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 GIG-8
Reprise
Mick Foster Quartet
Baritone Saxophonist
Fine technique and
rich sonorous tone and sensitive delivery with an interesting after blow on a phrase
- reminiscent of Ben Webster.
This Concert took place on Wed 15th February 2006
with an audience of 93 but we need more of your support if we are to re-book
these fine musicians.
 Mick plays and composes for his own band, "The Mick Foster Group" who have
appeared at many venues including London’s Vortex jazz club and Blackheath
Halls. Their debut CD "Changing Fortunes" was released on Black Box Music in
2000 and they have toured the UK supported by Jazz Services. In addition to
composing for his band, Mick has written pieces for the London Jazz Orchestra
and has composed a Saxophone Quartet.
Their debut CD 'Changing
Fortunes' was released on the Black Box label in May 2000. Mick also plays
Clarinet, Sopranino Sax, Soprano
Sax, Alto Sax, and Tenor Sax.
The tone
colours produced by this six piece band are consistently stimulating"
Dave Gelly, The Observer
 Mick Foster-
Bandleader,
Composer, Teacher, Arranger
Originally from Harrogate, North Yorkshire,
studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He has since worked
extensively in the fields of jazz, commercial and classical music as a freelance
saxophonist. He is a member of the Stan Sulzmann Big Band; the Michael
Garrick Big Band which was recently featured on the BBC’s Jazz Brittania
concert at the Barbican Hall, London; The London Jazz Orchestra, which has
in recent years worked with Billy Cobham and Norma Winstone,
Frank Griffith’s Nonet and the Back To Basie Orchestra. He has also
worked with John Dankworth’s Generation Band and was a member of the
Syd Lawrence Orchestra. Mick is active as a session musician and regularly
deputises in London’s West End productions..
Ensembles include NYJO, Contemporary Dance Theatre, Pete Cater Big Band.
Mick is a member of the acclaimed saxophone quartet
"Quartz"; tours include Scotland and Ireland and the quartet has appeared at
many festivals and venues which include St Johns Smith Square and London’s
Purcell Room. Their CD "Faces" is on the Black Box label. Mick is active in the field of musical education; in
addition to running workshops he teaches saxophone and musicianship at Trinity
College of Music, London, and has been invited as a guest lecturer to the
Guildhall School of Music, London.
Reviews
"A very impressive record...this intelligent and well-crafted set of tunes
should hold no fears for anyone even remotely in touch with modern improvised
music: in fact it will be enjoyed by many who would normally rule themselves out
from such a definition. Good music should be like that."
Keith Shadwick, Jazzwise
"Without doubt there is infinite capacity in some of our
‘home-grown’ musicians and this album is a true reflection of the best of
contemporary music."
Jack Ashby, Jazz CD reviews.com
 Eddie
the Editor -
Mick's Quartet gave a very slick delivery of both Standards and Original
compositions to demonstrate their prodigious talent assembled on the Stage.
The sonorous yet sensitive Baritone voice was refreshing as a lead instrument
and reminded us of the great exponents such as Harry Carney and Gerry Mulligan
to whom Mick paid Homage as the inventor of Cool jazz. The audience were
suitably enthralled and CD sales of Mick's latest album were brisk indeed - we
thank him and his fellow Musicians for maintaining such a high standard for our
modest fees.
Concert Programme - First set -
Opening Number - MP3 615Kb
Straight no Chaser -
Thelonious Sphere Monk - fine
crisp drumming from Simon on an opening number
Deep Secret - original by Mick Foster
Weaver of Dreams - Victor Young - homage to Julian 'Cannonball'
Adderley and John Coltrane
Sea Change - displaying his prowess on Alto sax
I'll Remember April - Don Raye,
Gene DePaul & Pat Johnson
Feverish - original by Mick Foster
Second Set
Well You Needn't - Thelonious
Sphere Monk
Moon Glimpses - Foster Original
Intimate Strangers - Foster Original again using his Soprano
Sax Voicing
East of the Sun (and West of the Moon) - Brookes Bowman
Where the Rain Falls - Foster Original
Bernie's Tune - Bernie Miller
Composition for Gerry Mulligan with a James Pearson 'Vibes' solo on this
Keyboard
Caravan - Ellington and Tizol - nice little romp to finish
as an encore
Mick
Foster Quartet
The
Mick Foster Group
James
Pearson - Piano, Gavin Scott - Bass, Simon Pearson - Drums,
James Pearson
- Piano: Born
in 1970, James Pearson ( recently spearheading singer Jacqui Dankworth’s band; he also appeared with his own trio at Ronnie Scott's) is a
Guildhall School of Music graduate, conversant with both classical and jazz
repertoire. He has played with the Halle, BBC Concert and BBC Welsh National
Orchestras as well as playing and arranging for the BBC Big Band.
Although inspired by many of the twentieth century’s jazz-piano greats,
Pearson’s playing is distinctive and original enough to have drawn the following
praise from Sir John Dankworth: ‘An exceptionally gifted artist … his masterful
playing and imaginative work as a composer and arranger combine to make him head
and shoulders above the rest of his contemporaries. I believe he shows signs of
true greatness in the making.’
Pearson’s Diving Duck album The Best Things in Life, featuring Matthew
Skelton on drums and Jeremy Brown on bass, elicited the following comments from
Dave Gelly in the Observer: ‘The kind of jazz piano album anyone can enjoy.’
James is also a musical director and arranger
for artists such as Ian Shaw & Sir John Dankworth.
 Gavin
Scott - Bass
Gavin studied on a scholarship
at the prestigious
Berklee College of Music
in Boston MA, and became the first recipient of the Quincy Jones Award
for Musicianship in 1992. He has performed with artists as diverse as Billy
Eckstine, The Trammps and Björn Again, with several Top of the Pops
appearances, including Take That, Alex Party and Perfecto Allstarz. He has
toured Europe and the USA, performing at many major festivals, opening for
James Brown at V'98 and playing to a crowd of 100,000 at Belfast's Millenium
celebrations.
Simon Pearson - Drums
Bandleader, Composer, Teacher
Having studied at Leeds College of Music and the
Guildhall in London, Simon has become one of the most in-demand drummers on the
London jazz and pop scene. Whether playing with pop groups Goya Dress and
Spiritualised, contemporary composers Errolyn Wallen, Steve Martland and Jody
Talbot or many jazz artists including Trevor Watts, he tempers a phenomenal
technique with discrimination and a discerning musical approach. His expert drumming keeps them
- together. Simon also works with the
Steve Martland Band.
 
Mick Foster
Website Page
Recordings - Changing Fortunes - Black Box Label
Tracks:
Another Journey, Deep Secret, Nocturne,
Changing Fortunes, Feverish, When Your Face Came Rising, Waltz For A Lovely
Wife, Intimate Strangers, Broken Promise, Where The Rain Falls
Listen to Extracts
Hi Eddie, Just to say
THANKS for a great gig last night!
We really enjoyed it, much more than anticipated, 4 great musicians,
also Mick's own compositions were superb!
Thanks again for bringing good jazz to the area....well worth the drive for us.
Regards, Julian.
Hi Eddie
It was a great gig and a real find for me.
Well worth the drive from Buckingham. I drove down to the Barbican on Monday
night to see Brad Mehldau, paid £25 x 2 and enjoyed it less.
Congratulations.
Regards
Andrew
Eddie
My chums were very impressed with the event. Even my wife had grabbed a
couple of women from her office to come to the do last evening.
Long may this continue.
Most impressed with the line up last night, especially keyboard, bass &
drums. Mick Foster is obviously a very creative chap.
Tim
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