PETE LONG’S “BENNY GOODMAN” QUINTET

Pete Long (clarinet)

Pete is one of the UK's best known jazz musicians and bandleaders. After starting his career in NYJO and on the QE2, he acquired substantial work in the West End. A five-year stint playing and arranging for with Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, saw Pete working with Tom Jones, Norah Jones, Solomon Burke, Dr. John, Lulu, Georgie Fame and Lionel Richie, to name but a few, and producing arrangements for John Cale, Texas, Sir Paul McCartney, Candi Staton, Marti Pellow and Chrissy Hynde.

More recently, Pete’s career has divided into three distinct streams- as an educator, working in master classes and as soloist with young musicians all over Britain, from the furthest point of West Wales to the orchestras at the Royal Academy, The Guildhall and the Royal College. In conjunction with this work, Pete has helped develop a new series of student woodwind instruments with a leading UK Manufacturer. As a jazz soloist, Pete has appeared with resident trios in the provinces, and has often been caught at Ronnie Scott’s, in London’s West End.

It is however, as a bandleader and orchestrator that Pete spends most of his time currently, and directing the Big Band at Ronnie Scott’s alongside his own projects. These include his award-winning repertory orchestra Echoes Of Ellington, whose 2018 album “The Jazz Planets” won the Times “Must Have Jazz CD Of The Year”. Further commissions have involved a re-imagining of Swan Lake in the style of Duke Ellington, and a transcription and re-orchestration of “The Days Of Future Passed” for the Moody Blues. In the course of this work, Pete has provided musicians and arrangements for Claire Sweeney, Jane MacDonald, Humphrey Lytlleton, Sir John Dankworth,and many others.

Anthony Kerr (vibraphone)

For the last 30 years, Anthony Kerr has been at the forefront of jazz vibraphone. A long-serving soloist with the BBC Big Band, Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames as well as his own ensembles, his unique and passionate style has drawn influence from Milt Jackson, Bill Evans, Gary Burton, Bobby Hutcherson and others.

Anthony is also an established and respected jazz educator, having coached ensembles at the Royal Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as well as being professor of Jazz Vibraphone at London’s Royal College of Music - a position which he has held for more than 20 years. His long list of associates reads like a who's who jazz and includes such artists as Charlie Watts, Cleo Laine, Chico Freeman, Pete Long, George Shearing, Guy Barker, Benny Golson and Peter King.

Pete and Anthony are supported by a wonderful trio put together for this gig, namely Terry Seabrook (piano), Bobby Worth (drums) and the Island's own Sandy Suchodolski (double bass).

Kindly sponsored by Janneke Oxley.

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