Frank Holder

(Legend) (Vocals / Percussion)

What to say about Frank Holder? He’s a legend in London Showbiz circles and a fabulous entertainer. He began his career in England as the original vocalist with the Johnny Dankworth Seven, Britain’s premier jazz group at the time. After a highly successful period with the band, Frank decided to strike out on his own, but not before they had found a suitable replacement - one Cleo Laine. Those of us lucky enough to have seen Frank perform can only begin to give an impression of the entertainer that he is. He is a fabulous percussionist, but endowed with a great sense of humour. It is not for nothing that in the sixties he was a huge star and headlined at the London Palladium a number of times, and performed with stars such as Billy Eckstine and the great Nat King Cole. Frank has lost none of that star quality - when you hear him sing Ballads, or scat with the musicians, or put his own original stamp on a Latin number you know that you’re in thenpresence of a great performer. To have him at the Chalk Pit to perform is an honour and a privilege. Shut your eyes and you’re back with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Junior - and if he’s in mischievous mood - you might get Frank’s famous impression of Louis Armstrong too.

www.garyparkes.com/singers/frank_holder.

Alan Barnes (Saxes)

Between 1977-80 Alan studied saxophone, woodwinds and arranging at Leeds College of Music then move to London where his arrival was described by the press as “with the force of a hurricane”! He joined the hard bop band of Tommy Chase, then the Jazz Renegades, followed by The Humphry Lyttleton Band and led the Pizza Express Modern Jazz Sextet for 8 years. Alan broadcast regularly over a ten year period with the BBC Big Band and radio Orchestra, toured with Kenny Baker, Stan Tracey and John Dankworth among many others. Alan has also appeared as a session musician on albums by Bjork, Clare Teal and Jamie Cullum, on . lm and TV soundtracks , and as part of the Laurie Holloway Orchestra on Strictly Come Dancing and the Parkinson Show. He runs his own label “Woodville Records”, and is known as an accomplished arranger/composer. Works include the Ellington inspired “Sherlock Holmes Suite”, “The Marbella Suite” and two song cycles “ Songs for Unsung Heroes” and “Seven Ages of Jazz” in collaboration with playwright Alan Plater A stunning and inspired soloist on all the saxes plus clarinet and Bass Clarinet, Alan has won 18 separate British Jazz Awards, and was voted “Best Instrumentalist” at the BBC Jazz Awards in 2001 and 2006. This is his third visit to the jazz Picnic and it’s an honour to have him back.

www.alanbarnesjazz.com

Adrian Fry began his varied and versatile career when he began playing Dixieland jazz at the age of fourteen. Largely self taught he used transcribing and arranging as a means of learning his craft he spent the last twenty six years working his way through all kinds of jazz both as a highly respectedperformer and as a prolific composer and arranger. Indeed many of his charts are played by leading names in the field, from Frank Griffith’s Nonet, Ray Gelato, and Back to Basie to his own band The Bone Supremacy. Equally at home in a big band section, in a small band or as a soloist, Adrian performs regularly with The Karen Sharp Quintet, Frank Griffith Nonet, Elio Pace, Back to Basie and Don Weller’s Big Band. He has many recording credits including with The Karen Sharp Quintet and on Coventry Suite, on 33 records, the latest from Frank Griffiths and his band. He has toured with Tony Hadley, and performed in West End Shows such as “Crazy for You” and “Five Guys named Mo”. He deps with the Alan Barnes Octet among many others and is a well known performer and arranger on the London Jazz Scene. In 2005 he toured Europe with Gillespiana and in 2008, the UK withMichael Feinstein. In January 2009 Adrian created his own new band “The Bone Supremacy”which he co-leads with Ian Bateman. This ensemble of five trombones and three rhythm which often features Mark Nighingale, is gaining quite a following, most of the repertoire being Adrian’s arrangements. They have recently performed at The 100 Club, London; The Chicken Shed, North London; and The Concorde Club, Eastleigh – a stone’s throw from Adrian’s home in Southampton among many others. His album with Elio Pace, “A Seat at My Table” is on general release, and the single “Addicted to the Phone”is receiving a lot of airplay and has been heavily promoted on Wake up to Wogan on BBC Radio2. This is Adrian’s first visit to the Odiham Jazz Weekend and we are thrilled he was able to step in and help us out.

Mark Nightingale (Trombone)

Mark was unable to join us in 2009 but we are extremely grateful for his support in the past

Mark first came to prominence with The National Youth Jazz Orchestra, and is highly acclaimed internationally. Indeed any top band featuring a trombonist of extraordinary virtuosity on TV or Radio – check the listings – it’ll be Mark! His imaginative and highly technical improvisation has assured him a place in the highest echelons of Jazz – and he has won many awards. A prolific. c composer, arranger and respected educator Mark performs regularly with John Dankworth and Cleo Laine, the Andy Panayi Quartet and Time Zones Big band, The Laurence Cottle Big Band, Stan and Clark Tracey’s Ellingtonia, the |Kenny Wheeler Big Band and the Charlie Watts Tentet. He has an illustrious recording career, having recorded with Ray Brown, Clark Terry, Claire Martin Lee Gibson among many others, in addition to his own CD The Rath Pack and fronts his own band and trombone ensembles. This is a return visit for Mark. He appeared here in 2005 and 2006 and also at The Concorde Club in February 2009 for the NFA. We are immensely grateful to him for his continued support and are thrilled to welcome him back to The Chalkpit.

David Newton (Piano)

We are delighted to welcome David back after his acclaimed performances at previous Picnics. Widely recognised as one of the foremost Jazz Pianists Britain has ever produced, David is a prolific performer/composer with a string of successful CDs on the Linn and Concorde Labels to his credit as well as acclaimed live performances in the States as well as at home, in Europe and the Far East. Valued by fellow musicians such as Martin Taylor, Art Themen and Alan Barnes for his stunning improvisation, his subtlety and elegance of touch have made him . rst choice for singers such as Carol Kidd, Tina May, Claire Martin and Stacey Kent.  David has been involved with friend and playwright Alan Ayckbourn and the Scarborough Theatre, composing the music for many great productions, as well as for . lm and TV scores, particularly in the USA. Now concentrating on his own Trio again, his latest project is the setting up of his own Record Label, Bright New Day Records for his own CDs and for signing up other artists to their catalogue. David, who graduated from Leeds College of Music, was made a Fellow of Leeds in 2003. and has been voted Best Pianist in the British Jazz awards no less than six times. His latest successes are the successful launch at the Wigmore Hall of his new critically acclaimed CD “A Portrait of a Woman”, and a week’s residency at Ronnie Scotts. We are honoured to have him back this year.

www.davidnewton.net

Dave Chamberlain (double bass)

This is Dave's first visit to the Chalkpit, although he has performed with Dave Newton and Richard Shepherd on many occasions. Born in the small town of Belper in Derbyshire - took up the double bass at the age of 16 with ambitions to be an orchestral musician. In 1994 he enrolled on the degree course at Goldsmiths College in London, studying under Dominic Black, the principal double bass player with the Philharmonia and Royal Opera Orchestras. It was also during his time at Goldsmiths that he began taking an interest in jazz, and by the time he obtained his degree in 1997, he'd made the decision to pursue a full time jazz career. After a year working in London, he was awarded the prestigious Archer Jazz Scholarship to study on the post-graduate jazz course at the capital's Trinity College, where he studied with Simon Woolf and French bassist Pierre Boussaguet (a former pupil of Ray Brown's). Since completing his studies, Dave has worked with many top jazz musicians and groups, from The Frank Griffith Nonet and the 'Back To Basie' big band, to Howard Alden and John Colianni. For the last couple of years, Dave has been a permanent member of singer Stacey Kent's highly successful group, and has toured extensively around Europe, performing in Sweden, France, The Netherlands, Italy and Poland. He appeared in February at The Concorde Club for the NFA Charity Evening and we are delighted that he has agreed to perform at this years event. We are delighted to welcome him to Odiham.

The Phil Brown Swingtet

A big welcome back to Phil and the band! Trombonist Phil Brown formed the Basin Street Six in 1985 and from the start the band has pursued a Jazz policy covering a wide spectrum of styles. The classic music of Jelly Roll Morton, Bix Beiderbecke and King Oliver, coupled with Dixie, Swing and 60s Funk makes for an entertaining mix which, whilst not to everyone’s taste, seems to appeal to the broader  audience. The current band is notable for a line up of predominantly younger musicians, earning much favourable comment from their listeners. The band is based in Surrey and it’s public engagements are listed in “The Jazz Guide” and “Jazz in London” each month. The band can be heard live at the Cricketers at Horsell, Nr Woking, usually on the 1st Monday of the month, and also at the Ely Arms, on the A30 near Yateley on a Sunday evening two or three times a year. CDs of the band are available at the venues. Confusion over the number of musicians in the band and the assumption that they were an out and out “Trad” band led to the decision, at the end of 2004 to change the name to The Phil Brown Swingtet.

The line up for The Phil Brown Swingtet this year is:

Phil Brown ( Leader)      Trombone/Vocals

Mark Aston                     Saxes/Clarinet

Andrew Clancy              Piano

Mike Bennet                    Bass

Ken Ames                       Guitar

David Clancy                   Drums

Lee Gibson (Vocals)

Lee Gibson “is a Jazz Vocal Sensation” Thus says the Independent. Her performance at the Chalk Pit last year confirmed it. One of the UK’s leading jazz singers, Lee delights audiences and her wonderful voice, innate sense of swing, and her dynamic stage presence. Her gigs regularly set venue attendance records. An acclaimed international star Lee headlined at the Manly Jazz Festival in Sydney, and 2001 representing UK in Riga. In 2004 Lee performed in May and July in the states leading to being invited back to play the Palm Springs Jazz Party, and The Orleans Casino with the Ken Peplowski Band on New Years Eve. Regularly Broadcast on BBC Radio, her performances with the BBC Concert Orchestra. As well as a highly respected Big Band singer, Lee’s elegant vocals are just as at home with a small Jazz ensemble. Her many film and TV credits include “Victor Victoria”, “Willow”, “Yentl”, “The Two Ronnies“, “The Morcombe and Wise Show” to name but a few, and seven Royal Variety Performances. We are so delighted that with this impressive CV Lee has so kindly taken time out of her busy schedule to help the NFA and are delighted to welcome her back this year.

Richard Shepherd (Saxes)

“Richard has appeared at every Picnic since the beginning, having become involved while a pupil at Robert May’s School, recording a CD for the charity raising some £4,000 for the NFA. Richard joined NYJO at 14, and gained a Rotary Scholarship to Alton College, after which he gained a place at the Royal Academy of Music to study Jazz Performance, composing and arranging.  Richard graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in June 2008 where he studied under Andy Panayi and Tim Garland. There he had the opportunity of performing with such legends as Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler, and in 2007 was a finalist in The Worshipful Company of Musicians’ Young Jazz Musician of the Year.  Since graduating, Richard has been playing in The Ronnie Scott’s Jazz orchestra both on Tour and at the Club performing with the likes of Curtis Steigers, Clare Teal, and John Faddis. He is the tenor player on the soundtrack of the recent re-issue of Gerry Anderson’s “Dick Spanner, Private Eye”  He has played in the John Dankworth Big Band, Tim Garland’s Northern Underground Big Band, and is a founder member of Andy Panayi’s Time Zones Big Band. With his own small ensembles he has performed at the 606 Club, Jagz, The Bull’s Head and the Watermill Jazz Club among others and is gaining quite a following among audiences and fellow musicians for his intricate melodic approach and clean, full tone.  Richard, now 23 is gathering a reputation on the London Jazz Scene performing with guests such as Andy Panayi, Alan Barnes and Dave Newton. Indeed, being the Sax player of choice for legend Frank Holder, he performs quite regularly with him and even got to play with American Bebop legend Sheila Jordan. It is good to have him back.

Steve Waterman (Trumpet)

Steve appeared here first in 2005 and we are so very pleased he has come back. This lyrical and imaginative trumpeter studied at Trinity College during which time he joined The European Community Youth Jazz Orchestra. He has worked with John Surman, Carla Bey, Steve Swallow, Mal Waldron, Don Weller among many, and in Havana Cuba with Chucho Valdes in a performance of Steve’s own composition “Concerto for Congas” His own CD’s “Destination Unknown”, and “Out of Touch” are fine examples of Steve’s wonderful composing style, and he has recorded under the prestigious ECM Label with Carla Bley. Renowned internationally as one of our foremost trumpeters Steve is equally committed to Jazz Education. He tutors on many international Courses and at The Royal Academy, Trinity College, and now his own Course The Steve Waterman Contemporary Jazz Course is up and running. His new CD in collaboration with that other fine trumpeter Bruce Adams with the Steve Waterman Jazz Orchestra was released in April and is called “A Tribute to Trumpet Kings”. We’re so very pleased that Steve is at the Chalk Pit again this year. Steve lived in Odiham when he was a lad, as his Father was at RAF Odiham so as well as welcome back to the Odiham Jazz Weekend, welcome home, Steve!

The Peter Clancy Band

Peter’s band today consists of four players. Edwin (boots) Baker on trombone (yes he was named after his footwear). Boot’s is a professional photographer who also happens to run the band called The Jolly Jazz Fools who Peter also plays with regularly. On trumpet we have On trumpet we have John Sheppard.  John has played with many bands in the past including The New Magnolia and Alleycats and is now with the Original East Side Stompers. The Banjo player is the one and only Johnny McCallum who worked for many many years in the Chris Barber Jazz Band. And last there’s Peter. He is playing the sousaphone. Whilst he still runs The Clancy Jazz Band he is also the Bass/sousaphone player with Dave Stradwick’s Sussex Jazz Kings. Peter is also the father of the three younger Clancy musicians, Andrew, David and Stephen, two of whom play with the Phil Brown Swingtet. You can reach Peter at