Chris Hodgkins Quartet
In 2005, Chris Hodgkins Trio featuring Alison Rayner on double bass and Max Brittain on guitar, released Present Continuous and Future Continuous followed a year later. In 2008 the Chris Hodgkins Quartet featuring Alison Rayner on bass, Max Brittain on guitar and Dianne McLoughlin on alto sax released an album based on Boswellâs London Journal, co-composed by Chris Hodgkins and Eddie Harvey and arranged by Eddie Harvey.
The Chris Hodgkins Jazz Quartet album, Boswellâs London Journal, garnered critical praise and scooping the Evening Standardâs prestigious Jazz CD of the Week slot. Boswellâs London Journal is inspired by the daily diary kept by James Boswell, best known as the biographer of Dr Samuel Johnson, between 1762 and 1763. The album perfectly captures this account of a very different London to today, as seen through the eyes of the 22 year old Scot, and offers an emotionally charged landscape that amply illustrates the human condition: from the low and the vulgar to profound conversations with Samuel Johnson, the real-life incidents in the London Journal offered the composers a wealth of rich material for the albumâs suite of 15 original tunes.
Alison Rayner toured the world in the 80s with the critically acclaimed Latin-jazz group the Guest Stars. She has worked on the London jazz scene for over 20 years since then, playing with such jazz luminaries as guitar legend Tal Farlow and New York jazz poet Jayne Cortez. She performs and records regularly with the Deirdre Cartwright Group, Chris Hodgkins Quartet, US based singer/songwriter Zoe Lewis and many others, also co-running Blow the Fuse Jazz Club. She was awarded a Jazz Services Recording Subsidy Award 2014 for her quintet ARQ with a CD release and touring planned for next year.
Max Brittainâs inventive and sensitive guitar playing has accompanied a diverse range of musical greats including the late Humphrey Lyttelton, Ronnie Scott, Cleo Laine, Georgie Fame, Herb Ellis, Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessell, and Marion Montgomery, as well as the National Symphony Orchestra. In 1990 he was invited to establish the electric guitar faculty at Eton College, and is now senior visiting teacher of this department.
Diane McLoughlin is well known on the London jazz scene as a saxophone player and composer. After studying jazz performance and composition at the Guildhall School of Music, she wrote for, and directed, her own 17-piece jazz orchestra Giant Steppes. In addition to this, Diane led the quirky Diâs New Outfit, which blended improvised music with European cabaret styles. She also composed for her own contemporary jazz quartet, co-created Zdravets with piano and accordion player Kim Burton, and the Boogie Wonderland Big Band. At present she is writing for and playing in her own jazz ensembles
Chris Hodgkins and His Band
Chris Hodgkins and His Band have been described as a mature mainstream band drawing its inspiration from the 50ÂŽs but with up-to-date arrangements, original tunes, ideas and influences. The line-up: Max Brittain (guitar), Mike Nash (trombone), Diane McLoughlin, (saxes), Alison Rayner (double bass) Cheryl Alleyne (drums) and Chris Hodgkins (trumpet).
Chris, Mike, Max and John have worked together for over 30 years and are joined by Alison Rayner on bass and Cheryl Alleyne on drums.
Cheryl Alleyne studied jazz and classical music at the College of Arts & Technology in Newcastle upon Tyne. On returning to London she worked with Loose Tubes, The Jazz Warriors, The Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra and toured the world extensively with hip-hop/rap group Us3
Cheryl won places to study music in the United States at Berklee College of Music, The Manhattan School of Music and the New School of Jazz and although unsuccessful in finding funding to take up any of those positions, she went on to live, teach and play music in the USA and was also the show band drummer for 9 months on the Renaissance Eight and Golden Princess cruise liners, which travelled to South America and the Bahamas respectively. More recently Cheryl worked with the Courtney Pine Quartet at the Mermaid Theatre in a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of âDesert Island Discsâ with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Cheryl is a SONOR and SABIAN endorsee.
Max Brittainâs inventive and sensitive guitar playing has accompanied a diverse range of musical greats including the late Humphrey Lyttelton, Ronnie Scott, Cleo Laine, Georgie Fame, Herb Ellis, Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessell, and Marion Montgomery, as well as the National Symphony Orchestra. In 1990 he was invited to establish the electric guitar faculty at Eton College, and is now senior visiting teacher of this department.
Mike Nash first worked with the Ralph Watmough Band that accompanied Jimmy Rushing on his Northern dates in 1957 then went on to work with Bob Wallis, Ed Corre Band, Alan Wickhamâs Confederates, the Freddie Randall Band and Alan Elsdonâs band and many bands since. A versatile musician from jazz ensembles to brass ensembles.
Diane McLoughlin is well known on the London jazz scene as a saxophone player and composer. After studying jazz performance and composition at the Guildhall School of Music, she wrote for, and directed, her own 17-piece jazz orchestra Giant Steppes. In addition to this, Diane led the quirky Diâs New Outfit, which blended improvised music with European cabaret styles. She also composed for her own contemporary jazz quartet, co-created Zdravets with piano and accordion player Kim Burton, and the Boogie Wonderland Big Band. At present she is writing for and playing in her own jazz ensembles
Chris Hodgkins and Dave Price
Dave Price lives in Wales, UK, overlooking the Golden Valley and the Black Mountains. His passionate interest in jazz has given him the opportunity to accompany numerous international jazz celebrities as diverse as Art Farmer, Nat Adderley, Kenny Wheeler, Tubby Hayes , Ronnie Scott, Peanuts Hucko, Digby Fairweather, Bobby Wellin s, Kai Winding, and George Melly, to name a few.
Erika Lyons was selected for the BBC Masterclass series with Ray Brown. This was followed by two years living in New York where Erika studies with Buster Williams, Rufus Reid and Hal Galper. Erika had a residency at the Surf Maid in Bleeker Street and played in other New York clubs including The Blue Note and the Jazz Forum where Erika worked with top names such as Walter Bishop, Steve Grossman, Eliot Zigmund and Betty Barney. On Erikaâs return to England she spent 6 years working on the London and European Jazz Scene recording, broadcasting and performing with top British and International musicians. Festival appearances have included Cascais, New York, Brecon, Cheltenham, Bracknell, Isle of Man, Birmingham, Bridgenorth and Ealing.
Ashley John Long is an award winning double bassist and composer.As a double bassist, Ashley is fast becoming recognised as one of the most unique exponents of his instrument in Europe. Since graduating from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2008, he has maintained a busy and varied freelance career splitting his time between Classical, Jazz and session work. He has performed with some of the worldâs leading orchestras and Jazz musicians and broadcast on radio and television worldwide.
He has performed with leading Jazz musicians such as Keith Tippett, Art Themen, Bob Mintzer, Geoff Eales, Dave Jones, Tina May, Damon Brown Simon Spillett, Hans Koller, Craig Millverton and Bobby Wellins.
He has written music for a wide range of situations including for film and television and his recent works in the classical world have been highly acclaimed for their highly original and inventive writing including Flux (2006); which won him a publishing contract at the age of 19, and Hevelspending (2010) for the Lunar Saxophone Quartet, Songs of the Night (2007) for Joel Garthwaite, Frames (2008) for Dave Danford and XAS (2008) for himself and Louis-Michel Marion.