Benin City believe that dance is a form of protest.  Joshua Idehen, Tom Leaper and Shanaz Dorsett make dance-pop birthed in London, where they met, flavoured with their many influences (from Stromae to Sylvan Esso to Christine And The Queens).  

Their second album, Last Night (Moshi Moshi), was an ode to the city's declining nightlife and the many stories that take place on the dancefloor.  With support from the likes of Huw Stephens (BBC), John Kennedy (Radio X) and Tom Robinson, and a European support tour with Portugal. The Man under their belt, the Band acquired a diverse following of club-goers, indie lovers and pop fans alike. 

Setting topics like Windrush ('Hostiles’), identity ('What A Time') and cultural appropriation ('Get Your Own') against energetic beats, the trio steps into the new decade with new music that is as poignant as it is celebratory.

Beverley Beirne - Jazz Singer, I sing around the country and sometimes abroad, where any lovely people will have me with some very fine musicians and fabulous people who come to see me!  

From a young age, London-based guitar player/tutor Laurence Bryar was always determined to do what he loved. At one key point, it turned out that his main love was music.

That love was realised when a young Laurence watched American guitar player/singer-songwriter Jack White’s band, The Raconteurs, playing live on television. He was instantly mesmerised by the band’s incredibly exciting sound. The very next day, his father brought him their album “Consolers of the Lonely”.

That day was the day Laurence Bryar the musician was born.

Although he started out listening and playing the powerful rock music of band such as The White Stripes and Radiohead, Laurence’s musical taste is very eclectic. He enjoys listening and playing many kinds of music, from the soulful R&B-pop of Alicia Keys to the modern country of Brad Paisley (and nearly everything else in between). This is partly why he plays many different styles, such as rock, soul, funk and pop.

After deciding the guitar would be his instrument of choice, Laurence determinately set about to work on his guitar playing. With the help of his musical family and various teachers, his playing ability improved very quickly.

After playing in various bands in secondary school, Laurence studied a diploma course in music at the prestigious Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP) in Kilburn, London. While studying he joined a number of bands, playing venues all across London.

Laurence continued studying at the ICMP, starting his on-going course, the BMus (Hons) Degree, in September of 2012. 

Since then, Laurence has been a very busy and in-demand guitar player, whether he’s performing live, recording in the studio or teaching guitar lessons. 

His current work includes playing with playing with soul-pop singer-songwriter Mushana and R&B-pop singer-songwriter Georgia Barry. Most recently, Laurence has also started playing with country-pop singer-songwriter Jeannine Barry.

Laurence has played gigs supporting many great artists including American singer-songwriter Ben Taylor (son of world famous singer-songwriter James Taylor).

Dedication, reliability and versatility have always been part of Laurence’s work. 

For whatever kind of guitar playing in whatever genre you’re looking for, Laurence Bryar is defiantly the man for the job.


Pete Lee: Piano & Keyboards
Tom Varrall: Guitar
Huw Foster: Electric Bass
Ali Thynne: Drums 

& Guest Soloist Josh Arcoleo: Sax

Royal Academy of Music graduate Pete Lee leads his new band Narcissus, combining contemporary jazz with pop precision.

“My music for Narcissus aims to combine the things I love the most about pop and jazz: relentless groove & memorable melodies, dark harmonies, odd time signatures and interactive improvisations.” Pete, in his interview with Jazz Yorkshire.

Apparent from the name Narcissus, and the composition titles, the music is themed around psycho-analysis, mental awareness & human behavior. The band’s sound is striking, fiery and unapologetic, full of contrapuntal grooves, cascading piano runs, overdriven guitar, expressive bass fills and quantised hi-hat 16ths, all delivered with self-assurance.
The band members met whilst playing in 9-piece funk outfit The White Keys. Pete admired the precision, economy and the sense of conviction in their playing, qualities that Narcissus brings to a jazz context.
The band debuted in May 2012 at The Vortex Jazz Club, marking the final recital of Pete’s Masters degree from the Royal Academy of Music. Since then, Narcissus has recorded its eponymous debut EP and has produced a live video of Pete’s composition “Writer’s Block”. The buzz generated by the release of the media resulted in a feature on Jazz FM, and an interview for Jazz Yorkshire.
Narcissus is currently booking dates around the UK to support the release of its debut EP. Previous gigs include “Sela bar” Leeds, “Under The Bridge” Chelsea & “The Slaughtered Lamb” London, as part of a monthly cross-arts showcase hosted by Platform33. In anticipation of this gig, Seb Scotney posted a preview in LondonJazzNews.

American viola and viola d’amore player Clifton Harrison has performed as a chamber musician, recitalist, and in orchestras throughout Europe, the United States, Central America, and Asia. He is the viola player in the acclaimed Kreutzer Quartet with whom he has recorded extensively. As a member of the quartet Clifton has been artist-in-residence at Goldsmiths, Southampton, and Bath Spa University with close ties to the Royal Northern College of Music and the University of Oxford.

Parallel to his quartet duties, Clifton regularly gives masterclasses, workshops, and lectures worldwide.  An avid freelance viola player, Clifton has worked with many UK ensembles including the London Symphony Orchestra, London Contemporary Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra, Chineke! Orchestra, London Chamber Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Rambert Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, and most of London’s period performance ensembles. Clifton also records regularly for film and television. He has toured worldwide with countless classical ensembles as well as performed with popular artists as wide ranging as Björk, Jeff Lynne’s ELO, David Rodigan & the Outlook Orchestra, and Mumford & Sons.  Clifton has been heard in festivals throughout the world, from the muddy fields of Glastonbury to the EFG London Jazz Festival, Ghent Festival, Lincoln Center Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, and London’s BBC Proms.

As a researcher, Clifton focuses on two distinct areas:  Seventeenth and eighteenth century viola d’amore music from the Germanic region, and Black and Minority Ethnic classical and contemporary composers/sound artists.

Clifton is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, America'‘s top boarding school for the arts. This was followed by studies at the Juilliard School with Dorothy Delay (violin) and Karen Tuttle (viola) and at the Royal Academy of Music with Yuko Inoue (modern viola) and Jane Rogers (baroque viola).

Recent releases are on the Hyperion, Universal Music, Sony, NAXOS, Warner Music, Navona Records, NMC Records, Métier, and Signum Classics labels. 

(Kindly use the form on the contact page at www.cliftonharrison.co to request an updated biography for concerts and promotions.)

The Pythagoras Ensemble was founded in 2011 and is already developing a reputation for diverse and innovative programming in performances throughout the UK and Europe.

Our intention is to explore the extremes of a diversified concert experience where the lines between genre-classification become blurred.

The Ensemble is a collective of musicians who each bring extensive experience in musical styles from Early Music to Jazz, Latin American, Contemporary, Classical, and Rock.
 
Our musicians perform all over the world as soloists, chamber musicians and with some of London’s leading orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Britten Sinfonia. They work regularly with successful Chamber Music and Early Music ensembles, in Jazz Clubs and in the recording studio. 

The Pythagoras Ensemble varies in size according to the instrumental demands of the repertoire. This allows for flexibility of programming for large or small-scale works.

Our aim is to challenge the senses and to inspire our audiences to think outside the box, redefining expectations of the traditional Classical concert.  

Clifton Harrison | Artistic Director

A lifetime of experiences with various musical genres, showmanship and studio work serve as a backdrop for Steve's relatively recent entry onto the DJing scene. His eclectic taste in music extends beyond the mainstream and infuses his mixes with soaring vocals,  subtle beats and complex harmonies. His friendly manner encourages the audience to help shape their experience.
Ray combines the professionalism honed while in the studio working with the like of local producers Adam K and Soha with an unbridled enthusiasm for his art. Ray first began developing his style in 2009 as one of the regular weekend DJs at Remington’s. In November 2009, his talents were showcased during Mr. Leatherman Toronto’s KLUB night at The Barn.
Ray’s sets are best classified as Deep Progressive House Electro, but he continuously pushes the boundaries through the use of lesser known remixes and unexpected track combinations. This serves to engage his audience and make them willing and enthusiastic participants on the musical journey.
He invites you to join him on that journey. For a preview and additional information, please go to 

www.soundcloud.com/dj-steve-austin
www.babulous.com/djsteveaustin
www.myspace.com/darw1nband



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