Gwilym Simcock - QCBA: Brandon Allen/Quentin Collins + Kyle Eastwood - 50th Anniversary
INTRO WRITTEN BY STEVE RUBIE: This is an evening featuring a whole team of great musicians, all of whom have played at the Club from when they first started performing in London, becoming an integral part of what we do. I first met Gwilym Simcock when he was a student and even then it was clear that he was very special. I vividly remember him doing a Sunday afternoon gig at the Club with the Laurence Cottle Big Band and they opened the second set, to Gwilym’s (and my) complete surprise, with one of the best versions of “Happy Birthday”, arranged by Laurie for 16 piece big band, that I’ve ever heard. It turned out that it was Gwilym’s 21st birthday and he chose to spend the first half of it playing at the Club (I didn’t enquire what he was planning for the second half!). Twenty or so years on and he is now an international artist of renown with a raft of award-winning albums and bands and work with the likes of Pat Metheny to his name…and he is still happy to play at the Club and we are certainly happy to have him here. Similarly Quentin Collins did some of his first London gigs at the Six and has established himself as one of the UK’s finest jazz trumpet players. A regular now with Kyle Eastwood (whom he first worked with here at the Club) his contributions to the music here have been long standing and significant. Similarly, his fellow band leader and Kyle Eastwood bandmate saxophonist Brandon Allen played his first London dates here when he first arrived from Australia and has been a stalwart supporter ever since. And then there’s Kyle Eastwood. A regular at the Club when he lived in Fulham, he has been a staunch supporter and a great friend to us over the years, changing his plans just to be with us this evening. Looking like a great night!
A multi-award-winning pianist, Gwilym Simcock is unquestionably one of the finest musicians of his generation. Fluent and highly inventive Gwilym has carved out a career as one of the most gifted pianists and imaginative composers on the European scene. With an ‘harmonic sophistication and subtle dovetailing of musical traditions’ Gwilym has been hailed as a pianist of ‘exceptional’, ‘brilliant’ and ‘dazzling’ ability. It’s a testament to his remarkable abilities that he won the Perrier, BBC Jazz and British Jazz Rising Star Awards as well as being the first jazz musician to be a Radio 3 “New Generation Artist”. He won "Best Band" and “Jazz Musician of the Year” at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards, was nominated for two more BBC Jazz Awards and his album “Good Days at Schloss Elmau” was the 2011 Album of the Year at the ‘Barclaycard Mercury Prize’ awards. Working with the cream of international jazz artists including Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler & Bobby McFerrin, he spent five years touring and recording with U.S. guitar legend Pat Metheny. An artist of international standing he is rightly considered to be one of the most exciting musicians to emerge from the UK in recent decades.
For well over a decade now, Quentin Collins has had an enviable reputation as a lyrical and melodic trumpet player with a powerful sound and approach. His first album released in 2007 received critical acclaim with Jazzwise calling it an "intensely impressive debut", while the Guardian called Quentin a "young brass virtuoso". He has continued to forge an impressive reputation on the UK scene via projects including tonight’s “QCBA Quartet” (alongside another 606 Club regular Brandon Allen). He also includes the likes of Jeff Beck, Jason Rebello, Basement Jaxx, Omar, Prince and Roy Ayres on a lengthy and impressive cv, but these days is probably best known for his work with the internationally acclaimed Kyle Eastwood Band. Brandon Allen relocated to London in 2000 from Perth, Western Australia and since then has performed extensively with leading UK and international artists in genres from Jazz to Groove to pop. For well over 10 years the saxophonist with the Kyle Eastwood Band, recording and touring globally with Kyle’s various projects, he can also be heard with a plethora of high profile bands and artists including Eric Clapton, Paloma Faith & Jools Holland. Quentin and Brandon are tonight bringing to the Club their terrific joint project QCBA, a band that has toured internationally and released the brilliant album 'What's It Gonna Be?'. They also feature an exciting collaboration with legendary soul singer Omar Lyefook, OMAR + QCBA. Tonight they will be joined for part of the set by the impressive Internationally recognised bass player (and their erstwhile boss!) Kyle Eastwood. The son of legendary actor Clint, Kyle has been a great champion of the Club and was a regular performer here back in the 2000’s when resident in London. Indeed, when he heard about the Festival he said “I’ll be there”, and it is with enormous pleasure that we welcome him tonight.
“Simcock…remarkable...exceptional, as both player and composer” Observer; “Gwilym…a creative genius” Chick Corea; "Collins...England's top...trumpet master...breathtaking" HMV Magazine; “Allen…a saxophone heavyweight, at the height of his powers” Blues and Soul
