Upcoming Gigs

Abram Wilson

Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas in 1975, at nine years old, Abram received his first trumpet and after being taught his first note by his mother, he immediately began learning songs from the radio and developing his own method of ear training. At 13 he was elected to front his 75-piece school band as drum major and at 17, Abram earned a music scholarship to Ohio Wesleyan University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in music education.

Anita Wardell

ANITA WARDELL, one of the UK’s most creative and best loved vocalists, presents Kinda Blue, her much anticipated second album on Specific Jazz.

"...the singer's mercurial musicality and acute sense of improvisation freedom can at times take the breath away." Jazzwise

Chihiro Yamanaka.

Chihiro has performed with Nancy Wilson, George Benson and George Russell, Clark Terry, Gary Burton, Ed Thigpen, Curtis Fuller and Herbie Hancock. She also won the IAJE Sisters In Jazz Competition and Downbeat Magazine's Outstanding Award while she was still a student in Berklee College of Music.

Denys Baptiste

Born in London of St Lucian parents in 1969, Denys took his first lessons in music at the age of 13. At the age of 14 he began to play tenor sax. His introduction to jazz came from videos of Morrisey-Mullen and from listening to recordings by Charles Mingus and Count Basie.

He studied music for two years at the West London Institue and then went on to take part in a jazz course at London’s Guildhall School of Music. He joined Gary Crosby’s Nu Troop as the tenor saxophonist after attending an open jam session organized by Tomorrow’s Warriors. In 1993 Denys joined the Jazz Warriors.

Finn Peters

Winner of the 2007 BBC Jazz Awards Best Band.

One of the finest flautists and alto sax players in the UK, Finn is incredibly versatile, performing and composing in a wide range of musical styles. A founder member of the contemporary classical musical group Noszferatu, Finn is equally adept at recording Radio 3 concerts to sessions in the studio with such reputed names as DJ Spinna, 4 Hero, Trip do Brasil, The Herbaliser and IG Culture, to name but a few. He has also toured with 2 Banks of 4, Sam Rivers, Jhelisa, Tony Allen and SA-RA, not to mention his Latin credentials with Giovanni Hildago, Jimmy Bosch and Bobby Matos.

Ingrid Laubrock

Originally from Germany, Guildhall alumnus Ingrid has been performing since she was 8. She was nominated as ‘Rising Star of the Year’ in the BT Jazz Awards for 1999. In 2004 Ingrid was awarded the BBC Jazz Award for Innovation as part of the F-ire Collective and in 2005 she was nominated for the BBC Award as 'Rising Star'. In January 2006 Ingrid was awarded the prestigious Fellowship for Jazz Composition by the Arts Foundation.

Jimmy Dludlu

Universal artist Jimmy Dludlu was 13 years old when he first picked up a cousin's home made guitar and started teaching himself to play by imitating the jazz and African music he heard on the radio.

Natalie Williams

Natalie Williams is an exceptional singer/songwriter whose style is a unique blend of R&B, vocal jazz and soul. Natalie is a phenomenal talent who has received fantastic critical acclaim from the very start of her career, drawing comparisons to the likes of Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, but with her own Jazz influenced twist. The recent release of her third album Secret Garden has “elevated her to premier league status in one fell swoop” (B&S magazine) and has gained rave reviews in music magazines.

Netsayi

Netsayi is a singer/songwriter who was born in London and grew up in Harare, Zimbabwe. Her debut album was described as “refreshingly, startlingly excellent” in Mojo magazine and “one of the finest albums of the year” by Robin Denselowe of the Guardian newspaper.

Nu Troop

BEST INTERNATIONAL ENSEMBLE 1998
Festival Jazz à Vienne
Concours International d'Orchestres
(International Band Competition)

Featuring:
Gary Crosby - double bass, Abram Wilson – trumpet, Denys Baptiste - tenor saxophone ,Andrew McCormack - piano
Rod Youngs - drums

Simply the finest and hardest-swinging straightahead jazz group in the UK featuring the stars of the award-winning UK
independent jazz label, DUNE RECORDS.

Between them, the current band members have won 16 awards for excellence including two Mercury Music Prizes for