Friday 31st August 8:00 PM

JAZZ - Geoff Simkins & Mike Outram with The Nikki Iles Trio

Friday 31st August at 8.00pm

(pre-show supper at 7:00pm)

GEOFF  SIMKINS with MIKE  OUTRAM

and The  NIKKI  ILES Trio

Tickets £17 (£32 including pre-show supper) can be booked on 01460 54973

Here's a quintet chock full of top talent.  Geoff was here early last year with Dave O'Higgins and he greatly impressed us with his fluently lyrical alto playing.  Nikki has never been to Ilminster which is something for which we have no sensible explanation.  She always features in the UK awards and got the top vote last year, so we are delighted to welcome her here with bassist Dave Green and drummer Steve Brown. Mike, also a newcomer to us, teaches at the Royal Academy and Guildhall music schools, and has a reputation as one of the top favourites among UK guitarists. 
They will be playing a mixed programme of mainstream/modern jazz of the style best suited to our regular Meeting House audience.

Geoff Simkins has been playing jazz since his early teens originally as a drummer but quickly switching to Alto Saxophone. As a professional musician since 1977, he has played at concerts, clubs and festivals in all parts of the U.K. and has worked abroad extensively in Europe, Scandinavia, West Africa, Bahrein, Dubai, and the Far East. Recordings include albums with his own quartet, two L.P's with Danny Moss (which were voted among the top records of the year by Jazz Journal), albums with Billy Butterfield and Yank Lawson, and most recently with Dave Cliff including the much praised C.D's 'The Music of Tadd Dameron' released in 1997 and the marvellous duo and quartet recording of the previous year - 'Sipping at Bells '.

Geoff has appeared many times on B.B.C. Radio's Jazz Club and Jazz Parade and was the subject of a television documentary made by T.V.S. Geoff leads his own quartet featuring Nikki Iles, Simon Woolf and Martin France, works as often as possible with Dave Cliff in a variety of settings from duo to quintet, and is increasingly in demand as a guest at jazz clubs and festivals throughout the U.K. He often works with American musicians who are visiting this country and over the years has played with such luminaries as Art Farmer, Bobby Shew, Al Cohn, Tal Farlow, Slide Hampton, Warren Vache, Al Grey, Kenny Davern, Bill Berry, Al Casey, Howard Alden, Ruby Braff, Bill Coleman and Conte Candoli. Geoff is a respected teacher and as well as running a very successful improvisation course at Sussex University, he is a regular tutor at the famous Glamorgan Summer School. In 1994 he was invited to be a tutor at the Czech Jazz Summer School and appeared at clubs in Prague and on Czech Television. Geoff has also been involved in many of the Jazz In Education projects which have brought live music to schools throughout the South and Midlands.

Over the last few years, Bedfordshire born Nikki Iles has progressed into the front rank of British jazz musicians. From a musical family, she first became aware of jazz through her father's record collection, and began playing the harmonica and clarinet at her primary school. At eleven she won a Junior Exhibitioner's Scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, studying piano and clarinet, and was soon a member of the Bedfordshire Youth Jazz Orchestra. It was at this time that the piano took over as Nikki's principal instrument.
During this period her involvement with jazz was deepening, prompting the decision to study at The Leeds College of Music between 1981-84 and eventually she settled in Yorkshire before finally moving back to London in September 1998.
The first platform for her own composing was the group Emanon, led by trumpeter Richard Iles, which also included the guitarist Mike Walker and saxophonist Iain Dixon. The meeting of these kindred spirits at this time was extremely significant for all of them. In addition to Emanon, they were all members of the Creative Jazz Orchestra, working with Vince Mendoza, Anthony Braxton, Mike Gibbs, Kenny Wheeler and Mark Anthony Turnage. Nikki also began playing with several London based bands including the Steve Arguelles group, Mick Hutton's Straight Face, Stan Sulzmann's Quartet and Tina May. Throughout this time up north Nikki also maintained an important musical relationship with the bass-player Steve Berry which beginning as a trio with Sheffield drummer, Pete Fairclough.
In 1996, Nikki won the John Dankworth Special Award at the BT British Jazz Awards and that same year recorded a duo CD, Treasure Trove, with Stan Sulzmann. A year later, she recorded a duo CD with Tina May, Change of Sky, and a CD with Martin Speake, The Tan Tien. These CDs were the beginning of three important ongoing musical relationships. Many nominations followed , four for the prestigious Paul Hamlyn Composition Award ,  two nominations for the Best Ensemble (The Printmakers)  and over the last six years has been voted in the top five for the Jazz Piano category of the British Jazz Awards coming first last year.
Astonishingly, Nikki's busy performance schedule has not prevented her from developing a parallel career as a widely respected teacher and she has acted as a tutor at numerous workshops and summer schools around the world whilst maintaining active links with The Royal Academy of Music and Middlesex University. Her tireless education work was recognised through her nominations at the 2007 and 2009 Parliamentary Jazz Awards for Services to Jazz education.

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.
He has a vast experience of working in varied, challenging and interesting settings. Some highlights include: 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'; 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; 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 the Academy. He has also taught at 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.