CHRIS LAURENCE QUARTET

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Chris Laurence has been the driving force behind many projects across all musical styles – classical, jazz, rock and film music. Despite his vast experience and huge reputation, Chris has never released an album under his own name. He recently recorded a CD “New View", to be released on Basho Records in the New Year. This features long time collaborators Frank Ricotti on vibraphone, John Parricelli on guitar, Martin France on drums and very special guest singer Norma Winstone. The compositions featured on the album are all by musicians Chris has worked with over the years including Steve Swallow, Joni Mitchell, John Surman & Kenny Wheeler.

CHRIS LAURENCE was born in London and studied at the Guildhall school of music. Since then he has maintained a dual career in both jazz and classical music. He plays regularly with John Surman, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor and Norma Winstone. In the classical world he was principal double bass with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields until 1995, playing on many of their famous recordings ranging from the film "Amadeus" to Benjamin Britten's "Curlew River". Jazz artists he has recorded with include trombonist J.J. Johnson, Tony Coe, Joe Williams, Sarah Voughan, Norma Winstone and Johnny Mathis. Most recent recordings are John Surman’s "Coruscating" Andy Sheppard's "Dancing Man and Woman", Kenny Wheeler’s "Kayak" and Norma Winstone's "Manhattan in the rain". He also spends a lot of time recording music for T.V, film and albums, most notably "Leaving Las Vegas" and "The Man who Cried" with the Kronos Quartet. As well as jazz and classical music Chris has also featured on albums with many stars including Elton John, Sting, David Gilmour and guitarist John Williams.

FRANK RICOTTI was voted Melody Maker’s Top Vibraphone player back in his teens, since when he has remained constantly in demand for his work on records, film scores, jingles and TV shows and is the first choice percussionist for many artists, valued for his creative input. He has worked with many of this country’s favourite jazz musicians having performed at many clubs and festivals including the Montreux Jazz Festival, and over the years has played alongside Stan Tracey, John Taylor, Mike Gibbs, Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone, Gordon Beck, John Surman and Stan Sulzmann. Widely regarded as the UK’s most recorded percussionist, his playing is featured on numerous best selling albums, including those by Robbie Williams, Tina Turner, Bjork, Lighthouse Family, Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell and countless films, including Harry Potter, Shakespeare in Love, Captain Corelli and The Beach. As a versatile composer Frank’s crafted and distinctive scores have enhanced many TV dramas, and in particular his commissions in a jazz idiom have won much acclaim. He has collaborated closely with Alan Plater, writing the music for the acclaimed ‘The Beiderbecke Trilogy’ for YTV, winning a BAFTA Award for ‘Best Original Television Music’ for the ‘Beiderbecke Connection’.

JOHN PARRICELLI began his professional guitar playing career in 1982, and has since worked in various areas of music. He was one of the founder members of Loose Tubes in the 80's, touring and recording three albums. Since then he has pursued a varied career, working with Kenny Wheeler, Andy Sheppard, Iain Ballamy, Norma Winstone, Lee Konitz, Paul Motian, Julian Arguelles, Tim Whitehead, Eddie Parker, WDR Band with Peter Erskine and Vince Mendoza, Mark Lockheart, Martin Speake, Annie Whitehead and Gerard Presencer amongst others. John is currently working with Andy Sheppard, Mark Lockheart's Scratch Band, Norma Winstone/Iain Ballamy Trio, Stan Sulzmann/Kenny Wheeler Trio, Gerard Presencer, Colin Towns Quintet and Mask Orchestra, Martin Speake Quartet and The Eddie Parker Group. Alongside this, John also works in other areas of music, having recorded with M People, Judy Tzuke, Shara Nelson, Mike Oldfield and has played on numerous T.V and feature films for Mike Figgis, George Fenton, Stephen Warbeck, Colin Towns, Trevor Jones, Adrian Johnstone, Gabriel Yared, Dbigniev Preisner, Deborah Mollison, Patrick Doyle, Paul Grabowsky and Rachel Portman.

“The resourceful John Parricelli has the right mix of lightness, rhythm and lyricism" THE TIMES

www.johnparricelli.com

MARTIN FRANCE has played with many of the world's finest musicians. He has performed in all five continents including concerts and tours in over forty countries worldwide. Martin began performing at the age of twelve backing singers in Working Men's clubs with Organ trios in and around Manchester, and in 1983 he began his recording career performing on several records for ECM. A turning point in his early career was his role within the Eighties big band LOOSE TUBES where he began long standing partnerships with many of its members. His association with Django Bates has led to many diverse projects away from the "Jazz" environment they normally occupy with HUMAN CHAIN and DELIGHTFUL PRECIPICE. These include film soundtracks, Jazz theatre, cross cultural collaborations and recording projects involving orchestras such as The London Sinfonietta, BBC Welsh Symphony Orchestra and ASKO Ensemble in Amsterdam. He is also active as a studio musician working on TV and Film soundtracks and is involved in programming and composing for many projects and artists, including his own band, SPIN MARVEL. Along the way Martin has performed and recorded with some of the world's best musicians including David Gilmour, John Taylor, Kenny Wheeler, Ralph Towner, Lee Konitz, Dave Holland, Arild Anderson, Mark Johnson, Steve Swallow, Bob Mintzer and The Yellowjackets, Nils-Petter Molvaer, Bugge Wesseltoft, Mike Gibbs, Maria Schneider, Sidsel Endresen and Maria Joao. He is also a regular performer with NDR Radio Orchestra in Hamburg. In England he has performed and recorded with the very best of his generation and is currently preparing to tour his band SPIN MARVEL in which he plays mostly electronic and sequenced drums.
www.martinfrance.com

Also available as a quintet with special guest, Norma Winstone…

NORMA WINSTONE first attracted attention in the late sixties when she shared the bill at Ronnie Scott's club with Roland Kirk. Although she began her career singing jazz standards, she became involved in the avant-garde movement, exploring the use of the voice in an experimental way and evolving her own wordless approach to improvisation. She has worked extensively with many of the major European names and visiting Americans. In 1971 she was voted top singer in the Melody Maker Jazz Poll and subsequently recorded her own album Edge of Time for Decca.

In the late seventies she joined pianist John Taylor and trumpeter Kenny Wheeler to form the group AZIMUTH, which was described by Richard Williams of The Times as ... " one of the most imaginatively conceived and delicately balanced of all contemporary chamber jazz groups ". AZIMUTH has recorded several albums on the ECM label (the first three of which have been reissued as a CD boxed set). Their CD How It Was Then... Never Again was released in May 1995, and received four stars in Down Beat magazine. Her voice has also become an important part of the sound of Kenny Wheeler's big band, and can be heard in this context on the ECM double CD "Music for Large and Small Ensembles". Her own legendary album "Somewhere Called Home" on the ECM label is widely considered to be a classic. In recent years she has become known as a very fine lyricist, writing words to compositions by Ralph Towner, and Brazilian composers Egberto Gismonti and Ivan Lins (who has recorded her English lyrics to his song 'Vieste'). She has a special affinity with the music of Steve Swallow, and has written lyrics to many of his compositions, most notably 'Ladies in Mercedes', which has become a standard. Her CD "Well Kept Secret", recorded with the legendary American pianist Jimmy Rowles, and featuring George Mraz (bass), Joe La Barbera (drums), was given a four star rating in Down Beat magazine. Here Norma sings a selection of rare jazz standards, including Jimmy's famous tune 'The Peacocks' for which she wrote lyrics, and re-titled 'A Timeless Place'. She has recorded a number of other CDs under her own name. In 2001, she won the title of Best Vocalist in the BBC Jazz Awards. She recently toured England with the group '4 In Perspective' featuring pianist Fred Hersch, trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and percussionist Paul Clarvis which led to a duo recording with Fred, "Songs and Lullabyes" (Sunnyside Label), Norma has also just recorded "Poems and Miniatures", with Italian pianist Glauco Venier and German saxophonist Klaus Gesing. Norma will be appearing at the London Jazz Festival this year and touring with the NDR Big Band with Colin Town’s new Zappa tribute “Hot Licks and Funny Smells”.