John Tchicai Trio

Thursday September 30 8.30 p.m. (doors open 8.00)

John Tchicai is a jazz legend! Not only did he play with many of the great names of the 60s and 70s in that super-fertile NYC avant-garde jazz scene, at the grand old age of 74 he's still around; playing and performing as brilliantly as ever!

The track record is genuinely awesome: he performed alongside John Coltrane, Don Cherry, Archie Shepp, Albert Ayler, Lee Konitz, and Cecil Taylor amongst many others. He's even performed with John Lennon and Yoko Ono in New York. In the 4 years following his move to that city in 1962, he recorded on 11 albums including "Mohawk", and "Ascension" with John Coltrane, "New York Eye and Ear Control" with Albert Ayler, and co-founded two ensembles: New York Contemporary Five and the New York Art Quartet which was a harbinger of collective musical approaches and philosophies that leading avant-garde groups would develop in the 70s.

By approaching jazz in the broadest possible way, John Tchicai has been continuously innovative throughout his life. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1936, of a Danish mother and a Congolese father, he became a leading exponent of the jazz avant-garde in New York in the '60s and a father-figure for the European avant-garde after that. Now based in Davis , California , and near Perpignan in France , his work is driven by a single-mindedness of purpose and action and still reflects what he's always been doing: being innovatative, and inspiring other musicians through his superb playing and composing.

In 1966, Downbeat stated that John "stands out among the jazz avant-garde, musically and personally". Since then, official recognition has grown steadily for John. He was the first jazz-musician to receive a three year-composing stipend from the Danish Ministry of Culture in 1977, then in 1990, he received a lifetime-grant from this Ministry.

John Tchicai is touring with what is probably the most experienced and versatile rhythm section in the UK.

Tony Marsh is a long time member of the London Improvising scene; a master drummer playing drum kit and percussion with technique, touch and a compositional sense that allows time and no-time to exist side by side. This year Tony has played with: Evan Parker; Peter Brotzman; John Butcher; Paul Dunmall; Elliot Sharp; The London Improvisers Orchestra and The People's Band.

Bassist John Edwards has always been involved with a wide diversity of musical styles and situations. At home with both composed and improvised music, he is one of the busiest musicians on the scene. Probably best known for his work with Evan Parker, John Butcher, Peter Brotzmann, Sonny Murray etc, Edwards has been in groups such as God and B-shops for the Poor, while at present he continues to collaborate with electro-acoustic composer John Wall, Spring Heel Jack, FunDaMental, and play in groups with Louis Moholo, Lol Coxhill, Mulatu Astatke, Ingrid Laubrock and Charles Hayward, to name a but a few. John Edwards features on over 100 recordings, and his solo CD "Volume" on Evan Parker's PSI label has received much critical acclaim.

"... sax's great Dane, whose decidedly Cool, archly lyrical and ultimately enigmatic playing suggests the secretive smile of someone who knows something strange but good..." Richard C.Walls, The Boston Phoenix

"... a veteran woodwind adventurer into musical outer space; his music exudes freedom..." Philip Elwood, San Francisco Examiner

".. loping, soul-tinged jazz.." Marc Weidenbaum, Sacramento News & Review

"...a forceful presence: his deep, inquisitive tone sounds wonderful, stately and reserved, while his mates swirl madly around him.... Tchicai is flying high and cool over the rhythm section's prancing and tumbling capers..." Jerome Wilson, Cadence

".. silver-tongued ferocity, a stunning ability to express himself and a compelling sense of drama and dynamics... many people who find progressive music difficult and hard to appreciate would have delighted in this.." Gamall Awad, California Jazz Now