16 February: Derek Nash with The Martin Dale Trio

If you have ever watched Jools Holland seeing in the New Year on BBC2, right at the front of the band is Derek Nash on alto sax. He is one of the UK’s top players and is joining another in South West, tenor sax star Martin Dale and his Quartet.

Derek’s long relationship with Martin started with Be Bop star John Burch’s Kentish Octet, where they performed, toured and recorded together many times.  Their swinging bravado, showmanship and humour join together for a superb evening of Jazz standards in a style that remembers great sparring Saxophone heroes like Ronnie Scott and Tubby Hayes, or Zoot Sims and Al Cohn.

Derek is a full time member of the Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra since 2004, has led Sax Appeal for over forty years, leads his award winning Acoustic Quartet, fronts the funk/fusion band Protect the Beat, the Latin band Picante, the “The Wonder of Stevie” show and is a member of the Ronnie Scott’s Blues Explosion. He is renowned for his energetic, vibrant, passionate and charismatic performances on all four saxophones from sonorous baritone to soaring soprano.

“…bravura display of contemporary saxophone” The Observer

“…breathtaking” The Sunday Times

“From smooth cool to groovy funk, to ingeniously recast standards…the music fizzes with energy…***** “ The Observer

The Martin Dale Quartet (MDQ) is a long established West Country based band, featuring Martin (tenor sax) Gavin Martin (piano), Kevin Sanders (bass) and Dennis Harris (drums).

Martin has been a full time musician since he was 16 when he joined the Royal Marines Band Service. He studied jazz saxophone at the Guildhall school of music during his time in the service. He has played with most of the UK’s leading jazz musicians and toured with the Jack Bruce Blues Band. He plays in the style of his 3 favourite tenors, Hayes, Scott and his close friend Dick Morris set.

Gavin Martin has been MDQ’s regular piano player for quite a few years now, he also had  full career in the band Service playing trumpet and piano. Also eager to learn more tunes he has become an accomplished jazz player and great accompanist. He plays with a few West Country bands and also teaches music in a local academy.

Kevin Sanders is a long standing member of the quartet and is one of the most in demand bass players in the S.West. He has a wealth of knowledge, and you can rarely catch him out when you “call a tune “. A fine player and he also writes for a very popular Bass magazine.

Dennis Harris is the longest serving member of the quartet, he has been with the band since the very beginning and still “swings like the clappers “; not too busy just a good old “proper groover”, which suits the MDQ perfectly.