Michael Janisch presents:
A Tribute To The Saxophone Summit, Past & Present, featuring:
Nigel Hitchcock, Joel Frahm & Alex Garnett
@ the PizzaExpress Jazz Club
21 April 2010

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Michael Janisch biography

Michael Janisch is a prominent newcomer on the international jazz scene, whose talents as both a freelance bassist and bandleader have been described as dynamic, driven, and enthusiastic. A native of the United States currently living in London, he is a relentless performer, whose musicianship and virtuosity on his instruments have made him one of the most in-demand young musicians in the UK and beyond. Described as “always hip,melodic, and bouncey” by The Times of London, Janisch is “a muscular, fluent player with an irresistible pulse and virtuosic soloing technique,” (JazzWise). The Guardian hasdubbed him “one of the UK’s most exciting new improvisers.”

Originally hailing from Wisconsin, Janisch has, at the age of 30, accumulated an
impressive and diverse resume. “A brilliantly imaginative player,” (JazzWise), he has shared the stage with many of jazz’s legends and contemporary visionaries, such as Shirley Horn, Quincy Jones, Dianne Reeves, Hal Crook, Kurt Rosenwinkel, George Garzone, Mark Turner, Joe Lovano, Roy Hargrove, Donny McCaslin, Joel Frahm, Joe Locke, Aaron Goldberg, Vincent Herring, Walter Smith III, Mike Moreno, Will Vinson, Darren Barrett, Kendrick Scott, Ambrose Akinmusire, Jochen Rueckert, Jason Palmer, Patrick Cornelius, Jaleel Shaw, Jeremy Pelt, Warren Wolf, etc. He has appeared at many of the world’s most prestigious venues and festivals, including Carnegie Hall, The Blue Note, The Hollywood Bowl, The Monterey Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz, and The North Sea Jazz Festival.

Since his arrival in London in 2005 (where he now resides), Janisch has worked with many of the UK’s leading internationally renown jazz artists, “adding a little muscle” (JazzReview.com) to the bands of Jason Rebello, Gary Husband, Sir John Dankworth, Jean Toussaint, Phil Robson, Tim Garland, Julian Joseph, Martin Taylor, Tommy Smith, Julian Arguellis, Christine Tobin, Dennis Rollins, Nigel Hitchcock, Martin France, and Gerard Presencer, as well as rising stars Soweto Kinch, Jim Hart, Paul Towndrow, Alex Garnett, Robert Mitchell, and Gwilym Simcock. In addition to his work in the jazz world, Janisch has performed with such diverse stars from Annie Lennox to Kevin Spacey to Cat Stevens, and has appeared on the Michael Parkinson Show, MTV Europe, The Brit Awards, Strictly Come Dancing, and various BBC programs and documentaries.

Moreover, he currently teaches at both the Royal Academy of Music and The Trinity College, two of Europe’s finest institutions of music. But it is Michael’s rapidly blossoming career as a bandleader, however, that has garnered the young bassist the most international attention. He has established a strong reputation as a guiding light for creating world-class collaborations between musicians in the USand the UK. His groups have headlined to sell-out crowds up and down the country, from Ronnie Scott’s in the heart of Soho to the Blue Lamp in Aberdeen, Scotland. In 2008, his critically acclaimed TransAtlantic Collective embarked on an extensive UK tour, performing in over 30 venues across England, Scotland, and Wales, and headlining London’s famous Southbank Centre Purcell Room as one of the London Jazz Festival’s featured acts. His groups perform regularly across Mainland Continental Europe and his native US as well.

In January 2009, Janisch recorded a full program of mainly original music with 9 world-class American and British musicians at the renown Systems Two recording studio in Brooklyn, New York. These musicians are some of the guiding lights of their generation, including tenor saxophonists Walter Smith III and Paul Booth, vibraphonist Jim Hart, guitarists Mike Moreno and Phil Robson, alto saxophonist Patrick Cornelius, trumpeter Jason Palmer, pianist Aaron Goldberg, and drummer Johnathan Blake. Janisch’s debut album“Purpose Built” was released worldwide in mid October followed by a UK tour with (Jason Palmer trumpet, Paul Booth tenor sax, Jim Hart vibes, and Clarence Penn drums).

Nigel Hitchcock biography

Born in Rustington, England on 4th January 1971, Nigel Hitchcock first began to play the recorder at age 6, so as to complete the recorder quartet comprising of his elder brother and two sisters.It was therefore a natural progression to the alto sax at age 8. Following in the footsteps of his brother Clive he took lessons from a local saxophone tutor, Victor Yates, and played in all of the area's big bands, being schooled in everything from Glen Miller to Rob McConald.

At the age of 11, both Nigel and Clive joined the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, a splendid training ground for musicians, who rehearsed every Saturday and performed constantly across the country. After only a year he took the lead alto chair where he remained for 5 years, during which time the band toured with stars such as Vic Damone, Buddy Greco and Al Martino. Through his new found NYJO buddies, Nigel began to play with various other big bands, function bands and jazz combos, as well as studying for his exams at his local comprehensive school!

After leaving school at sixteen, and already a seasoned professional, Nigel walked straight into the London session scene, recording TV jingles, movie sountracks, pop solos and various other library albums, as he still does today.

In 1989 Nigel joined the contemporary saxophone quartet 'Itchy Fingers'. This outfit, with their incredibly taxing compositions, gave him the perfect opportunity to use his photographic memory and display an awesome technical facility, which can be heard on the album 'Itchy Fingers Live'. He toured Europe and South-East Asia with the foursome over an 18 month period, leaving to continue his pop/session career just after receiving 3 jazz awards, the Schlitz award for rising star, the Cleo Laine Personal Award for best young musician, and the Pat Smythe Trust award (voted for by musicians).

Joel Frahm biography

Joel Frahm’s May 1st release, “We Used to Dance”, places him in the company
of master musicians Kenny Barron (piano), Rufus Reid (bass), and Victor
Lewis (drums). Frahm more than holds his own in showing both the chops
and lyricism that has made him an irreplaceable part of so many sessions
in his two decades on the jazz scene.

Surrounded by jazz legends, Frahm makes this recording a true “coming
out party” for his maturing artistry. It is his most ambitious CD to date, featuring
six of his original compositions that come to life in beautiful and variegated
ways in the hands of this remarkable band. “It was an honor and a
watershed experience to make this record with these incredible musicians.”
He says.

Having made a name for himself through his associations with singer Jane
Monheit and boyhood friend, pianist Brad Mehldau, Frahm hones his own
voice on this breakout recording. Frahm has also worked with a vast array of
musical peers and jazz legends including Maynard Ferguson, Betty Carter,
Matt Wilson, Larry Goldings, Dewey Redman, Lee Konitz, Kurt Rosenwinkel,
Andrew Hill, Ben Allison, Pat Martino, Ingrid Jensen, Dena Derose,
The Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Kyle Eastwood and many others.

Born in Racine, WI in 1969, Frahm attended the Mason Gross School for
the Arts and earned his B.A. in Jazz Performance at Manhattan School of
Music. He released three highly regarded CDs on Palmetto: “The Navigator”,
“Don't Explain” (with Mehldau), and “Sorry No Decaf”. “Don’t Explain”, his
latest, was the number one jazz release for radio play in the United States
for two consecutive weeks in 2004, according to jazzweek.com airplay chart
and also reached number one on college radio for one week, according to
College Music Journal’s airplay chart. Frahm was also recently selected in
DownBeat Magazine’s Critics Poll as a Rising Star in the category of tenor
saxophone.