This Friday 11th at Doug’s Bar Brighton Blue Note, Hove actually we have a jazz quartet with Rob Leake on sax, Mez Clough on drums, Steve Thompson on Bass and myself on guitar. The bar is a great little underground jazz joint and has been going from strength to strength since it opened some months ago. We’ve had a different band each week starting at 11pm and we now have Wayne McConell’s Brighton Jazz School bands playing from 8pm. This week we have special guest drummer Mez Clough. Mez has worked extensively in London as a freelance drummer and session musician and regularly performs at the Capital’s top music venues including: Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Pizza Express Jazz, 100 Club, The Southbank Centre,Boisdale, as well as many prestigious Jazz & Blues Festivals Worldwide including Wayne Hemmingway’s Vintage UK , Americana UK, Pori Jazz Festival, Oslo Jazz Festival and Las Vegas USA.
He also has experience in London’s West End Theatre-Land (Blood Brothers at the Phoenix Theatre). Mez is a BMus(Hons) graduate of Trinity College of Music London where he studied Drum Kit & Percussion with During this time he joined the National Youth Jazz Orchestra with whom he toured the UK.
He has worked with many of the UK’s finest blues, jazz and pop artists including: Jason Rebello, Sumudu, Ray Gelato, James Hunter, Big Boy Bloater, Neil Cowley and Richard Sadler, Kai’s Kats, The Sentinels of Rhythm, Si Cranstoun, TJ Johnson, The Filthy Six and the Extraordinaires. Mez has written & produced a solo album under the name ‘Von Kleet’www.myspace.com/vonkleet , singing and playing all the instruments himself. Well received by Radio the album has been playlisted on BBC London (Gary Crowley), BBC 6 Music (Tom Robinson) and XFM.
We have the great Steve Thompson on bass. Steve recently did a really interesting interview on the Brighton Jazz School podcasts. Check out this podcast here where Steve goes into depth about his thoughts on the role of the jazz bassist.
The front line man is Rob Leake on tenor sax. Rob Leake grew up in the North-East and began gigging in and around Newcastle after leaving school. In 1995 he left to go to college at Leeds College of Music. The next 3 years provided a great period of study and playing that ultimately lead to a move to London. Here, Rob landed gigs with Polar Bear, Oreille and extensive work on the salsa scene. The influence of this period was formative. A visit to Hastings brought him into contact with the legendary saxophonist Trevor Watts. Following extensive rehearsals and study with Trevor, Rob toured Europe and the USA with the Celebration Band: a continuation of’ Moire Music’ featuring 4 saxophones and a heavy ‘World music’ component.
Rob is now based in Hastings and enjoys a varied life of playing, teaching and family. Rob’s music is firmly rooted in jazz, but reflects his passion for ‘World’ influences such as Latin and Funk. Rob’s debut album, ’Present Time’, was finished in 2010 and is all of the above. It features Liane Carroll, Pete Wareham, James McMillan, Terry Pack, Nick Peck and Jim Whyte. Currently, I am part of The Paul Busby Big Band, The Hastings Horns, Chacon y su Timba among others.
I’ll be playing on guitar, so yes we’ll be kicking off 11pm til very late. Entrance is under the Greenhouse effect, just follow the graffiti Manhattan Skyline and Jazz players down the steps. You’ll be able to hear the Jazz oozing out as you amble down Church Rd. See you there! Brighton Blue Note, 63 Church Rd, Hove.
