Henry Lowther: trumpet
Pete Hurst: tenor sax
Barry Green: piano
Dave Green: bass
Paul Clarvis: drums
Five of the UK’s finest musicians playing tonight again at the Vortex, led by the inimitable composer and trumpet player, Henry Lowther.
Henry Lowther’s STILL WATERS was born of a long association and friendship, going back more than twenty years, between Henry and bassist Dave Green. They both felt that the time was right to play the music of their choice, together with some of the finest jazz musicians working in Britain today. As result STILL WATERS is a highly accomplished, tightly ensembled and creative band combining long experience with youthful exuberance and freshness. The music is varied with original compositions by Henry and other band members, ranging from gentle melodic music reflecting the band’s name, through to dynamic free improvisation, including the occasional jazz standard to acknowledge the tradition. The result is an immediately classic band sound. Still Waters was chosen by the BBC to represent the UK at the 2Oth Umbrian Jazz Festival in Perugia in 1993, where the music was rapturously received by an audience of over 2000.
HENRY LOWTHER
During the sixties Henry was one of the first musicians on the British jazz scene to experiment with total free improvisation, notably with Jack Bruce, Lyn Dobson and John Hiseman. He played with the original and seminal Mike Westbrook band (which included Mike Osborne and John Surman), and also with John Dankworth, including playing on the now legendary and rare Kenny Wheeler album “Windmill Tilter” while also working on occasions on the rock scene with musicians such as Manfred Mann, John Mayall and Keef Hartley, with whom he appeared at the famous Woodstock festival in 1969.
His work on the British jazz scene reads like a “Who’s Who”. He has played regularly with the likes of Gordon Beck, Michael Garrick, Graham Collier, Mike Gibbs, Pete King, Loose Tubes, John Surman, John Taylor, Stan Tracey and Kenny Wheeler.
DAVE GREEN
Born in London in 1942, he started on tea-chest bass in local skiffle groups before buying his first double bass at fifteen. Local gigs followed, often with neighbour Charlie Watts and trumpeter Brian Jones. Turning professional in 1963 he worked with Keith Ingham and with multi instrumentalist Pete Shade. He joined the Don Rendell Quintet in the December, and remained with until 1969, by which time it had become the Don Rendell-Ian Carr Quintet. In the ensuing years he has played with many of the top international and British jazz artists and since 1998, he has led a trio featuring Iain Dixon and Gene Calderazzo.
PAUL CLARVIS
English drummer and percussionist who has played with many different bands and is involved with all musical genres, working with musicians ranging from Leonard Bernstein, Harrison Birtwistle and John Dankworth to Randy Crawford. Paul has recorded albums with Gordon Beck, Bryan Ferry, John Williams, Sam Rivers, Moondog, John Adams, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Marc Ribot, John Zorn, Michel Legrand, Elton John, Richard Thompson, The Orb, Henry Lowther and John Harle, along with Mose Allison, Randy Brecker and Ravi Shankar. He has been the featured percussionist / drummer for most of the London Orchestras and is in great demand on film and recording sessions as a specialist hand drummer.
PETE HURT
Pete Hurt has quietly been part of the London jazz scene for almost four decades and has developed one of the most uniquely distinguishable sounds and styles on both tenor sax and flute. Apart from his great playing he is also recognised as an outstanding and prolific composer and arranger.. Pete’s unique musical contribution is recently featured on Chris Biscoe’s album Profiles Of Mingus.
BARRY GREEN
Barry studied classical and jazz piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and now plays regularly in jazz venues all over the UK,as well as . playing internationally in clubs and festivals all over Europe. He has headlined at the Cork jazz festival with the Charles McPherson Quartet, the Berlin jazz festival with Ingrid Laubrock and in 2014 appeared at the North Sea Jazz festival with the Ian Shaw Quartet. He has extensively toured the UK almost every year from 1998 with, among others, Bobby Wellins, Ian Shaw, Anita Wardell, Martin Speake and most recently the MJQ project (featuring Jim Hart, Steve Brown and Matt Ridley).