"Formidable" - HUMPHREY LYTTELTON
"Those of us who have heard him...have been left blinking in disbelief. It's not just his mastery of the tenor saxophone, phenomenal though that is, but the absolute conviction of his playing that is so impressive" - DAVE GELLY, THE OBSERVER
"Tubby Hayes may have passed away..but there's no question that his boisterous spirit has found an heir in Simon Spillett, who has been turning heads up and down the country" - CLIVE DAVIS, THE SUNDAY TIMES
"I have heard no-one in years who compares to tenorist Simon Spillett, a miraculous player" - JOHN MARTIN, THE JAZZ RAG
"He's stood old head and young shoulders above many of his contemporaries as a live performer for several years. Gets five stars for knowing how to play jazz when so many of his generation think they can but they can't" - BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE
"Spillett is a bruising scruff-of-the-neck hard bopper who has absorbed all the giants but plumps for Tubby Hayes as a role model. Generates huge excitement and swagger" - MOJO MAGAZINE
"This is saxophone playing of the highest order" - ALAN MORGAN, JAZZ JOURNAL
Image: Simon Spillett
SIMON SPILLETT - tenor sax
JOHN CRITCHINSON - piano
ANDREW CLEYNDERT - bass
SPIKE WELLS - drums
THURSDAY 10 APRIL 2008
Doors open 7.45pm
Music starts: 8.30pm
FULL PRICE: £9
STUDENTS: £4 (with valid ID)
TICKETS AVAILABLE ON THE DOOR
Advance reservations/tables: 01202 540065
EXCELLENT FOOD AVAILABLE AND BAR
Alternatively, have a pre-concert meal next door at The Pig and Whistle gastropub
Centre Stage
14 Queens Road
Westbourne
Bournemouth BH2 6BE
Simon Spillett (born 1974) has risen meteorically in the past two years to become one of the most dynamic and distinctive tenor saxophonists on the UK jazz scene.
Starting as a teenager with saxophone lessons from BBC BIG BAND veteran jazzman VIC ASH, Simon became a professional musician aged 21 and worked his way through a very practical jazz apprenticeship which saw him playing at prestigious venues such as RONNIE SCOTT'S, THE 100 CLUB, THE SPICE OF LIFE, SMOLLENSKY'S, THE 606 and THE JAZZ CAFE.
His current quartet is one of the most energetic groups on the UK circuit and features three of the finest UK jazzmen: pianist JOHN CRITCHINSON, bassist ANDREW CLEYNDERT and drummer MARTIN DREW, who were the rhythm section in the last band led by one of Simon's heroes, the late RONNIE SCOTT.
His quartet's have also included legendary former TUBBY HAYES associates SPIKE WELLS, TONY LEVIN and JEFF CLYNE.
Simon's driving and energised style has often been compared favourably with that of his idol, the late great TUBBY HAYES, arguably the most accomplished of the post-war British Bebop generation, and his approach does indeed share a similar love of dare-devil tempos and all-out, no-holds-barred, intensity.
His passionate commitment to unabashed straight-ahead jazz has attracted much attention and garnered him welcome praise. Added to these skills, he is also a rhapsodic ballad player. Above all, he remains a proudly "British" jazz musician.
Simon and his quartet are in demand at jazz venues across the UK and have played at many major festivals including THE HSBC BRECON INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL, THE WIGAN INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL and many others.
In early 2007, THE SIMON SPILLETT QUARTET released it's first album "INTRODUCING SIMON SPILLETT", produced by ALAN BARNES for the WOODVILLE RECORDS label (WVCD 116), featuring a mix of themes associated with TUBBY HAYES and Simon's own compositions. The album has received universal praise from the leading jazz critics and broadcasters (see above), as well as featuring on BBC Radio 2 THE BEST OF JAZZ and BBC Radio 3 JAZZ LINE-UP. The album also has regular airplay on the new UK digital radio station theJAZZ and in June was voted BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE's "JAZZ CHOICE" .
In July 2007, Simon won the "RISING STAR" category in the BBC JAZZ AWARDS accepting his award from actor Michael Brandon and participating in a broadcast on BBC Radio 2 and 3 playing with THE BBC BIG BAND directed by GUY BARKER.
Besides working as a guest soloist and with his own line-ups, Simon has also worked with SIR JOHN DANKWORTH, THE ALAN BARNES OCTET (with ALAN PLATER), TINA MAY, PETER KING, THE RONNIE SCOTT'S BIG BAND, DANNY MOSS, CLARK TRACEY, GWYLIM SIMCOCK, BOBBY WELLINS, JIM MULLEN, ALAN SKIDMORE, MARK NIGHTINGALE, HARRY BECKETT, ALLAN GANLEY, TONY COE, JOHN ETHERIDGE, MIKE CARR, RAY GELATO, CHRISTIAN GARRICK, BRUCE ADAMS, JIM HART, TOMMY WHITTLE, STEVE WATERMAN, DAVE CLIFF, ROY WILLIAMS, COLIN OXLEY, STEVE MELLING, PETE CATER, CHRIS LAURENCE, DEREK NASH, NICK WELDON, MARTIN SHAW, PHIL DE GREG, LAURENCE COTTLE, TONY KINSEY, BRIAN DEE, DUNCAN LAMONT, JULIAN MARC STRINGLE, JOHN DONALDSON, TREVOR TOMKINS, JACK PARNELL, DAVE GREEN and CRAIG MILVERTON, among many other jazz stars.
Don't miss what should be a high energy performance of sizzling straightahead jazz which all will enjoy.
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