Returning for their second time to Knight's Garden Centre we are pleased to have the talents of Amy Roberts And Richard Exall. 8pm on Thursday 21st March.
Amy Roberts was voted winner of the Rising Star Category in the British Jazz Awards in both 2009 and 2011, coming 2nd in the same category in the 2010 and 2012 awards. In July 2011 Amy graduated with a First Class Honours Degree from the Royal Northern College of Music, where she studied classical saxophone with Rob Buckland and performed with the RNCM Big Band under the direction of Mike Hall. During her final year of study, Amy was awarded the Martyn Edwards Bursary. She was also selected as the only woodwind student to perform in the finals of the RNCM Gold Medal Competition, the highest level competition at the college.
She has been part of the Best of Young Jazz Project in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, as a mentor for young people in the Worcestershire area. She has also been involved in educating young saxophonists in Anglesey during their Summer Residential Course in 2011 and 2012. In January 2011 Amy became the first female musician to join the Big Chris Barber Band and is currently touring with them throughout some of the most highly-regarded concert venues in Europe. She performs with numerous bands including the London Swing Orchestra and exciting new project The Magnificent 7 Jazz Band, featuring musicians from the bands of Kenny Ball, Chris Barber and Acker Bilk. They have just released their new album 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!'.
Richard Exall studied clarinet at the Royal College of Music. Self-taught on saxophone, he formed his own jazz quartet and big band while still at college and quickly became a familiar figure on the London jazz scene,
Want to add a caption to this image? Click the Settings icon.
playing with bands and artists from the National Youth Jazz Orchestra to the Ink Spots. After college Richard juggled a career in the classical and jazz worlds, playing with the London Sinfonietta, London Symphony Orchestra and Glyndebourne Opera amongst others, and finding regular work in the West End. Richard was a founder member of the jazz quintet 'Root Position', which won awards at both the Getxo and Leverkusen international Jazz Festivals and regularly performed at Pizza Express Jazz Club (Dean St), Blackheath Concert Halls and throughout the UK.
In the early 1990s Richard became the saxophone player of choice in the booming latin-jazz scene, touring with Jesus Alemany’s renowned band Cubanismo. He was also a regular musician with Orchestra La Clave, Robin Jones’ King Salsa, Viramundo, Roberto Pla and Tumbaito and worked alongside many of the great names in the latin music world. In the late 1990s Richard became a more regular name amongst the vintage jazz fraternity playing regularly with the Pasadena Roof Orchestra, Harry Strutters Hot Rhythm Orchestra and the Charleston Chasers.