A real UK Jazz revelation…one of the success stories of UK jazz” – Guardian

Dave Stapleton is a singular talent. In less than ten years since graduating in classical piano from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Stapleton has established himself as a musician, composer and label boss and become an important figure on the UK jazz scene.

Flight marks his eighth release under his own name. It’s his most ambitious album to date featuring the Brodowski String Quartet alongside saxophonist Marius Neset, bassist Dave Kane, drummer Olavi Louhivuori and, of course, Stapleton himself on piano. Already recognised as a writer of beautiful, lyrical tunes, Flight marks a leap forward and establishes him as one of the most ambitious young composers in jazz.

His compositional abilities, continue to gain ever wider acknowledgement. His commission for the Lunar Saxophone Quartet, Catching Sunlight, garnered five star reviews, whilst the Mavron String Quartet premiered Stapleton’s first work for strings in 2009. He has also written scores for animations and short films, including Pellegrina for the S4C (Channel Four Wales) short animation and The Outsider (Best Welsh Film Award at the Cardiff Film Festival), and is the recipient of a number of commissions from the ABRSM Exam board.

But it is the breadth of his ambition that really marks Dave Stapleton out amongst his peers. The Dave Stapleton Quintet (DSQ) combines a muscular intensity with consummate delicacy in performance and their three CD’s to date have been highly praised by critics in Britain and abroad. Two improvised duets, one with saxophonist Deri Roberts and another with fellow pianist Matthew Bourne, have met with similar approval.

If that weren’t enough, Stapleton heads up Edition Records, one of the most innovative and creative companies in the business. Founded in May 2008 with co-director photographer Tim Dickeson, Edition has gone from strength to strength. As well as providing an outlet for emerging talent such as Troyka and Phronesis, Edition have released albums by established artists like Keith Tippett, John Taylor and Neil Yates and promoted stars of the future in Marius Neset and Josh Arcoleo.

He is truly one of the success stories of British jazz. He is a gifted pianist, an exceptional composer, an innovative label boss and a record producer, who brings to the music of others the same care and attention that he lavishes on his own releases. Dave Stapleton is all of these things and much, much more.

“Regular jazz lineups are hard to sustain in the choppy waters of the jazz economy. Worthy successors to head-turning first albums are just as tough a proposition. And running an influential jazz record label is probably harder than both. The Wales-based pianist and composer Dave Stapleton has done all three: an ebullient third album, made for the label he co-founded, by the same powerful quintet he started out with”. GUARDIAN


The Dave Stapleton Quintet (DSQ) combine muscular intensity with consummate delicacy in performance. A strong frontline of trumpeter Jonny Bruce and saxophonist Ben Waghorn is equalled by the magnificently subtle but pulsing rhythm section of bassist Paula Gardiner and drummer Elliott Bennett. With Stapleton moving between Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano, this is hi-energy jazz. Imagine those great Blue Note and Riverside recordings of the early sixties. DSQ have that same ability to excite heart, mind and body. Their journey so far has taken them on several UK tours and appearances at festivals in Budapest, Cannes (Midem), Cork, Zagreb, Belgrade, London, Brecon and Cheltenham.

Stapleton's exquisitely beautiful and highly evocative music coupled with his multi-functional approach to the business of music led to him being accepted onto the second edition of the prestigious Take Five initiative. Sponsored by the Jerwood/PRS Foundation and managed by international music producers Serious, Take Five provides Britain's most talented young jazz musicians with the unique opportunity to take 'time out' to develop their craft.

In Stapleton's case, it has clearly paid dividends already. He continues to develop as a musician, as a composer and as a business man. In 2006, he signed an exclusive worldwide publishing deal with Westbury Music Ltd. Then in June 2008 and 2009, he was nominated for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Composers in recognition of his abilities and potential as a composer.

Always keen to spread his wings, Stapleton has written a number of scores for animations and short films. These include Pellegrina for the S4C (Channel Four Wales) short animation and The Outsider, which won Best Welsh Film Award at the Cardiff Film Festival. And in Spring 2009, the Mavron String Quartet premiered Stapleton's first work for string quartet in Cardiff. But perhaps his finest work to date is the wonderful Catching Sunlight (EDN1005). A glance at the cover with its haunting Stapleton photograph tells you this is something special. It grew from a commission from the Lunar Saxophone Quartet, to which Stapleton added trumpeter Neil Yates and his own rhythm section.

Released to universal acclaim in 2008, Catching Sunlight has been highly praised in the UK, in Ireland, in France, in Russia and received a five star review in German magazine Jazzthetik. The review in the Independent on Sunday described the music as "among the best performances I've heard all year". And the Irish Times noted in its four star review that:

"Dave Stapleton's writing, which is so well conceived that it's sometimes difficult to separate the written from the improvised."

But Piano Magazine gave the work its most detailed analysis and, as its author was keen to point out, saw it as a sign of Stapleton's progress as a writer:

"His compositional building blocks, repeated ostinati, short motifs that shift through registers and keys, and choppy phrasing alternated with smoother melodic or freely improvised sections, remain the basis of his technique, but the structures are tighter and his playing more deftly controlled than on his earlier recordings".

As a musician, there's a strength and virility to his playing, matched by an innate capacity for tenderness and reflection. As a composer, he draws upon a formidable grasp of jazz, classical and world styles, yet transforms these raw materials into something richly personal. His music touches on the language of contemporary classical music and jazz but matches these with powerful riffs, melodic hooks and intriguing and surprising turns of phrase. Whatever he does, Stapleton brings to each project a questing and searching for adventure.

He has recorded improvised duets with both saxophonist Deri Roberts and pianist Matthew Bourne. The Conway Suite (EDN1006) was recorded in Conway Church in Cardiff with Roberts on tenor and soprano and Stapleton on the church organ. Its distinctive blend of jazz, Bach, minimalism and free improvisation brought comparisons with Jan Garbarek's work with the Hilliard Ensemble. If anything, Stapleton's collaboration with Matthew Bourne, Dismantling the Waterfall (EDN1001), again featuring a gorgeous Stapleton photograph on its cover, received an even warmer response. As Jazzwise said, it is "a fine collaboration between two of the UK's most exciting young pianists."

EDITION RECORDS, the label Stapleton founded in 2007 with photographer Tim Dickeson, has gone from strength to strength. Each release to date has been a jewel and both the Guardian, Jazzwise and BBC Radio 3 have paid tribute to its high production values and innovation. To date, as well as Stapleton's own records, EDITION has released albums by the Keith Tippett Tapestry Orchestra - the legendary Live at Le Mans (EDN1009) - and others just as fine by Geoff Eales, Dave Kane, Mark Lockheart and Troyka. Now with distribution in 23 countries worldwide, EDITION plans a further twelve releases in 2010, including records by Tom Cawley's Curios, as well as the launch of the new Limited Edition imprint.

It's been a fine seven years of innovation in music and business from Dave Stapleton since he left the Royal Welsh College. Here's to the next seven!

Discorgraphy:

The Conway Suite Dave Stapleton / Deri Roberts [2005] EDN1006
When Life Was In Black and White DSQ [2005] EDN1007
The House Always Wins DSQ [2007] EDN1008
Dismantling the Waterfall [2009] Dave Stapleton / Matthew Bourne
Catching Sunlight Dave Stapleton [2008] EDN1005
Between the Lines DSQ [2010] EDN1017
Flight [2012] EDN1032

For More Information see:

www.davestapleton.com
www.editionrecords.com
www.myspace.com/davestapletonquintet
www.myspace.com/davestapletonmusic
www.westburymusic.net
www.youtube.com/editionrecords
www.harmoniamundi.com


Described by The New York Times as a “social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinker and multicultural gateway,” composer-pianist VIJAY IYER has carved out a unique path as an influential, prolific, shape-shifting presence in twenty-first-century music. He received a MacArthur Fellowship, a United States Artist Fellowship, and a Grammy nomination.

Louis Landon is a composer and Steinway artist, formerly of New York and a current resident of Sedona, who has dedicated his life to music.  His passion is for Peace.  His career has taken him around the world playing a variety of styles with some of the most recognized names in the entertainment industry: classical music for Mikhail Baryshnikov on national and international tours, Latin music with "Pucho and his Lain Soul Brothers" on national and international tours, pop music with Rupert "Pina Colada Song" Holmes on television and national tours, rock and roll with John Hall, opening for "Little Feat" on national tours.  For the past 27 years, through his production company, Landon Music Company, he has written and produced music for film, video, and commercials, including three ears of "best plays" and bloopers" commercials for the National Basketball Association.  He has released 24 albums/CD's, 17 of which are solo piano, his latest album, Classic Pop Rock Solo Piano  was released on July 1, 2017.

Louis Landon is currently working with three missions: 
1. To create a more loving and peaceful world by writing, recording and performing, music from the heart. 
2. To inspire people to live joyously and passionately. 
3. To awaken and to assist people in healing themselves through music and mentoring. 

Reviews
 "He has a gift for composition that is second to none."  New Age Reporter
 "…for those who like their solo piano music rich and full."   Wind & Wire 
 "… indeed meditative and mellow, [he] sacrifices no musical rigor to achieve those ends. With backgrounds in jazz, Latin music, rock, pop, film composing, and classical piano, "Louis brings his breadth and depth of experience to bear here. His playing and compositions are sensitive as they are complex and… a diverse range of influences is more than apparent."   Keyboard Magazine
“While some pianists are virtuosos in their playing and others may not be as technically proficient but have great emotional content in their music, Louis Landon brings it all together with impeccable style and grace. His work covers diverse compositional terrain, incorporating influences of classical, new age, jazz, pop, and more in a mellifluous spectrum of moods and musical colors.”  Michaeldiamondmusic.com

Awards and Facts
Louis landon's music has had over 90 million plays on Pandora radio! 
unwind charted at #3 of the top 100 cds for the month of February, 2006 on newagereporter.com's website, playing on over 121 stations internationally. 
Peace Revolution! was Louis Landon's 7th CD and 2nd solo piano CD. It was #7 on the NAR top 100 charts and was played on over 50 stations worldwide. 
Solo Piano for Peace was nominated for the 2009 zmr music awards in three categories: album of the year, best instrumental album - piano, and best cover art by Zone Music Reporter Solo Piano for Peace was listed at #30 of the top 100 albums for airplay in 2009 by Zone Music Reporter.
Solo Piano for Love, Peace & Mermaids was nominated for album of the year at Whisperings Radio 2010. 
Healing Hearts - Solo Piano was nominated for album of the year at Whisperings Radio 2015.

Award-winning Scandinavian/British jazz trio Phronesis have the ability to excite, inspire and move people in a way that few bands are able to do. Formed in 2005 by Danish double-bass player Jasper Høiby, their charismatic live performances have prompted the UK’s Jazzwise Magazine to describe them as “one of the most exciting bands on the planet today!” and the trio have toured festivals and jazz clubs worldwide from the USA & Canada to Australia, Brazil, Morocco and across Europe. 

In October 2015 he band recorded their sixth album ‘Parallax’ at the legendary Abbey Road studios in London, which was released on Edition Records on 8th April 2016.

The trio celebrated their tenth anniversary at Sendesaal Frankfurt and the London Jazz Festival in Nov 2015 with a special project for which UK composer/arranger Julian Argüelles created innovative arrangements of the trio’s compositions for performances by the Frankfurt Radio Big Band alongside Phronesis.

Slowly Rolling Camera formed in Cardiff in 2013 and brought together four wildly talented musicians from diverse backgrounds. 

Where the Streets Lead is the new album from Slowly Rolling Camera, following on from their acclaimed 2018 album, Juniper. Colliding the worlds of jazz, trip-hop and cinematic soundscapes, their music blends strong melodies, big grooves and surprising turns of phrase, infused with expansive emotional gravitas. With this album, recorded throughout 2020, the music takes on a greater scale which includes an 8-piece string section and a list of world-class guests including Mark Lockheart, Jasper Høiby, Verneri Pohjola, Chris Potter and Sachal Vasandani, as well as the band’s regular guitarist Stuart McCallum.

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A 21st Century Global Record Label // New Music. New Thinking.

I'm a pianist/composer and have just finished studying an MA in Composition for Film and Television at Bristol Uni from 2014-15.

I started off writing mainly jazz influenced works for my quartet and then began merging some of these ideas with modern production in the genres of hip-hop and dance music. While I still enjoy creating this kind of music, my own compositions are now far more influenced by film and classical composers such as Thomas Newman, James NewtonHoward, Max Richter and Alexandre Desplat.

phronesis is following