I can't believe that it's a year since Julian came to Knight's Garden Centre in Warlingham. He's back with us on Thursday 20th February . We are delighted to have Pete Morgan on bass and Nick Millward on drums for this concert. Tickets for are available from foottappersjazzclub@hotmail.com
Julian has won the Best Clarinettist category in the 2019 British Jazz Awards. The British Jazz Awards are the longest running awards that recognise talent from the world of Jazz music.
Julian was a child prodigy reed player. He was educated at the Latymer Music School and the London College of Music where he studied Clarinet with Wilf Keeley and Composition with William Lloyd Webber.
Julian made his TV debut with Acker Bilk when he was just 14. The show featured Julian's teenage Dixieland band "Young Jazz" that included the Sidwell brothers on Trumpet & Trombone, Paul Clarvis on Drums, Andy Cleyndert on Bass, Pete Neighbour on Sax and Sam Brown vocals. At 17 he formed a Modern Jazz quintet and toured Europe with Dave Cliff, Nick Weldon, Andy Cleyndert and Mark Taylor.
He has played on concert, club, festival and broadcast dates with his own bands and with:- Peanuts Hucko, Wild Bill Davison, George Chisholm, Kenny Ball, Don Lusher, Kenny Baker, Cleo Laine & Sir John Dankworth. He has recorded with John Parricelli, Digby Fairweather, Danny Moss, Sam Brown, Roy Williams, Jim Mullen, Marc Almond, Tommy Whittle, George Melly, Joe Brown, Chas & Dave, The Grid and the Spice Girls! He has appeared at Wembley Arena with Meatloaf and in Monaco with Tina Turner.
Julian currently leads The Dream Band his own exciting and melodic Latin-influenced jazz funk sextet featuring keyboard virtuoso Neil Angilley, Canadian Guitar star Dominic Ashworth, Bass ace Chris Dodd, stylish vocalist Jacqui Hicks and the dynamic Mike Bradley on Drums. They have recently returned from a successful European tour where they played the first ever jazz concert in Albania.
He is also featured with the Digby Fairweather Half Dozen backing bluesman Paul Jones, and with the Kenny Ball Band. Julian has written over 30 TV jingles and documentary film scores. In Paris he arranged and conducted a big band album for Charles Aznavour. He has produced and performed on many audio books for children through Oxford University Press.
His first album 'Pathfinder' featuring John Parricelli, Dudley Phillips, James Bannerman and Ralph Salmins was distributed by Polygram.
Polygram TV released ‘Beach Samba' a Latin Classics dance album featuring Julian with an 18 piece big band and strings. Merfangle Music have released four albums featuring Julian and The Dream Band - *‘Sundance’ a melodic easy listening album, ‘Blues for the Morning After’ a successful blend of blues, ballads, bebop and Latin jazz, which has had rave reviews. ‘LA Sunset’ a smooth and jazz funk album featuring Julian and The Dream Band aimed at the Californian market and 'A Time for Love' (The Crooner and his Clarinet) his debut vocal album.
Merfangle have also recorded two albums featuring Julian with American clarinet ace Ken Peplowski & The Craig Milverton Trio . A compilation of the best tracks from both albums 'The Best of the Clarinet Maestro's' is currently on the market as is ItsClazzical Volume 1 an album of classic melodies and pulsating latin rythms performed by Julian, the Dream Band and Sonya Slany's Solid Strings. ItsClazzical Volume 1 features a hitherto unrecorded mini-concerto composed and arranged by Sir John Dankworth entitled 'A Lyric Fantasy". Early in 2019 Merfangle wull release a dynamic album featuring Julian, the Dream Band and the superb vocalist Jacqui Hicks recorded live at the Chickenshed Theatre - and later in the year watch out for ItsClazzical Volume 2 !
His next project will be a return to his roots to record a fiery Chicago style album with young British trumpet ace James Davison's Young Dixielanders.
Julian was voted 'Best Clarinettist' at the British Jazz Awards 2006/7. His major influences have been Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Peanuts Hucko, Buddy De Franco, Eddie Daniels, Oscar Peterson - and Delius! Julian’s highly melodic music and unique sound reaches the younger audience while his soul, original writing and phenomenal technique on his instrument excites the jazz aficionados. "The best clarinettest to emerge in British jazz for decades" - Sir John Dankworth.