Our Thursday Jazz Weekly Night welcomes Simon Spillett (ten sax), and the return of John Critchinson (piano), Alec Dankworth (bass) and local drummer Stu Butterfield on 25^th June 2015.

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Our Restaurant will be serving from 6.30pm, so book your table, or sofa!

Band is on at 8pm.  Tickets are available on the door or online at Eventbrite.

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Simon is not only a very fine musician, having won the tenor sax category of the British Jazz Awards in 2011, but is also a renowned student of the music and a jazz journalist in his own right. He makes no secret of his love for the playing of the late Tubby Hayes and
we are all looking forward to his biography of Tubby when it appears.

Spillett began playing gigs aged seventeen with a variety of amateur and semi-professional bands playing mainstream jazz. By the age of 21 he had turned professional, working chiefly in function bands. During the early 2000s he played gigs with saxophonists Peter King and Alan Skidmore, trumpeter Steve Waterman, guitarist John Etheridge and vocalist Tina May.

In 2005 Spillett formed a quartet featuring pianist John Critchinson, bassist Andrew Cleyndert and drummer Martin Drew. The band was a popular attraction at UK jazz venues and festivals including Brecon, Marlborough, Swanage, Birmingham, Wigan, Southport and Wavendon. During this period Spillett also worked with English jazz players including Sir John Dankworth, Alan Barnes, Danny Moss, Stan Tracey, Bobby Wellins, Louis Stewart, Jack Parnell, Gwilym Simcock, Clark Tracey, Tony Kinsey Allan Ganley, Tony Levin and Spike Wells.

In 2007 he joined the Ronnie Scott's Jazz Orchestra, working with the band up to it disbanding in late 2013. With this band he worked with several popular artists including Will Young and Mick Hucknall.

Spillett has appeared with various American jazz artists including vocalist Jon Hendricks, saxophonist Greg Abate, pianist Phil De Greg and vocalist Monica Mancini. His current quartet (2014) features John Critchinson, Alec Dankworth and Clark Tracey.

Tonight he is joined by regular associates the wonderful John Critchinson at the piano and the highly gifted bassist, Alec Dankworth, a member of British Jazz’s “Royal Family.” Stu Butterfield completes the rhythm section