Music for You
Summer School 2012
is sponsored by

Jazz Course

Directed by Andy Hague

Sunday 12th – Saturday 18th August

2012 Tutors

Andy Hague - Trumpet
Christian Brewer - Sax
Craig Milverton - Piano
Dave Newton - Piano
Al Swainger - Bass
Kevin Sanders - Bass
Mike Outram - Guitar
Alan Barnes - Sax - Guest Artist

Following a hugely successful 2011 course we are pleased to announce the return of Andy Hague as Musical Director. His enthusiasm and friendly relaxed approach is the key to a hugely successful week. Andy will be joined by jazz pianists Craig Milverton and Dave Newton, who will support musicians of all abilities on their journey to expand their understanding of jazz. We are also pleased to welcome the return of Christian Brewer as Saxophone tutor. The rhythm section will be supported by Mike Outram (Guitar), Al Swainger (Bass), Kevin Sanders (Bass) and Sam Brown (Drums). We are also pleased to announce that saxophonist Alan Barnes will be returning as a guest artist on Wednesday 15th August. He will be performing and giving workshops and masterclasses to course participants.

The word jazz covers a wide spectrum of idioms. Whether you need to be guided through the essential elements or new challenging innovative material for improvisation, this course is for you. The course is open to woodwind players, brass players, rhythm section (keyboard, bass guitar, rhythm guitar and drums).

Staff will be available to guide each student in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Each day culminates with an evening session at the ‘Bar de la Musique’ where smaller groups can jam! The 2012 course will offer tuition to beginner, intermediate and advanced players. Musicians will be placed in groups with others of a similar ability. We will be able to develop your technique, theory, improvisation and performing skills. Our staff will provide the necessary support to make this experience enjoyable and informative. Advanced players can develop technique, improvisation skills with ample opportunities for performing.

Whether you are new to the world of jazz or an experinced player, this course is for you!

Visiting Artists

To add variety to the course we will invite well known artists to present workshops throughout the week. In 2009 world famous Brazilian percussionist Bosco D'Olivera presented an afternoon workshop on Samba. Material was taken from the workshop and performed by the jazz musicians in the Bar de la Musique in the evening. Steve Rubie, owner of the 606 Jazz Club also visited and played in the evening jam session in 2008 and our guest artist in 2010 was the infamous Pete Long, leader of the Ronnie Scotts Big Band. Music for You was delighted to host saxophonist Alan Barnes for the 2011 course. Alan gave a very memorable workshop and masterclass during his time with us and also performed with the musicians in the evening jam session. Alan will be joining the summer school once more for the 2012 jazz course.

Images of visiting artists

Bar de la Musique

The 2009 Jazz Course saw the introduction of the 'Bar de la Musique' which turned out to be a great success. Every afternoon there will be the opportunity to perform with other musicians and prepare for the evening entertainment in the bar area. This is a fantastic opportunity for musicians to experience playing with new people and to enjoy the 'buzz' of playing to a live audience. The Bar de la Musique is run on a voluntary basis so there is no pressure placed on individuals. The week culminates with performances that musicians have prepared with tutors during the week.

A welcome meeting will be held at 1.00pm on Sunday 12th August and rehearsals will commence at 1.30pm. A daily schedule will be given to you on arrival.

Alan Barnes - Guest Artist 2011 & 2012

Alan studied saxophone, woodwinds and arranging at the Leeds College of music from 1977-1980. In 1980 he moved to London, playing with the Midnight Follies Orchestra and the following year was with the Pasadena Roof Orchestra, touring Europe until 1983. In that year he left to join the hard bop band of Tommy Chase where he attracted considerable attention on the UK jazz scene for the first time.

He left Chase in 1986 to co-lead The Jazz Renegades with rock drummer Steve White travelling as far afield as Japan and recording four well received albums. In 1988 Alan was asked to fill the chair recently vacated by Bruce Turner in the Humphrey Lyttleton band where he stayed until 1992. 1987-97 he also found time to lead the Pizza Express Modern Jazz Sextet with Gerard Prescencer and Dave O’Higgins. Since leaving the Lyttleton band, Alan has concentrated on his freelance career.

Alan has enjoyed a prolific career as a sideman, playing and recording for many bands. He broadcast regularly over a ten-year period with the BBC Big Band and Radio Orchestra and has toured and recorded with big band leaders, Dick Walter, Kenny Baker, Bob Wilber, Don Weller, Stan Tracey, Mike Westbrook and John Dankworth. Other bands he has toured and recorded with include the Tina May Trio, Bill LeSage’s Genetically Modified Quintet, Spike Robinson’s Tenor Madness, Clare Teale, and a sextet with Don Weller playing the music of Cannonball Adderley. Alan has also toured the U.K. with Freddie Hubbard. Alan has long associations with pianist David Newton, going back to their college days, and with blistering be-bop trumpeter Bruce Adams, with whom he has co-led a quintet since the early nineties.

Alan has performed as a member of Clark Tracey’s ’Tribute to Art Blakey’ and was featured on the David Newton/Clark Tracey recording Bootleg Eric. He has also appeared as a session musician on albums by Selina Jones, Bjork, Van Morrison, Bryan Ferry, Clare Teal, Jamie Cullum and Westlife and can also be found on film and television soundtracks including ’Chicago’ and jingles such as the Tetley Bitter series of adverts featuring his solo baritone. Alan has appeared regularly as a member of the Laurie Holloway orchestra on television’s Michael Parkinson show and Strictly Come Dancing.

In 1999 Alan toured America and Europe with Bryan Ferry’s band, returning to the U.S.A. in early 2000 to record and tour for ten weeks with Warren Vache’s eleven-piece band- a project for which he had written most of the arrangements. He returned to Kansas City in 2001 to perform as a guest soloist at the Topeka jazz Festival. That November he featured on Baritone and clarinet at the Blue Note Clubs in New York and Tokyo with the Charlie Watts Tentet and followed this with a stay in South Africa as a solo artist.

Over the years Alan has won many British Jazz awards in alto, baritone, clarinet and arranging categories. In 2001 and 2006 Alan received the prestigious BBC Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year award and in November 2003 was made a fellow of the Leeds College of Music.

Andy Hague - Trumpet - Course Director 2007 - 2012

Andy is a prolific composer and arranger - although his own groups feature him on trumpet he also plays drums to an equal extent, and has performed with many big names in this capacity. Key career points include - attended Banff Summer School [1988] with tutors such as Dave Holland & Kenny Wheeler - recorded four broadcasts for the BBC's Jazz Notes programme, and three CD's as band-leader - many appearances as a session musician including the albums by Portishead and their Live in New York video - organised two tours with support from Jazz Services, and appeared at festivals such as Edinburgh, Brecon & Glastonbury - received composition commissions from Bristol Brass Consort, South West Jazz, & Jazz at the Albert - theater work including Blues Brother, Soul Sister [Bristol Old Vic production starring Kwame Kwei Amah & Ruby Turner] & Hold On [national tour starring Peter Straker & Ruby Turner] - played on the soundtrack of the motion picture "A Good Woman" starring Helen Hunt & Scarlett Johannson. Education work - Andy has tutored for Bristol Jazz Workshops for several years, directs a community big-band for Bristol Music Service, and has acted as an external examiner for the Welsh College of Music & Drama.

Jonathan Taylor - Piano Tutor 2010 - 2011

Jonathan began his musical career in Bristol having studied classical piano before developing an obsession with jazz which proved a major distraction from his English Literature degree course. He has worked with many distinguished jazz musicians since such as Iain Ballamy, Andy Sheppard, Pee Wee Ellis and Tim Garland, and performed his own music at jazz festivals around the UK.

These days he is more usually found playing and writing for Tango Siempre, the UK’s leading Argentinean Tango group, and has done since their inception in 1998, recording four albums and playing in every kind of venue imaginable from concert halls in major European cities to tiny village halls on remote Scottish islands. In 2006 he recorded a tango-jazz fusion project with saxophonist Gilad Atzmon and drummer/electronic wizard Steve Arguelles and in 2008 toured with bandoneonist Paolo Russo, writing music combining tango with jazz, electronica and contemporary classical music.

Away from tango he can sometimes be found in the theatre - touring recently with choreographer Matthew Bourne's 'Edward Scissorhands' - giving a solo jazz recital alongside virtuoso jazz pianist Uri Caine or playing funk with ex-James Brown legend Fred Wesley around Europe. He has studied composition with jazz flautist Eddie Parker and recorded an album with him (Being and Becoming), attempted to set up a jazz record label and currently teaches jazz at the Guildhall School in London and is an ABRSM examiner.

Ed Jones - Tenor Sax Tutor 2010 - 2011

Ed Jones began playing saxophone at the age of 15. In 1984 he graduated from Middlesex University with a degree in music, and for a while served an apprenticeship as a street musician. After giging for a few years on the London scene he formed his first group "Ed Jones Quartet" in 1987, recording "The Homecoming" (Acid Jazz, 1989). In 1991 he formed a new quartet featuring pianist Jonathan Gee,and drummer Brian Abrahams This band recorded "Pipers Tales" (ASC, 1995). Since 1995 his main ongoing 'solo' project has been a quintet with which he has recorded ''Out Here" (ASC, 1997), and "Seven Moments" (ASC 2002). He has made musical connections in many countries particularly in Japan where he runs two projects; EJQ (a jazz quartet), and Quasimodo, an electric project featuring the legendary Paul Jackson on bass.

In Scandinavia he has been collaborating for many years with Finnish trumpeter/composer Mika Myllari on a number of projects including the 10 piece ensemble BURN, and the evolving studio project SILK.
His experience as a sideman reflects his diverse interests. Over the past decade he has performed with U.S jazz musicians George Benson, Dianne Reeves, Charles Earland, Horace Silver, Jimmy Witherspoon, Clifford Jarvis and Dr Lonnie Smith and Melba Joyce. In the UK he has appeared with Dick Heckstall-Smith, John Stevens, District Six, Evan Parker, Jason Rebello, Claire Martin, Don Weller, Gary Crosby, Byron Wallen,Tim Richard's Great Spirit, Antonio Forcione, Damon Brown Quintet, Vibraphonic, Monk Liberation Front, Accension Jazz Orchestra, Stekpanna and On the Corner.

As a session musician he has worked with Chaka Khan, D'angelo, Herbie Hancock (Headhunters),Omar, Aswad, Tina Turner, Alison Moyet, Philip Bailey, Bootsy Collins, Mori Kante, Maysa, Terry Callier, and long standing connections to jazz crossover projects such as US3 (1992-) and Incognito (1995-) both with whom he has been a regular band member.

He has also written numerous compositions for film and television, dance and theatre.

Jez Franks – Guitar Tutor 2010 - 2011

Jez Franks took up the guitar age 15 and attended Leeds College of Music acquiring a 1st on the Jazz and Contemporary Music Course, plus the College’s Jazz Guitar Prize. He has played, recorded and toured with a variety of ensembles in jazz, pop and world music including F-ire Collective member Tom Arthurs’ ‘Centripede’, Russell Van den Berg, Asaf Sirkis’ ‘Inner Noise’, ‘Centreline’, Rick Astley, Henry Lowther, Gerard Presencer, Koby Israeilite and Johnny Mayor (Indo-jazz fusion) with recordings for Babel, 33 records and FMR and performances including a live broadcast for Jazz on 3 and tours of Portugal, Poland and Austria. He leads his own quartet-Compassionate Dictatorship, which has just released it’s second album-‘Cash Cows’ on FMR, and has toured the U.K. extensively, to some critical acclaim. He is a Senior Guitar Lecturer at Leeds College and guitar tutor/examiner at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

Pete Long - Guest Artist sponsored by John Packer of Taunton 2009 - 2010

Pete’s career began fairly inauspiciously at the age of 18 deep within the bowels of the Nat West bank in Marble Arch putting bank statements into envelopes. An unfortunate incident involving a picture of a lady and a horse being accidentally sent to the Convent of the Sacred Heart along with their financial records led to a re-think and a few days later, Pete had enrolled at the Royal London College Of Music. After a couple of years of hard study, ruthless self-denial and curry, Pete was out on the road with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, and during his time there, got to play all five saxophone parts, the solo flute part, the bass guitar, and on one rather messy occasion, the fourth trumpet. Having the unusual inclination to play modern jazz on the rather “old-fashioned” clarinet led to several works for clarinet and big band being commissioned during his stay, and established a tradition of clarinet solos in NYJO which has plagued the saxophone section ever since.

Riaan Vosloo - Bass Tutor 2009 - 2011

Having studied at leeds college of music (BAhons) and the Royal academy of music (MA) Riaan became active on the uk music scene working in a freelance capacity as a bassist and composer. Riaan has made many appearances with many well known artists and has a growing portfolio of composition and album credits. On top of his freelance work Riaan currently occupies the Bass chair in Nostalgia 77, examples of twelves,and twelves trio.

Tim Giles – Drum Tutor 2010

Drummer Tim Giles is an award-winning performer and composer. Living in London, he is known for his collaborations with saxophonist James Allsopp and other leading lights of the UK jazz scene.

A musical prodigy, (winning a Telegraph Jazz Award for his childhood prowess), Tim started out backing jazz musicians that visited his home county of Suffolk. Aged twelve, Tim formed his own trio, which was heard by saxophonist Iain Ballamy. This led to Iain asking Tim to play in a Ronnie Scott’s residency as part of the nascent Hungry Ants. Recordings and touring followed, fitting in around the obligatory school calendar. Whilst still in his teens, Tim was performing internationally at events such as the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, and St Louis Jazz Festival, Senegal (providing support for the late Joe Zawinul). He left school at sixteen, and moved to London to be a full-time musician.

After several years successful freelancing, playing with the likes of Stan Sulzmann, Kenny Wheeler and Julian Arguelles, Tim was forced to put performing to one side due to RSI and back problems. This gave Tim the opportunity to focus on his composition whilst studying at the Royal Academy of Music. During this period, Tim met saxophonist James Allsopp. The two musicians connected in their aims to blend improvisation with composed music, and in spring 2005 Allsopp and Giles formed Fraud, co-composing and co-leading the band. Tim used an electronic drumpad to trigger pre-recorded samples, and FX units to process the sounds in real time. The breakthrough gig for Fraud came at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival (voted Best Gig 2006 by Jazzwise magazine), whereafter Fraud recorded their eponymous debut album. This was nominated for “Best Album” at the 2007 BBC Jazz Awards and received the award for “Best New Act” at the 2007 Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Awards. By this point, Tim had (through the study of Alexander Technique) recovered enough to perform both electronics and drums within the band, often simultaneously. In July 2008, Fraud won the BBC Jazz Award for Innovation, with their performance at the award ceremony subsequently broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Since his return to drumming, Tim has enjoyed recording and touring with a number of well-received bands, including The Golden Age of Steam, Neon Quartet, Dog Soup, Dave Manington Quintet, Leverton Fox, and Riaan Vosloo’s Twelves. He has led drumming and jazz workshops across the country, and currently teaches drums at Enfield Grammar School and Middlesex University. He is also training to become a qualified teacher of the Alexander Technique. He lives in Walthamstow, East London with his wife Sara and baby daughter Eleanor.

James Allsopp - Saxophone Tutor 2011

James Allsopp is a multi-instrumentalist and composer whose genre busting quintet ‘Fraud’ exploded on to the Jazz scene in 2005 to instant critical acclaim. Their Cheltenham Jazz festival gig of 2006, as part of the Jerwood Rising Stars programme, was voted one of the gigs of the year by Jazzwise magazine, and they have since gone on to record a special session for BBC Radio 3’s ‘Jazz on 3’ programme and have won both the BBC Jazz Award for Innovation 2008 and the Ronnie Scott Award for best New Act 2007. Fraud’s Debut album received many critical plaudits including being described as ‘the future of improvised music’ by Jazzwise Magazine and ‘what the term cutting edge was meant for’ by the Guardians John Fordham.

As well as Fraud James writes for his new trio ‘The Golden Age of Steam’ which features his Fraud collaborator Tim Giles alongside Hammond organ wunderkind Kit Downes. They performed at this years Cheltenham Jazz festival, continuing the relationship with Jerwood Rising Stars and a recording of their gig is due to be broadcast on ‘Jazz on 3’ in September. They have recently completed a debut album of brand new Allsopp compositions, which further blur the line between contemporary classical music, electronics and the full spectrum of Jazz improvisation from the blues all the way to the extremities of the avant garde. The Album is due for release at the end of 2009 on the Babel Label.

Allsopp’s compositions combine highly complex rhythmic and harmonic structures with a use of unusual sounds and orchestrations to allow for a seemingly infinite range of improvisational possibilities. He favors seamless transitions that blur the lines between compositional rigor and improvisational freedom juxtaposed with abrupt changes in direction and approach. His music has an enormous dynamic range from the thunderous to the whispering, which invites us into a strange dream world whose constantly shifting boundaries defy complacency.

As an improviser James has recently recorded an album of solo saxophone improvisations which explore the territory of spontaneous composition. These pieces fuse James’s complex and highly individual harmonic and rhythmic languages with an exploration of extended techniques and effects. The album is due to be released on the ‘Quartz’ contemporary classical music label in October 2009.

As a sideman James has played in the UK and all over Europe and the U.S.A with many musicians including The Brian Irvine Ensemble (various European tours and the Library of Congress in Washington D.C), Polar Bear (UK and European gigs and a BBC World Service Broadcast), David Axelrod (Royal Featival Hall), Joe Morris, The F-IRE collective Big Band, Richard Fairhurst(Cheltenham Jazz Featival, BBC Jazz Award for best New Work 2003, Jerusalem Jazz Festival 2004), Ingrid Laubrock (Cheltenham Jazz Featival, Kings Place), Paul Dunmall, Dylan Bates, Stan Sultzmann and Graham Collier (Purcell Room, C.B.S.O Centre) amongst others. He has also been a featured soloist with the Ulster Orchestra in ‘His Marvelous Medicine’, a piece by composer Brian Irvine. In May 2006 he performed the world premiere of ‘Shore’, by composer Dave Meric, a piece for dancers, saxophone and choir.

Chritian Brewer - Alto Saxophone Tutor 2011 - 2012

Christian is one of the most lyrical and soulful alto players to have emerged from the UK in recent years. Loved for his melodic playing and pure tone, he has risen to prominence on the British jazz scene. He is now a regular at London's prestigious Ronnie Scotts and both he and his band are in great demand.

His musical roots besides jazz also include funk and groove orientated music. This has lead to commercial work with reggae trombonist Rico Rodriguez, BB Seaton, Push, Paul Weller, Otis Grand and the Ragga Twins amongst many others. This diversity has enriched his musical outlook and is evident in his style of playing and composing, whilst never compromising the authenticity of the jazz.

Christian studied at Leeds and The Guildhall School of Music. However, the defining musical inspiration came from playing alongside Julian Joseph and the Mondesir brothers at Ian Carr's jazz London fusion orchestra. He has gone on to play with some of the finest players Internationally: Chano Dominguez, (premier Spanish jazz flamenco pianist who is taking Europe by storm), Andrea Pozza(Italy), Yutaka Shiina (Japan), Jim Mullen, Damon Brown....

He has performed in Europe's top clubs and festivals. With pianist Chan Dominguez and bass player Francisco Pose, he played in most of Spain's international festivals (1989 – 91) including Seville, Malaga, Granada, Huelva, Jaen and Ceuta (North Africa). The group they formed, œDecoy, also performed in Café Central in Madrid and recorded for television (Jazz Entre Amigos) and radio. In Spain he also collaborated with tenor saxophonists Dave Schnitter (ex Art Blakey), Jorge Pardo (Paco de Lucia ) and Antonio Mesa; and played extensively with guitarist Tito Alcedo.

In the UK Christian has worked extensively with trumpet player Damon Brown, touring England, Scotland and Italy. He has featured on two of Damon's CDs (see below) and performed at Barcelona's Jamboree. Since 2000 he has been leading his own group featuring Leon Greening, Tom Herbert and Sebastian Rochford. His debut CD has won much critical acclaim, both at home and abroad. In 2003 the group performed at the Barcelona Masimas Jazz festival in August, toured the UK and successfully completed their third week at Ronnie Scotts in two years. In November 2003 Christian was invited to play in Macau Jazz Festival (Hong Kong). This lead to an extensive 3 week tour of Portugal in 2004 (alongside English trumpeter Quenton Collins) finishing in the prestigious Hot Club of Lisbon.

Christian formed his quintet featuring the multi talented Jim Hart on vibes, Tristan Mailliot on drums, Phil Donkin on bass and Leon Greening on piano. The group played 2 weeks at Ronnie Scotts during the year and recorded a live CD there, which is due out on the house label. The group toured the UK during 2005; played at Swanage, Scarborough, Villa Real and Lisbon international jazz festivals (Portugal). During the summer of 2005,they recorded their highly acclaimed CD: Seesaw, released on Basho records in May 2006.

Both of Christian's CDs have won acclaim in Europe. In the International Jazz Competition of Granada (Spain) his previous CD (Introducing Christian Brewer) came second in the competition in 2004,and during 2005,the group occupied the runner-up spot again with a special mention.

In May 2006, his quintet, supported by Jazz Services, underwent an extensive 25 date tour of the UK. During 2006/2007 Christian has joined guitarist Carl Orr's (ex Billy Cobbham) group Dangerfunk, featuring Dave de Rose on drums and Neville Malcolm on bass. In January 2008, Christian formed a quintet with Trumpet player Damon Brown, Sebastian de Krom on drums, Leon Greening on piano and Oli Hayhurst on bass. The quintet toured Northern Spain performing in Barcelona, Terrassa and Castellon.

In 2008-2009 Christian has formed quintets with leading tenor saxophonists Renato D'aiello and Alex Garnett and performed at Dourro (Portugal) and Teignmouth Jazz festival.

In 2010 he performed with the Andrea Pozza European Quintet in Ancona, Spezia, Turin and Roma and is due to tour the UK with his European quartet featuring Andrea Pozza, Shane Forbes and Tom Farmer. They recorded a new CD with 33 Records in October, and plan a release tour in 2011. Christian endorses Aizen mouthpieces and System 54 saxophones.

Christian currently teaches saxophone at Tiffin school for boys in Kingston.

Craig Milverton - Piano Tutor 2012

Craig was born in Bexley, Kent and took piano lessons from the ages of 7-12, but has no formal jazz training. Craig's main influences are Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans and his jazz interest was spawned by his fathers record collection, initially the Boogie Woogie pianists and then Oscar and Ella. Craig began performing in public as young as 10 years of age, but it was not until he was 21 that he turned professional. He moved to Devon in 1985 and began gigging with local rock 'n' roll and jazz funk groups. From 1987 to 1991, he toured regularly across the UK and Europe, including 3 Cork Jazz Festival appearances with R'n'B group Junkyard Angels.

As well as being involved with Digby Fairweather's projects, he has many of his own groups. His latest show 'A Tribute To Oscar Peterson' with his Quartet paying homage to Craig's greatest inspiration (CD' Live At The Lights'). 'ZZ Bop', a more contemporary Quartet featuring American Bassist Tom Hill (CD 'Josies Bosie'). 'Organsolar' a Hammond based Quartet featuring Top Tenor man, Ian Ellis (CD 'Live At Hayne Barton'), and the Dale/Milverton Quartet with Plymouth based Tough Tenor man, Martin Dale (CD 'From Hand To Mouth'). He is accompanist to the late Humphrey Lyttleton's favourite vocalist, Louise Parker and they have a new show together named 'When Oscar met Billie' paying homage to jazz great's Oscar Peterson and Billie Holiday.

Craig was voted Jazz Pianist of the Year 2012 at the British Jazz Awards and is very much in demand as a solo pianist, with his virtuoso ability and comprehensive knowledge of the entire jazz spectrum. He is much sought after as a skilled accompanist to such star vocalists as Stacey Kent and Tina May. His trios are regularly required to back visiting American soloists at festivals and venues across the country including Scott Hamilton, Ken Peplowski and Warren Vache. Few British pianists have Craigs' thorough knowledge and grasp of jazz styles. His love of the music shines through and he is a natural at whatever he plays.

Sam Brown - Drum Tutor 2012

Sam Brown is a professional Drummer based in the UK. After graduating with a degree in Commercial Arranging from Berklee College of Music in the USA, he has toured, gigged and recorded with artists from Imelda May to Gilad Atzmon and from Georgie Fame to Alan Price and Zoot Money. TV work has included working with Bruce Forsyth, Jimmy Tarbuck and Kenny Lynch and he is currently working on the second album from presenter Nicky Campbell. He has performed all over the world from Helsinki to Dubai and from village halls to Buckingham Palace. He is widely recognized as one of the leading speciallists in hypnosis techniques specifically for musicians and his iPhone App 'Musicians Hypnosis' recently reached the top 5 in the iTunes Music App 'What's Hot' list. His second iPhone App 'Drum Secrets' is possibly the best drum tutorial app in the App Store. He is currently learning Mandarin and the Chromatic Harmonica - both of which are winning.

Visit his website >>

Al Swainger - Bass Tutor 2012

Al Swainger is a freelance professional bass player based in Devon. Working throughout the UK, with literally thousands of gig hours under his belt on both electric and upright bass, Al's impeccable time and musicianship make him a highly sought after asset in any context.

Having started musical life on piano and cornet at the tender age of six Al always knew that he was going to play music for a living. Despite careers fairs only offering teaching, or a life in the military, as viable options for musicians Al has been delighted to find that it's possible to do what you love and earn a living at the same time.

Although Al is now primarily highly regarded as a very versatile jazz player his interests and experience range across the board through pit work in musicals, summer seasons, touring productions, studio session work and a variety of pop, rock, soul & funk bands. Al currently works regularly as part of the Craig Milverton Trio (Craig was voted top jazz pianist at the British Jazz Awards 2010), A Tribute to Oscar Peterson (with Craig Milverton, Dominic Ashworth & Nick Millward), soul/pop/disco band Mother Popcorn, Digby Fairweather's Half Dozen (voted best small group at the British Jazz Awards 2010), Ian Bateman's Kick Ass Brass & the Louise Parker Quartet.

Alongside his successful performing career Al has been teaching bass, keyboard skills and general musicianship for nearly 20 years and is currently engaged by Exeter College and the South West Music School for tuition.

Kev Sanders - Bass Tutor 2012

Kevin has been playing electric and double bass professionally now for over twenty five years. In that time he has clocked up over four thousand gigs and hundreds of sessions. He has gigged and recorded with some of the finest musicians and soloists in the world... and some of the worst! But for every job he's ever done, he has always strived to attain the best possible feel and sound.

Although he still maintain a busy gigging schedule, ("cut back" to just a few hundred a year!) more recently Kevin has started giving time over to writing (for Bass Guitar magazine), arranging and musical education. As well as taking on a few private students for instrumental and theory lessons, he is Head of Bass studies for The Academy of Music and Sound - a group of eight academies, linked to universities around the UK which offer practical musical education for the student who aspires to be a working musician. As well as having written and developed the two year Btec Bass course, and the degree course, Kevin visits all the colleges several times each year to give masterclasses and he always takes time to talk to the bass students and their teachers on the course so that he can take their views into consideration and improve the course where possible. With the completion of the Btec and degree course, and the gradual expansion of the Academy to 12 centres, his long term plan is to develop full time high quality musical education for the working bassist.

Dave Newton - Piano Tutor 2012

Newton's recording career began in 1985 with Buddy De Franco and Martin Taylor and his first solo album was released in '88 in association with producer Elliot Meadow who oversaw the next nine years of recording for Linn Records followed by Candid Records. Once again, in 1997, David Newton and Alan Barnes teamed up and together with Concorde Label agent Barry Hatcher, made four CDs for that label. By 2003, Newton had learned a great deal of the ways a record company operated and he set up a business partnership with former pupil Mike Daymond and they established "Brightnewday Records" initially as a vehicle for Newton's own music but with an eye to opening up the catalogue to other artists later on.

In the first five years of the nineties, Newton's reputation as an exquisite accompanist for a singer, spread rather rapidly and by '95 he was regularly working with Carol Kidd, Marion Montgomery, Tina May, Annie Ross, Claire Martin and of course Stacey Kent, with whom he spent the next ten years recording and travelling all over the world. While all this was going on, Newton was composing music which he would record on his own CDs as well as writing specifically for Martin Taylor, Alan Barnes, Tina May or Claire Martin and Newton's music can now be heard on many television productions, especially in the United States where over twenty TV movies benefit from Newton's haunting themes. In 2003, after a twenty year gap, David Newton was reunited with playwright Alan Aykbourn having been involved with eight world premiers in Scarborough and London back in the early eighties, and he was asked to write the music for two new productions, 'Sugar Daddies' and 'Drowning on Dry Land'. Currently, with the release of a new CD called "Portrait of a Woman" on the 'Brightnewday' label, David Newton is relishing the musical freedom of his Trio and the special sound it makes whilst working on two other new recording projects, as an arranger and a composer.

David Newton has been voted best Jazz Pianist in the British Jazz Awards 2009 for the ninth time and was made a Fellow of Leeds College of Music in 2003.

Mike Outram - Jazz Guitar Tutor 2012

Mike Outram is one of the UK's foremost guitarists who is sought after as an improviser and for his ability to contribute a unique voice to any musical ensemble. He has toured internationally, appeared on over a hundred CDs for Universal, Sony, Candid, Blue Note records and others, and was awarded Granada Jazz Festival's 'Best Group in Europe' award.

He has a vast experience of working in varied, challenging and interesting settings. Some highlights include: international concerts with Chick Corea saxophonist Tim Garland; recording for Steven Wilson on his Insurgentes album alongside Jordan Rudess, Tony Levin and Gavin Harrison; playing classical guitar with string quartet to film at the Sao Paulo Film Festival, Brazil; recording with Danish drummer and composer Sebastiaan Cornellisen and John McLaughlin bassist Hadrian Feraud; a televised Prom from The Royal Albert Hall with The Aurora Orchestra, a 200-piece children's choir and the cast of the TV show Horrible Histories; coaching and recording with Vanessa Redgrave for the upcoming film 'Song for Marion'; recording Laura Rossi's film soundtrack to 'The Firm'; playing swanee whistle in a tribute to Clangers creator Oliver Postgate; playing on Theo Travis's ambient/progressive rock album with Robert Fripp and subsequent UK tour; a European tour with soul-funk legend Carleen Anderson; a completely improvised recording with bass-player Steve Lawson; concerts in South Africa with Herbie Mann; sessions with Photek and the Cinematic Orchestra, producing a comedy geek-metal band - The Banzai Buddy Band; a tour of Japan with TALC; performances and workshops all over the UK with Children's Poet Laureate Michael Rosen and The Homemade Orchestra, and recording Harvey Brough's large-scale work 'Requiem' with Clare College Choir.

He works regularly in these UK based ensembles: Martin Speake Group, which explores contemporary jazz, Indian carnatic-influenced music and free improvised music; Asaf Sirkis' Messiaen-meets-Prog group; Issie Barratt's contemporary Big Band; Pop/country singer-songwriter Rebecca Hollweg; The Tony Woods Project, Gareth Lockrane, Dylan Howe, Tim Whitehead, Karen Street, Jacqui Dankworth, Dave O'Higgins, London Horns.

In addition to performing, Mike is a professor at Trinity College of Music and has taught at The Royal Academy of Music, Middlesex University, London College of Music, The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, The Purcell School, and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He is on the faculty for the Jamey Aebersold Summer School in the UK, and has directed group workshops on improvisation, performance and composition, as well as numerous guitar-specific workshops and clinics internationally. He also penned a monthly tuition column in Guitarist Magazine for 3 years.

'World-class'
The Guardian

'There is no musician with such complete control of the sounds coming out of a guitar. Mike Outram plays the sweetest wailing rock guitar in Britain. It's a sound of great beauty.'
Seb Scotney, London Jazz