Simon Spillett Quartet: 15 February

The Simon Spillett Quartet – with Rob Barron on piano, Alec Dankworth on bass and Clark Tracey on drums – play a fundraising concert for the National Jazz Archive on Saturday 15 February. It will be a tribute to the music of the wonderful British jazz musician Tubby Hayes.

Simon Spillett is a highly respected tenor saxophonist who plays in a wide range of groups, and leads his own quartet. He has researched and written extensively about the great British tenor sax player Tubby Hayes, including a widely praised biography The Long Shadow of the Little Giant. He received the British Jazz Award for Services to British Jazz in 2016.

Rob Barron is a London-based jazz pianist, arranger and composer and has been described as “one of the most creative and versatile musicians of his generation”. His work as a jazz pianist has taken him all over the world and he has played with visiting American artists and in groups led by leading UK artists. He regularly appears with the BBC Big Band and Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra.

A stalwart of the British jazz scene, Alec Dankworth is an award-winning jazz bassist and composer, who, in addition to leading several groups of his own, has worked with many artists, including Van Morrison, Stephane Grappelli, Abdullah Ibrahim, and the Dave Brubeck Quartet. He is known for his energetic stage presence, his versatility of style and for his solos.

Clark Tracey has been at the forefront of British jazz for over 40 years, and has led his own groups since the early 1980s. He has worked with many jazz greats from America as well as most of the UK’s top names and has recorded more than 100 albums, 15 under his own name. He runs a weekly jazz club and an annual festival in Hertfordshire and has received awards for the Best Drums category in the British Jazz Awards on six occasions.

The concert is at Loughton Methodist Church, 260 High Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1RB, and begins at 2.30pm. Tickets cost £17.50 and can be ordered on the wegottickets website.