A very special evening celebrating the 15th Anniversary of Guildford Jazz, with a rare all-female quintet featuring saxophonist ALEX CLARKE,finalist at the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2020, winner of the Rising Star category in the 2019 British Jazz Awards and Jazz Newcomer of the Year nominee in the 2021 & 2022 Parliamentary Jazz Awards.
With ANDREA VICARI on piano ("an outstanding pianist and superbly fertile composer". - Penguin Rough Guide to Jazz ), “Goddess of groove” SOPHIE ALLOWAY on drums, and Guildford Jazz founder Marianne Windham on bass. And featuring special guest EMILY WINDHAM on vocals.
Do join us for this very special evening to celebrate 15 years!
Pre gig menu from Keeley’s Kitchen (please see the Event Info tab for the menu)
Please click the tabs for more information
EVENT INFO
The performance is upstairs in Guildford Pavilion, The Sports Ground, Woodbridge Road, Guildford GU1 4RP
Please note there are no physical tickets, just give your name on the door when you arrive. There’ll be seating reserved for you.
Doors open and supper available from 7pm, music 8pm to approx 10pm. Licensed bar. Seating is cabaret style and there is a lift for disabled access.
Pre-gig Menu from Keeley’s Kitchen:
Chilli Beef ( Beef mince cooked with red kidney beans and red peppers in a rich tomato sauce and chilli spices, served with boiled rice and tortilla chips) or
(v) Mixed Bean Chilli (Mixed bean stew cooked in a rich tomato sauce and chilli spices, served with boiled rice and tortilla chips)
TICKETS
Full Price £20* /Guildford Jazz Members £18
Students £10* / Student Members £8
Meals £15.50
*Ticket price includes £2 temporary membership of Guildford Jazz for this event
By purchasing a ticket, you confirm to Guildford Jazz that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by our terms and conditions which are available here
WHO'S PLAYING?
ALEX CLARKE - sax
As a finalist at the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2020, winner of the Rising Star category in the 2019 British Jazz Awards and Jazz Newcomer of the Year nominee in the 2021 & 2022 Parliamentary Jazz Awards, Alex Clarke is one of the most in-demand and versatile young reeds players to have emerged on the British jazz scene. Praised for her extensive repertoire list and intelligent ear for harmony, her sound is steeped in the tradition of bebop and her deep respect for the heritage of the music can be heard in a hard-swinging, melodic approach reminiscent of Scott Hamilton and Lester Young, with strong bop influences of Phil Woods and Cannonball Adderley. She has received rapturous reviews for her first four albums, including winning album of the yar at the 2023 Parliamentary Jazz Awards . Recently chosen to support Gregory Porter’s 13-date UK Tour, Jo has graced some of the world's most prestigious stages worldwide, including The Royal Albert Hall, Newcastle City Hall, Dizzys at Lincoln Center, New York, SF Jazz club, Cheltenham Jazz Festival, and The Glasshouse in her hometown of Gateshead, to name a few.
ANDREA VICARI - piano
Pianist and composer Andrea Vicari was born in Miami (Florida) and grew up in Birmingham (England). Educated at Cardiff University she won a scholarship to study at The Guildhall School of Music in London.
Recent performances have been the 2 piano Steinway jazz festival at the Pizza Express Dean St and the Ipswich Jazz festival with the all female band led by Andrea called the ‘Jazz Ambassadors’ featuring rising star Emma Rawicz on saxophone and vocalist Paola Vera. Andrea has appearanced at Teignmouth jazz festival with ‘The New Jazz Extempore band’ with trumpeter Yazz Ahmed and played at Ronnie Scott’s as part of the Jazz piano trio festival. Performances outside the UK have included China, Croatia, Italy, France, Holland and Bulgaria. Andrea has also played with jazz legends Eddie Harris, Art Farmer and appeared at Glastonbury festival.
A prolific composer, with 7 albums under her own name, she has been commissioned by the Arts Council, Trinity College Publishing, the BBC, ABRSM, Jazz Umbrella, the Peter Whittingham trust, Lyth Arts (Scotland); and completed a setting of the poetry of A.E Housman for the Ludlow festival, released on the CD New Perspectives. Other projects include The Leasowes Bank festival ; ‘Women in Jazz project’ held at the ‘Hideaway Jazz Club’ during the London jazz festival; Scoring the Chet Baker “Speedball” musical and co-composing a new musical 'The Austerity Playbook' – Andrea’s latest work is a musical about the history of Women’s football ‘110%’ - currently in development.
Andrea works at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance as a senior jazz lecturer on the jazz course and is musical director of her own Jazz summer in the Dordogne (Dordogne Jazz Summer School) now in it’s 20th year. Andrea recently gave a masterclass at Chicago University of Illinois and is an ambassador for NYJO. Previous engagements include judging the UNISA (University of South Africa) jazz piano competition and the Nottingham International Jazz piano competition.
EMILY WINDHAM - vocals
A versatile and skilled vocalist with an engaging stage presence, Emily Windham is a singer, actress, and performing coach from London. Initially training as an actor at RADA and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, her career has taken her from international theatre tours, to feature films, to global commercial campaigns- as well gigging and performing across the country. Recent performances include Pizza Express Dean Street, The Concorde Club, Petersfield Jazz Festival, Scarborough Jazz Festival, Wood Street Jazz Festival, and the Guildford Jazz and Soul Festival.
SOPHIE ALLOWAY - drums
Sophie Alloway is in demand on the London jazz scene where she has played with the likes of Jason Rebello, Mornington Lockett, Yazz Ahmed, Laurence Cottle, George Melly, Guthrie Govan, Shez Raja, Vimala Rowe, Geoff Eales, Nigel Price, Tony Allen, Wild Card, Tony Kofi, Jay Rayner, US actor/comedian Jason Kravits, among many others. She played for Prince Charles in Buckingham Palace shortly before he became King.
She has toured with rapper Roots Manuva, pop singer Gala, Blue Note pianist Chihiro Yamanaka, and the Michael Jackson musical ’Thriller’. As a session drummer she has recorded at top studios including Abbey Road, AIR and Angel.
At the rockier end she plays with Paul Stacey (Oasis/The Black Crowes) and John Hogg (Roger Daltrey), and backs soulful singers including Leee John (Imagination), Kenny Thomas and David McAlmont.
For a decade she has been the drummer in original fusion band Lydian Collective, with over six million Spotify streams and more than two million YouTube views. TV credits include Later with Jools Holland, Glastonbury, the MTV Video Music Awards, Mercury Music Prize, a Sky advert, Gareth Malone’s Christmas specials, BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year, and all episodes across two series of Adrian Dunbar’s ITV/PBS drama ‘Ridley’. Sophie’s featured tracks on ‘Abbey Road Masters: The Drum Sessions’ have been used on radio and TV across the world. She played the drums for all the finalists in the BBC Young Jazz Musician 2024. The concert, at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall, was broadcast on BBC TV and BBC radio.
Marianne Windham - bass.
DIRECTIONS
The performance is upstairs in the Pavilion building at the Guildford County Cricket Club, The Sports Ground, Woodbridge Road, Guildford GU1 4RP
For sat navs please check the postcode takes you to Wharf Road. There’s a car park alongside, entry from Wharf Road. If you’re approaching from Guildford town centre, Wharf Road is on the left just before the Sports Ground. If you’re approaching from the A3/Ladymead there’s no right turn into Wharf Road, but continue to the next roundabout to double back.
The car park next to the Pavilion holds about 40 cars (to enable emergency access, cars can only park in the marked bays). Unless it’s very wet, the overflow car park at the far end of the Cricket ground will be open.
To access the overflow car park, turn left as you come out of Wharf Road and carry on along Woodbridge Road towards the railway bridge, and the entrance to the ground is just before the end of the green fence that runs along the perimeter of the ground, next to the Woodbridge Café.
You might prefer to use one of the larger public car parks which are just a few minutes walk away: the open air Mary Road Car Park (GU1 4QU) or multi-storey Bedford Road Car Park (GU1 4SJ)
SEATING
Seating is either in front row settees/armchairs, central round tables, or rear high chairs/tables. Seats will be reserved for you when you book. If you’re a Guildford Jazz member, please let us know if you have a seating preference in on the booking form. Notes on the layout:
Front row: Seats 1 to 5 are sofas or armchairs
Middle tables: Tables 6 to 23 and 32 are small tables , each seating 4 (for bookings of 1 or 2 seats, we’ll seat you at a table with others, please let us know if you have friends coming who you’d like to sit with!).
Rear tables: Tables 24 to 29 are tall tables suitable for 2 people, with high stools.
Groups: Table 31 and 32 are suitable for larger group of 6 or more
High stools : 30 and 34 are single high stools (no table) , suitable for 1 to 3 people