Beats & Pieces Big Band are a British big band who are directed by conductor and composer Ben Cottrell, and based in Manchester. [1] [2] In 2014 they won Jazz Ensemble of the Year at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards. [3]
As of 2024 [update] the band's touring lineup consists of: [4]
John Taylor was a British jazz pianist, born in Manchester, England, who occasionally performed on the organ and the synthesizer. In his obituary, The Guardian described him as "one of the great jazz pianists and composers of his generation" and at a musical level comparable to Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner and Brad Meldhau.
Liane Carroll is an English vocalist, pianist and keyboardist.
The Vortex Jazz Club is a music venue in London. It was founded by David Mossman in 1988.
Jeffrey Lawrence Williams is an American jazz drummer, composer, and educator.
Mark Lockheart is a British jazz tenor saxophonist who was a member of the Loose Tubes big band during the 1980s.
The Parliamentary Jazz Awards in the United Kingdom are organised by the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group (APPJAG) at the Houses of Parliament in London. The group consists of over a hundred members drawn from across the UK political parties. The awards were the brainchild Bob Blizzard, a long-time enthusiast of the jazz genre who was concerned that there was a lack of national recognition for the work of jazz performers and venues across the UK. Blizzard was involved with organising and running the awards for 11 years. Also supporting the awards are Jazz Services, Jazz UK, Jazzwise, the UK Musicians' Union jazz section, and PPL.
Universal Syncopations is an album by Czech jazz bassist Miroslav Vitouš recorded between 2002–2003 and released on ECM later that year.
Phronesis is a jazz trio, formed in 2005 by Danish bass player Jasper Høiby. The piano trio is completed by British pianist Ivo Neame and Swedish drummer Anton Eger. Phronesis have been described by Jazzwise magazine as "the most exciting and imaginative piano trio since e.s.t. - Esbjörn Svensson Trio". In 2017 the band was awarded Jazz Ensemble of the Year in the APPJAG Parliamentary Jazz Awards.
Andre Canniere is an American trumpet player and composer. He is based in London, England, where he's lived since 2008. Canniere has toured throughout the United States and Europe, performing at Carnegie Hall, Birdland, the London Jazz Festival, the Hague Jazz Festival and the Rochester International Jazz Festival, among others.
Rob Luft is an English jazz guitarist and composer from London, United Kingdom. He has released three albums, Riser, Life Is The Dancer & Dahab Days, as a solo artist on British label Edition Records. His playing has also been documented on several albums released by the legendary German jazz label ECM Records, most notably on John Surman's critically acclaimed 2024 release Words Unspoken.
Moses Boyd is a British jazz drummer, composer, record producer, bandleader and radio host. His debut solo studio album Dark Matter (2020) was nominated for the 2020 Mercury Prize.
For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver is a studio album by American jazz bassist Christian McBride together with his big band. Mack Avenue Records released the album on September 25, 2020. This is the third release for McBride's big band; the band received Grammy Awards for its first two albums: The Good Feeling (2011) and Bringin' It (2017). The album also produced two singles: "Don Is" and "Medgar Evers Blues".
Tone Poem is the third full-length album by Charles Lloyd & the Marvels. The album was released on 12 March 2021 on Blue Note Records. The nine tracks include new Lloyd originals along with pieces by Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk, Leonard Cohen, Gabor Szabo, and Bola de Nieve.
Drifting is the second studio album by Norwegian saxophonist and composer Mette Henriette, released on ECM Records on January 20, 2023.
Dee Byrne is a British saxophonist, composer and improviser working in contemporary jazz, avant-garde and free improvisation. She lives in London.
Loz Speyer is a trumpet and flugelhorn player, composer and bandleader. His free jazz quintet Inner Space, and his fusion of Cuban music and jazz 6-piece Time Zone, have both been running since 2002.
Nat Birchall is a British saxophonist, composer, and bandleader of the Nat Birchall Quartet and Nat Birchall Sextet. He lives in Derbyshire in the north of England.
Michael Fletcher is a British woodwind multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and researcher who works in the fields of jazz and improvised music.
Nick Walters is a British trumpeter, composer and band leader. He produces music under his own name and is bandleader of Paradox Ensemble. Walters is also a member of Beats & Pieces Big Band, and Ruby Rushton.