Bull's Head Live presents:
The Simon Spillett Quartet
Simon Spillett + Liam Dunachie + Simon Thorpe + Pete Cater
Entry Requirements: Under 18s to be accompanied by an appropriate adult
Simon Spillett Quartet Celebrate the Music of Tubby Hayes
IMPORTANT NOTICE: In compliance with current government guidelines and our licence. As a condition of entry, guests are required to provide their NHS COVID Pass or equivalent proof of vaccination or testing. This includes proof of a negative LFT reported to the NHS test and trace facility. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us on 020 8876 5421
A timely celebration of the ultimate British jazz legend, Tubby Hayes, a musician with strong ties to The Bull's Head having played at the iconic venue many, many times during the 1960's and early 70's.
To celebrate Tubby's music, award winning tenor saxophonist Simon Spillett has assembled an all-star ensemble comprising some of the finest musicians on the contemporary UK jazz scene; pianist Liam Dunachie, bassist Simon Thorpe, and drummer Peter Cater.
Among the featured music will be Haye's own compositions and arrangements from iconic albums like 'Mexican Green' , 'Change of Setting', and 'Tubbs in N.Y.' along with other standards and ballads from the great man's songbook.
Doors will be open at 20:00, the act will start at 20:30 and continue into the evening with an interval
Line Up
Simon Spillett
Tenor Saxophone
Over his twenty-five year career Simon Spillett has worn almost as many hats as it's possible to wear within jazz; multi-award-winning instrumentalist (BBC Jazz Awards, British Jazz Awards, Jazz Journal's Album of The Year), quartet and big band leader, recording artist, author, historian, record producer, archivist, magazine columnist, Social Media commentator and latterly blogger.
However, for all these varied skills he identifies most strongly as a powerfully swinging, straight-ahead tenor saxophonist, one capable of taking the audiences who hear him on a roller-coaster ride encompassing everything from energetic bebop to heartfelt balladry.
And it’s in this guise that he’s become a solid fixture on the UK jazz landscape, regularly playing sold-out gigs at major festivals (Birmingham, Brecon, Swanage, Southport etc.) and world famous club venues (Ronnie Scott’s).
A charismatic performer, gifted with a dry observational wit, he’s never lost sight of the fact that jazz is entertainment as much as self-expression and whether playing, writing or articulately holding forth on his favourite subject – UK jazz history – he’s an infectiously passionate communicator.
Liam Dunachie
Piano
Originally from Shropshire, he began his musical training as a treble chorister in Hereford Cathedral Choir and later studied music at Trinity College, Cambridge where he was a choral scholar in its world renowned choir under Stephen Layton. At Cambridge he studied composition with Robin Holloway and Richard Marlow and co-directed the Cambridge University Jazz Orchestra.
After graduating from Cambridge, Liam won a scholarship to study jazz piano and arranging at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama where he studied with Malcolm Edmonstone, Nikki Iles and Scott Stroman among others. He has since gone on to play piano and Hammond organ in groups led by Jim Mullen, Dennis Rollins, Derek Nash, Nigel Price and Postmodern Jukebox's vocalist Aubrey Logan among others. He has performed at all of London's major jazz and commercial venues and many others across the UK, including Ronnie Scott's, Pizza Express Dean St, Royal Albert Hall, Glastonbury Festival's Pyramid Stage, Wembley Arena, The Savoy and The Palladium among many more.
Liam also works in musical theatre, and has been Musical Director for the acclaimed 2015-16 UK No. 1 Tour of "Hairspray" the musical, Associate Musical Director for the London production of Tony and Olivier Award-winning musical "In The Heights", Assistant Musical Director of Baz Luhrmann's "Strictly Ballroom" the musical in 2018, and Associate Musical Director of "Songs for Nobodies" in the West End in 2019. As an accompanist and session pianist he has worked in a wide variety of contexts, including BBC2’s series “The Choir” with Gareth Malone and is featured as both a pianist and arranger on the 2015 UK Official Charts Christmas No.1 Single with the NHS Choir. He has also worked with renowned Radio DJ Tony Blackburn during his UK Tour of the "Sounds of the Sixties" concerts, and will be performing with UK soul legend Beverley Knight during her 2019 tour.
As a composer and arranger he has also written pieces and arrangements in for the City of London Sinfonia, English Chamber Orchestra, violinist Charlie Siem, London Chamber Orchestra and Trinity College Choir, Cambridge.
Simon Thorpe
Double Bass
Simon Thorpe is one of the UK's best-known jazz bassists, nominated in 2016 and again in 2017 for a British Jazz Award.
He studied violin, guitar and drums before settling on the bass in 1991. He attended Guildhall School of Music & Drama where in 1993 he gained the postgraduate certificate in Jazz & Studio Music, and an LGSM.
Simon has worked with many of the great UK and US names in jazz, recording and touring with Bobby Wellins, Stacey Kent (with whom he recorded five albums), Bheki Mseleku, Alan Barnes, Elaine Delmar, Scott Hamilton, Benn Clatworthy and Ray Gelato. Outside the jazz sphere he has played with artists as diverse as Amy Winehouse, Imelda Staunton, Imogen Heap, Alexander Armstrong, Maria Ewing, Mica Paris, Rick Astley (yes!), Sean McGowan of the Pogues and Scottish folk fiddle wizard John McCusker. He also runs several of his own projects: the swing band Jivin’ Miss Daisy, GershwINNOVATION (music inspired by George Gershwin’s work) and the Simon Thorpe Octet. He writes the music arrangements for Mitch Winehouse's 7-piece band.
Simon is also a composer, having written music for theatre, jazz ensembles, BBC TV and BAFTA award winning short film, Wedding Espresso.
Pete Cater
Drums
Just like everybody else Pete Cater’s live performing activities have been largely curtailed due to the global pandemic. Nevertheless Pete has been in the studio recording with big band classics with the Nick Ross Orchestra for an album scheduled for release in late 2020. Pete has been busy creating online content, the Lockdown Licks series ran for over 60 editions and more recently Pete has been filming a series of 30 minute tutorials for advanced drummers, all of which can be accessed via Pateron.
This follows many live performance highlights in the previous few years including standout performances at the London Drum Show and a hugely successful run of dates with The Organisation following on from the release of ‘Point Blank’ (Last Music Company) which culminated with a headline appearance at the London Jazz Festival. Also Pete continues to appear regularly with legendary American jazz vocalist Salena Jones, and appears heading up his own bands when time permits.
This extraordinary continued success follows on from having being named in the top 5 jazz drummers in the world today in Rhythm magazine’s annual popularity poll.
Pete has an artist affiliation with the runaway successful British Drum Company, and in 2018 visited China to perform and present a master class in Beijing as a guest of the local distributor.
Education was much to the fore in 2018 with the release of Pete’s instructional video, ‘On Drums’. Click on the store page for details of how to buy a copy. This was followed by the publication of Pete’s book ‘Stickings, Dexterity and Orchestration’ in January 2020.
Pete is also proudl to be associated with the Zildjian Company
as well as Remo drumheads and Vater sticks, brushes and accessories and of course the legendary Bill Sanders Practice Pads
