 2000 and formed his first UK band Sambura,
which released one album: Cru. Performing in various festivals and venues, Adriano was introduced to Antonio Forcione and soon
became part of the Antonio Forcione Quartet which has been performing all over the world.
Other great collaborators he has worked with include: Jonny Phillips, Seu Jorge, Jonathan Preiss, Seb Rochford, Monica Vasconcelos,
Andy Sheppard, Tuti Moreno, Rodolfo Stroeter, Modeste Hughes, Gustavo Marques, Netsayi Chigwendere, Julia Biel, Zoe Rahman,
Steve Lodder and Ronu Majumdar. Working in partnerships with artists, he created sound tracks for: fine artist Monica de Miranda,
the English dance company Stacked Wonky and a percussion based sound track for an animation movie based on the fairy tale,'Little Red Riding Hood'.
He also shared the stage with Oliver Mtukudzi (Zimbabwe), Tcheka (Cape Verde) and supported Cesaria Evora, Airton Moreira and Flora Purim, Jools Holland,
Seu Jorge, and Boubacar Traore. Venues he has perfrmed at include : QEH, RFH, Barbican, Apollo, Usher Hall, Olimpia (Paris), Jazz Cafe, Ronnie Scotts, SAGE.
In 2007 he formed international world-jazz quartet the Adriano Adewale Group releaseing their acclaimed debut album SEMENTES in 2008. As well
as touring with his band, he has also developed a new cross-artform solo project SOUND JOURNEY in partnership with SEGUE Productions which was
presented in 2009 at the Latitude Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Adriano Adewale is Artist in Residence at the Lakeside Theatre University of Essex, an Associate Artist of SEGUE and an Escalator Artist supported by Arts Council UK East.
Gilad Atzmon: UK (Art Director, Saxophon)
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Website: Gilad Atzmon
Gilad Atzmon was born in Israel in 1963 and had his musical training at the Rubin Academy of Music, Jerusalem (Composition and Jazz). As a multi-instrumentalist he plays Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Baritone Saxes, Clarinet and Flutes. His album Exile was the BBC jazz album of the year in 2003. He has been described by John Lewis on the Guardian as the "hardest-gigging man in British jazz". His albums, of which he has recorded nine to date, often explore political themes and the music of the Middle East.
Until 1994 he was a producer-arranger for various Israeli Dance & Rock Projects, performing in Europe and the USA playing ethnic music as well as R&R and Jazz. Coming to the UK in 1994, Atzmon recovered an interest in playing the music of the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe that had been in the back of his mind for years. In 2000 he founded the Orient House Ensemble in London and started re-defining his own roots in the light of his emerging political awareness. Since then the Orient House Ensemble has toured all over the world. The Ensemble includes Eddie Hick on Drums, Yaron Stavi on Bass and Frank Harrison on piano & electronics. Also, being a prolific writer, Atzmon's essays are widely published. His novels "Guide to the perplexed" and "My One And Only Love" have been translated into 24 languages. Gilad's latest book, The Wandering Who? is a study of Jewish Identity political identity.
Over the years Gilad Atzmon's music has moved more and more towards a cultural hybrid. As a bandleader and reed player he has been amazing his listeners with his powerful personal style that combines great bebop artistry and Middle-Eastern roots in a sophisticated, sometimes ironical manner. Influenced by Coltrane's powerful approach on the sax, Gilad's live performances are simply breathtaking and overwhelming.
Brigitte Beraha: UK (vocals)
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Website: Brigitte Beraha
"Most musicianly singer Brigitte Beraha" performs as both 'sideman' and as a leader in an ever-expanding range of projects, from straight ahead jazz- singing jazz standard songs with lyrics, to more contemporary outlets- using her voice as an instrument.
Brigitte is now recognized as one of the most versatile and exciting vocalists to emerge on the UK jazz scene in the last decade. As well as performing and recording with many of the legends of the UK jazz scene, including Kenny Wheeler, Chris Laurence, Paul Clarvis, John Parricelli, Bobby Wellins and Henry Lowther she is closely involved in the work of the new generation of jazz musicians and in particular the Loop and E17 jazz collectives.
Drawing comparisons with such luminaries as Norma Winstone and Tania Maria, she has forged her own, very individual voice. With four albums to her credit, her album Babelfish was recently picked by Sebastian Scotney, founder of LondonJazz , as one of his top three albums of 2012. An experienced educator, Brigitte leads jazz workshops and teaches at The Guildhall School of Music, Trinity Laban Conservatoire and the Welsh College of Music. She has performed and led workshops in the United States, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, Turkey, Nepal and the UK.
Barbara Bürkle: Germany (vocals)
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Website: Barbara Bürkle
Whether powerful and passionate, clear and light as a feather or soft and very delicate - the soulful voice of Barbara Bürkle aims more directly to the heart. The award-winning singer Stuttgart combines absolute intonation and excellent timing with rousing enthusiasm and spontaneity. As diverse as their unique voice is also their musical spectrum. It ranges from bossa nova to gospel, from blues to swing and from bebop to pop.
The 33-year-old singer played on many studio projects and CD productions, ranging from German-pop to hip hop, from gospel to contemporary jazz. Since 2011 she is a lecturer at the School of Sacred Music in Tübingen. In addition, she led various workshops and is active as a composer and arranger. she sings in several own formations with various live appearances - including the "Barbara Bürkle Ribbon", the crossover trio "BATIST" their female band "Barbara Bürkle rates Quartet" and "Barbara Bürkle & Thilo Wagner A Fine Romance."
As a soloist Barbara Bürkle has won the 2008 prestigious competition "Voices Now-Brussels International Young Jazz Singers Competition" in Brussels. She was also 2009 semi-finalist in the "Shure Montreux Jazz Voice Competition" under the "Montreux Jazz Festival", and in 2010 the prestigious jazz competition in the world "Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition" in Washington, DC.
Kevin Dean: Kanada (trumpet)
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Kevin Dean was born in 1954 on a North Iowa farm near Mason City, Iowa. He graduated from Iowa University with an MA in music in 1976. He later received his Masters degree from Miami University in Miami Florida in 1980 in jazz performance and pedagogy.
In 1980 he was on the newly formed faculty at St. Francis of Xavier in Nova Scotia to develop a jazz program for the maritime provinces. In 1984 he accepted the position of director of Jazz Studies at McGill University, in Montreal, the position he currently holds. He is an avid composer, trumpet player and leader of small groups. He has performed in concert with such prominent names as Jimmy Heath, Benny Golson, and Joe Henderson. His current passion is the Hammond B3 organ and recently made his debut on the instrument as soloist with the Montreal Big Band.
Frank Harrison: UK (piano)
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Website: Frank Harrison
Frank Harrison took up the piano at 11, and began playing gigs when he was 15. After taking up a scholarship at Berklee School Of Music, Boston, he returned to the UK and joined Gilad Atzmon's Orient House Ensemble. The band regularly tours Europe, playing at major Jazz and World music festivals. Frank has also performed with Tim Garland, Peter King, Julian Arguelles, Bobby Wellins, Julian Siegel, Don Weller, John Etheridge, Louis Stewart and Iain Ballamy. Frank's trio features Dave Whitford (Bill Frisell, John Taylor, Kenny Wheeler) on bass and Enzo Zirilli (Bob Mintzer, Tom Harrell, Enrico Pieranunzi) on drums. They have released four albums and regularly tour the UK, Europe and the Far East.
On his most recent trio CD, Sideways (Linus, 2011), Frank reveals his considerable artistic depth, in a brace
of originals and covers. Whether it's the whirlwind swirling around Antonio Carlos Jobim's Dindi, or the spacious and
luminous treatment given to George Gershwin's How Long Has
This Been Going On, it's clear that Frank Harrison is one of the UK's unique pianistic voices.
Frank Harrison is one of the most talented young musicians I have heard (Ronnie Scott)
His talent shines among his peers (Julian Joseph)
Jim Hart: UK (drums & vibraphone)
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Website: Jim Hart
Jim Hart is one of the most in demand musicians on the European jazz and alternative music scene as a soloist and sideman on both drums and vibraphone. Now living in Alsace, France, Jim was resident in London from 1996 - 2014. After studying at Chethma's School of Music and the Guildhall Scholl of Music and Drama, Jim first started making a name for himself in the UK as the drummer for NYJO and on vibes with Martin Drew's New Jazz Couriers, Gwilym Simcock's Elftet and the Christian Brewer Quintet. He has become a very established musician on the British Jazz scene playing in the groups of Stan Sulzmann, Sir John Dankworth and Cleo Laine and Alan Barnes and worked with the likes of Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Julian Arguelles, Mike Walker, Liane Caroll and Peter King to name a few. He is a five time recipient of a British Jazz award.
He started his own group Gemini in 2003 with whom he went on to become a founder member of London's LOOP Collective. He has recorded five albums under his own name with his bands Gemini, The Jim Hart Quartet and his current project The Cloudmakers Trio which features long-standing associates Michael Janisch on bass and David Smith on drums. As well as being a bandleader he also plays regularly in Marius Nesest's Birds (vbs), Julien Lourau's Electric Biddle (drs), the Ivo Neame Quintet/Octet (vbs), Stan Sulzmann's Neon Quartet (vbs) and Duo Plus (vbs + drs). Outside of the jazz world his drumming has kept him busy with a number of projects including Sister Mary and the Choirboys and he has been involved in several projects exploring music of West and North African Origin including Dan Nichols' Point X, Bex Burch's Vula Viel, Fofoulah and Electric Jalaba.
Jim has toured extensively with visiting American musicians in the last few years including Ralph Alessi (with whom Cloudmakers Trio recorded their first album Live at the Piazza Express), Joel Frahm, Jaleel Shaw, Terrel Stafford, Logan Richardson, Richie Barshay and in 2010 he was a special guest with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra as part of their London residency with the Barbican Centre. In 2013 and 2012 Jim was nominated in the Downbeat Magazine Reader's Poll' in the vibraphone category and was nominated for Musician of the Year in the 2011 Parliamentary Jazz Awards. He also won the Young Jazz Musician of the Year Award from the Worshipful Company of Musicians.
As well as his busy performance schedule, Jim is also very active in education. He holds a post at the Royal Academy of Music and has led masterclasses and been a visiting tutor at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Birmingham Conservatoire, Leeds College of Music, Chetham's School of Music, The Purcell School and Well's Cathederal School. He is also a tutor on the National Youth Jazz Collective summer school. Jim is a Mike Balter Artist and uses their vibraphone and Marimba mallets.
Claus Krisch: Germany (piano)
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Website: Claus Krisch
Claus Krisch is present on the european jazz scene for more than 40 years. With his brothers Martin "Dizzy" Krisch and Thomas Krisch he formed the successful Krisch-Junior-Quartett as early as in the sixties. After having completed high school studies in Pedagogy he decided for a full time musicians life, and also works as a jazz teacher at "Freie Kunstschule Saarlouis".
Nicolas Meier: UK (guitar)
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Website: Nicolas Meier
Meier who was born in 73 first picked up the guitar when he was 12. His parents, both art lovers, had wide-ranging musical tastes and he was exposed to classical, jazz, Latin, flamenco, rock and pop. And it was an early gift from his father of Joe Satriani's legendary 'Surfing with the Aliens' and Tony MacAlpine's Maximum Security (major intelligent rock guitar-god albums) that first really convinced a young Meier to get practicing. Perhaps his old man was worried because he was subsequently taken on a family outing to the Montreux Jazz festival (in what would become an annual pilgrimage) where he heard Carlos Santana with special guest Wayne Shorter. And later that summer Meier was blown away when he saw John McLaughlin's trio in Antibes (Trilok Gurtu and Jeff Berlin). In fact Mclaughlin's album Live at the Royal Festival Hall would be a major influence on Meier with its mix of many styles.
Meier studied arranging with Max Jendly and Francis Boland before earning a scholarship to Berklee in Boston, USA and immersing himself in classic Amercian jazz (Parker, Coltrane, Miles etc) and playing acoustic jazz and fusion. He graduated and returned to Switzerland in 98 and formed the "Meier Group" who became festival regulars and he jammed in Montreux with the likes of Rachelle Ferrel, George Duke, Macy Gray and Will Calhoun. But Meier missed the vibe of Boston, the energy of America and looking around for somewhere that combined European culture and American 'drive' he settled on London as the perfect synthesis. Arriving in London Meier met drummer Asaf Sirkis who he credits with helping open his ears to Middle-Eastern music as well as helping him find his feet in London. "He is such a passionate player that I just had to keep playing with him whenever I could and I met Gilad Atzmon through him and many other great players".
Tony Lakatos: Hungary (Saxophone)
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Website: Tony Lakatos
He was born in a musician family in Budapest, Hungary. His Father was a famous gipsy violinist as well as his younger Brother Roby. The musical study began on the violin at the age of 6. Began to play the saxophone when he was 15 years old, and became a professional musician when he won a national jazz competition in 1977. He graduated from the jazz department of the Bela Bartok Conservatory in Budapest 1979.
Shortly after he moved to Germany in 1981, became one of the most respected saxophone player in Germany as well as worldwide. He performed as a saxophone soloist in numerous jazz/pop/rock recordings and concerts. Tony has played the saxophone about 350 LP/CD recordings as a leader or as a sideman. He has been living in Germany since 1981, Frankfurt am Main since 1993 and working as a soloist in the H. R. Big band - Radio station. Tony Lakatos was the first Hungarian musician who appeared on the Gavin Report Top Ten in the American Jazz Music Radio with his CDs.
In 1997 a CD " Generation X " (jazzline) came out with American world star trumpeter Randy Brecker. He is continually touring in Japan with his own formations, and signed an exclusive contract with SKIP RECORDS in year 2002. Tony Lakatos has been touring in all countries of Europe, in the USA,Canada, Japan, South Africa, Lebanon,India,Thailand, Singapore,Taiwan,China and many other parts of the world.
Davide Petrocca: Germany (Bass)
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Website: Davide Petrocca
Davide Petrocca, the Italian double bass player and student of the legendary Danish bassist Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen, began his professional career in the mid -90s in the bands of Charlie Antolini and Bireli Lagrene, just a little later (2000-2005) of the New York pianist Monty Alexander to be required on the side of Jeff Hamilton and Martin Drew in the trio! Here he occupied the place that held perception of him as bassist Ray Brown and John Clayton .
In the following years Petrocca worked as a freelancer including Hank Jones, Cedar Walton, Martin Taylor, Bruce Barth, Randy Brecker, Thomas Clausen, Jon Faddis and Andre Ceccarelli. As sideman Petrocca toured at a young age through Europe, the USA, Japan, Russia and entered the most prestigious clubs like Ronnie Scott's in London, New Morning in Paris or the Monmatre in Copenhagen on.
He played many others on festivals in Montreux, The Hague, Nice, Barcelona, Brussels, Oslo, Tokyo, Palermo, Dublin, Auckland. As a sideman he has so far participated in more than 70 recordings. "Davide Petrocca is in the top top league of bassists worldwide!" ( Monty Alexander, pianist, New York/USA).
Peter Polzer: Austria (Piano)
Since 1994, Peter Polzer, lawyer and jazz pianist, founder and operator of the jazz club 'Kammerlichtspiele' has been teaching jazz piano for instrumentalists, jazz theory and ensemble directing at the conservatory 'KONSE' in Kärnten for the division Jazz- and Pop Music.
Saul Rubin: USA (guitar)
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Website: Saul Rubin
Accomplished guitarist/composer/producer has worked in the New York area since 1981. His diverse career has taken him to clubs, concert halls, studios, multimedia and post production facilities around the world. In 1997 Saul started his own production company Zebulon Sound and Light, specializing in recording, audio/video production, multimedia, and animation.
Saul plays from the heart. His mature, driving virtuosity playing solo, trio or full big band uniquely engages the listener whether it is up tempo or a slow alluring ballad. Saul has worked and recorded with many great musicians including - Sonny Rollins, Roy Hargrove, John Hicks, Victor Lewis, Bob Cranshaw, Sammy Figueroa, Johnny ONeal, Hank Jones, Frank Wess, Cameron Brown, Eric Lewis, Essiet Essiet, Dave Schnitter, Larry Willis, Jonathon Batiste, Steven Scott, Clifford Barbaro, Wynard Harper, Candido, Bruce Cox, Sue Terry, Badal Roy, Jerry Gonzalez, Victor Jones, Gerald Cannon, Paul Jeffrey, Jerry Weldon, Bobby Forrester, Craig Handy, Groove Collective, Sherman Irby, Thomas Chapin, Tessa Souter, Avishai Cohen, Joe Magnarelli, Ned Goold, Fabio Morgera, James Hurt, Eric Revis, Willi Jones III, Eddie Jones, Paul Brown, Dave Samuels, and many more.
Yaron Stavi : UK (Bass)
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Website: Yaron Stavi
Yaron Stavi plays double bass and electric bass in various styles of music including Jazz, Rock, Classical and World Music. He studied Classical music in Berlin and played with numerous orchestras and conductors around Europe, North America and Asia. He was principal bass player of the Mahler Youth Orchestra, playing under Seiji Ozawa, Pierre Boulez, Marris Jansons, Sir Neville Mariner, Ivan Fischer and others.
In 2002 Yaron moved to London. He is a member of Gilad Atzmon's band The Orient House Ensemble which regularly tours Europe and won best CD in the BBC Jazz awards in 2003. He has played with the violinist Nigel Kennedy in his Jazz band and Jazz musicians including Larry Coryell, Peter King, Jarek Smietana, Leszek Mozdzer, Gary Husband, John Ethridge, Julian Siegel, Gene Calderazzo, Stephen Keogh, and Estelle Kokot.
Yaron played on Robert Wyatt's albums Cuckooland and Comicopera and recorded two albums for John Zorn's label Tzadik with Koby Israelite. He appears on Phil Manzanera's (Roxy Music) albums 6PM, Vozero and 50 Minutes Later, recorded an album with David Gilmour in 2005 and instrumental album with Phil Manzanera in 2007.
John Turville : UK (piano)
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Website: John Turville
John Turville is one of the leading jazz pianists of his generation, and has won multiple awards for his two trio albums including MOJO's #3 Jazz Album of the Year (2012), and "Best Album" in the Parliamentary Awards 2011. He also won "Best Instrumentalist" in the 2010 London Jazz Awards and the 2009 PRS Promoter's Choice Award, and was a semi-finalist in the Martial Solal Jazz Piano Concours in 2010.
He has toured and recorded throughout Europe and the middle East with many renowned jazz and tango groups, including the Dave Binney/Julian Arguelles quintet, Tim Garland, the Tony Kofi/Alan Barnes Quintet, Karios 4tet, Asaf Sirkis Trio, Gilad Atzmon, Transtango, the London Tango Orchestra, Matt Ridley Quartet, Sabina Racheyeva, Andre Canniere, Maciek Pysz and Natacha Atlas. John also co-runs the E17 jazz collective and curates their programme and festival, as well as conducting the E17 large ensemble and his sextet "Solstice", featuring Brigitte Beraha and Tori Freestone.
He is also an experienced composer and arranger for strings, voices, jazz and tango ensembles, and an experienced educator. He is the principal jazz piano tutor at Birmingham Conservatoire and has coached and adjudicated ensembles at the Guildhall and Trinity College.
Thilo Wagner: Germany (piano)
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Website: Thilo Wagner
Thilo is one of the most sought-after pianists in mainstream- and bebop-jazz in Germany. Running his own trio he is as successful as a sideman for jazz stars like Benny Waters, Scott Hamilton, Emil Mangelsdorff, Charly Antolini and many more. Thilo Wagner lives in Stuttgart, Germany.
Enzo Zirilli : Italien (drums)
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Website: Enzo Zirilli
Born in Turin 1965, he started playing drums when he was 8 years old and studied piano at G.Verdi Conservatory in Turin. He got in touch with jazz music, meeting the great tenor sax Larry Nocella and many others important musicians as Franco Cerri, Benny Bailey, Hal Stein, Gianni Basso, Flavio Boltro, Antonio Faraò. He was in tour with Gloria Gaynor in '91 and lately, since '96, he worked with the Italian pop-jazz singer Rossana Casale.
At the same time, he played in many important festivals, theatres and jazz clubs in Italy and Europa with great musicians like Steve Grossman, James Moody, Robert Bonisolo, Luigi Bonafede, George Garzone, Randy Brecker, Dado Moroni, Enrico Pieranunzi, Ares Tavolazzi, Franck Avitabile, Stefano Di Battista, Gary Bartz, Ira Coleman, Larry Schneider, Peggy Stern, Alberto Marsico, Ron Ringwood, Donovan Mixon, Salvatore Bonafede.
Enzo moved to London in 2004 and quickly became one of the most in demand drummers in UK, as well as in Europe. He recorded and toured all over the world with artists from jazz, world music, Latin, funk and pop, such as Tom Harrell, Bob Mintzer, Dado Moroni, Enrico Pieranunzi, James Moody, Gloria Gaynor, Gary Bartz, Hamish Stuart, Liane Carroll, Omar MBE, James Torme', Pietro Tonolo, Peter Bernstein, Luigi Bonafede, George Garzone, Flavio Boltro, Dominique Di Piazza, Jim Mullen, Stan Sulzmann, John Etheridge and Jason Rebello. In 2014 he formed his own band "ZiroBop": "I love this music! Enzo and his great band approach a wide range of material with such creativity, taste and soulfullness. A beautiful album" (LARRY GOLDINGS)
