NORMA WINSTONE PROJECT
THE MUSIC OF STEVE SWALLOW

Norma Winstone - vocals
Gwilym Simcock - piano and musical arranger
Tim Garland - saxes
Chris Laurence - bass
Ben Davis - cello
Martin France - drums

and

CHAMBER JAZZ

Norma Winstone/ Glauco Venier piano/ Klaus Gesing saxes and clarinet

Chamber Music Dates

World-renowned jazz singer Norma Winstone launches her second album “DISTANCES” with Italian pianist Glauco Venier and German saxophonist Klaus Gesing in March 2008 on the prestigious ECM label. The group will be touring in the autumn of this year to promote the album.

Like the first album (released in Europe on the Universal label), the music is a collection of intriguing and original works, ideal for chamber music settings and festivals.

'In my music there has to be communication. I always try to be part of the group sound, not the singer that has to be accompanied', says the British vocalist Norma Winstone.

Since the birth of the Trio 'Azimuth' Norma has established herself as a star of the international jazz world.

The trio with the German reeds player Klaus Gesing and the Italian born Pianist Glauco Venier plays original compositions of the members of the band, underlined with beautiful words by Norma Winstone. They create a sense of intimacy and chamber music-like intensity, being introspective without loosing the awareness of the 'outside'. The live repertoire of the group includes a number of original tunes and an eclectic mix of popular songs such as “Every Time We Say Goodbye”, “Second Spring”, “Everybody’s talking at Me”, “Here Comes the Flood”.

'What we have in common is our European background, it provides the basis upon which we extend our improvisations, we share similar ideas about the importance of dynamics, that is why we play without drums and bass, it helps us to have more space, to move quicker' says Glauco Venier.

They find their improvisational paths somewhere between baroque counterpoint and New Orleans heterophony, very spontaneous, though always with well-controlled transparency: music that overflows from three sources of inspiration simultaneously, delicately guided by the verses of Norma Winstone. Chamber Music is European jazz at its very best, avoiding the air of 'art' in favour of a more honest and fulfilling listening experience.

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 re-issued 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”.

www.normawinstone.com

GWILYM SIMCOCK (24) is the most outstanding jazz pianist and composer of his generation. Awarded a grant from the Peter Whittingham Foundation he is writing a series of pieces for his first major UK tour as bandleader / composer, which features some of the leading names in British jazz including Norma Winstone, Tim Garland, Stan Sulzmann, Martin France alongide young virtuosos Phil Donkin on bass and The Swallow String Quartet. As a composer, Gwilym has been influenced by Maurice Ravel, Igor Stravinsky, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorius and Frank Zappa. This project will be recorded for Jazz on 3, BBC RADIO 3 in Sept 2005.

Nominee for ‘best newcomer’, BBC Jazz Awards 2005 (results in July), GWILYM SIMCOCK is also an exceptional classical pianist and French horn player. At the age of eleven Gwilym attained the highest marks in the country for his Associated Board Grade 8 exams - on both piano and French horn! Introduced to jazz by Steve Berry (ex-loose tubes) at Chethams School, Manchester he went on to study jazz piano at The Royal Academy of Music, London with teachers John Taylor, Nikki Iles, Nick Weldon and Geoff Keezer. He graduated from the Royal Academy with a first-class honours degree and the coveted 'Principal's Prize' for outstanding achievement.

Gwilym was a member of the winning Perrier Young Jazz Ensemble in 2001, and has played with the BBC Big Band and the National Youth Jazz Orchestra on both French horn and piano. He has performed with Tim Whitehead, Stan Sulzmann, Norma Winstone, Iain Ballamy, Bill Bruford, Julian Arguelles, Pete King and Don Weller, as well as leading his own groups. He toured with Kenny Wheeler on French horn in 2003, and on piano in January 2005 - when his fellow musicians included Dave Holland, Evan Parker, Norma Winstone and Lee Konitz. In May 2005 Gwilym performed to an audience of 800 the premiere of Tim Garland’s piano concerto with the Northern Sinfonia at the Sage, Gateshead. He has also toured extensively throughout the world having played in amongst others Japan, Mexico, Russia, and Scandinavia. Gwilym is currently endorsed by YAMAHA.

TIM GARLAND was the tenor saxophone player in Chick Corea's Origin band, and continues to work with Chick on a regular basis. He recently made his debut on Corea's Stretch Records with the release of his acclaimed CD 'Made By Walking'. Tim also leads his own popular 10-piece Underground Orchestra. Tim studied composition at The Guildhall School of Music, later changing to saxophones. Three years later he joined Ronnie Scott's band for a short period. He has played with Gary Burton, Billy Cobham, John Taylor, Kenny Wheeler, Tommy Smith, Geoff Keezer and Joe Locke. Tim became widely known in Britain for fronting Lammas, a group fusing folk and jazz genres that ran for ten years. He has written many original pieces for Acoustic Triangle and his arrangements of Ravel's Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé are particularly inspired. Tim has won three prizes at the British Jazz Awards - for soloing, band leading and composition, and he teaches at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 2003 Tim was appointed as Composer in Residence and Fellow of the University of Newcastle. In 2004 he performed his own saxophone concerto with the BBC Concert Orchestra in a packed Queen Elizabeth Hall.
www.timgarland.com

CHRIS LAURENCE studied the double bass at the Guildhall School of Music. After receiving his diploma in 1969 he became freelance and has worked in many areas of music, from symphonic and chamber to jazz. Until 1995 he was principle bass with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields orchestra, under the baton of Sir Neville Marriner. His many classical recordings include the soundtrack to the film 'Amadeus' and playing continuo with Barbara Hendricks. He made his first jazz recording in the '60s with Frank Ricotti, and has been a featured artist with such people as J.J. Johnson, Kenny Wheeler, John Surman, John Williams, Norma Winstone, John Taylor and Andy Sheppard. More recently he performed on the soundtrack of the film 'Leaving Las Vegas' with Sting.

BEN DAVIS studied at the Guildhall School of Music and later at the Banff School of Fine Arts with Dave Holland. He has since pursued a varied musical career encompassing classical, world, pop, early & jazz.

Apart from being one of the few improvisers on the intrument, Ben is also a prolific arranger. He recently has written for his string sextet, The Basquiat Strings and for Nois4's latest album 'Gente'.

He has played with Django Bates, Steve Buckley, The Dufay Collective, Hassan Erraji, Kylie Minogue, Evan Parker, The R.S.C., The Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Christine Tobin, Huw Warren, and Jason Yarde.

H e has appeared on records by Claire Martin, Jamiroquai, Ingrid Laubrock, Julia Biel, Patricia Kass, D-Influence and The Ben Davis Group which was featured on Jazz On 3.

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

“Right now, she is at the peak of her form...there is no jazz singer in the country to touch her."
Alyn Shipton, The Times

"Norma Winstone's voice is one of the glories of contemporary jazz"

"Klaus is one of the most gifted young saxophonists I have known."
Dave Liebman (USA)

© Luca D´Agostino