With feet planted firmly in the traditions of Afro-Brazilian music, Caravela’s heart is full of the soaring creativity and fervour that comes with improvised jazz. Weaving impressionistic melodies in Portuguese around vibrant South American and West African-inspired rhythms, their music is sensitive and full of passion, energy and life. 

Like the vessels they take their name from, Caravela are setting out to explore territories unknown. Uncovering music that others have left behind or simply long-forgotten, they’re giving a new voice to beautiful songs that should not remain silent.

Glasgow Indie-Alt Songwriter 

"Epic Cinematic Songwriting" - Tom Robinson, BBC 6Music
“Mack manages to blend sophistication with a knack for penning an effortlessly enjoyable melody, often slipping some social commentary into the lyrics.” - Scotland on Sunday

London based Saxophonist
Jacob.burgess.jb@gmail.com

Samuel is a composer, arranger, musical director and performer from Kent. His musical beginnings were with the piano and drum kit, and subsequently guitar and bass guitar. His performing is mostly within jazz, and he has played at many high-profile venues such as The Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, the Adrian Boult Hall, the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, The Leas Cliff Hall and the Maidstone Television Studios. He has played in orchestras, big bands, jazz combos, duos, rock bands and percussion ensembles, alongside singing in massed, church and chamber choirs and a barbershop quartet. 

He started to compose aged around 10, and his arrangements of several jazz tunes have been played by the award winning Ashford Youth Jazz Orchestra, including an inventive arrangement of 'Take the A Train', featured in a concert with the Aurora Orchestra in 2011. He was commissioned in 2011 to write a short ballet piece for the Kent School's Games Cultural Celebration, 'Not as Nature Intended', and continuing with dance music wrote an electronic work, 'One Man, One Dream', based on Martin Luther King's famous speech, for the Highworth School 2012 Dance Show.

In 2013 he was a founding member of the 8pB Theatre Company in "The Lost Gatsby" at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, for which he wrote the score, performed on stage and played live piano; the group returned in August 2014 with "The Hollywood 10".

2014 also marked the founding of the Purple Summer Theatre Company (and debut as MD) with director Sophie Sweetland; their first project was a 48hr youth production of Spring Awakening, and success continued with #RENT48 in early January 2015. They are currently planning shows for the next year.

In 2014 Samuel was chosen as Composer in Association for the City Chamber Choir, and his first work in collaboration, 'You Will Soar' was performed in London in early May. After the success of the piece, the choir re-commissioned Samuel for a second piece, 'Nunc Dimittis', which was performed to great acclaim at their Christmas Concert.

Samuel's work at Guildhall has led him to work with the Drama department on South Downs/The Browning Version (dir. Wyn Jones)and Twelfth Night  (dir. Mike Alfreds), found and conduct the new GSMDPops Orchestra, and work closely with Principal Study performers on commissioned works, including his 'Little Piece for Trumpets', premiered by trumpet quartet Tetra at the Dartington Festival 2014 and 'Concertante for Dectet', currently in rehearsal for the Philip Jones Memorial Concert.

His choral work 'A Single Blade of Grass' also achieved 1st place in the Jessica Foxley Young Choral Composer Competition, with a performance in Colne, Lancashire - the piece is now in the choir's repertoire. 

Samuel currently lives in London and studies composition and jazz piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Matthew King and Kate Williams.

For commissions, bookings or any other business, please contact Samuel at samuelwilsonmusic@live.com


Double Bassist, Composer and Bandleader (MRT)

Pianist and Vocalist available for bookings.
Email christianprior@icloud.com for enquiries

James is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama where he gained a first-class honours degree in jazz guitar and was the recipient of the prestigious Sheriff’s Prize for achieving the highest overall mark on his course. He began playing guitar at the age of eight and has since become a versatile musician and composer, performing and recording regularly around the UK, currently based in London. 

James' playing encompasses an array of styles including rock, jazz, folk and classical, enabling him to adapt to a wide range of performance situations as well as forming the basis of his work as a composer and arranger. He is a founding member of jazz-rock trio St. Barbe whose debut E.P Shapeless garnered support from Spotify’s editorial playlists and Guitar Magazine, accumulating over two hundred thousand streams. Equally comfortable playing for original projects, functions and theatre productions, he has performed at a number of renowned venues including the Barbican Concert Hall, Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club and The Royal Albert Hall, Elgar Room.

www.instagram.com/jamesmaltbyguitarist

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