The Matt Ridley Trio + Jason Yarde
Following the release of their critically acclaimed debut album ‘Thymos’ (4* in Marlbank), and
extensive UK tour in Autumn 2013, the Matt Ridley Trio + Jason Yarde are at the vanguard
of UK jazz. The music takes the listener on an enthralling journey, juxtaposing foot-tapping
grooves, the exhilaration of modern jazz improvisation, the exotic flavours of middle-eastern
music, to gut-wrenching melodies.
Globally recognised saxophonist, composer and producer Jason Yarde joined the band after
appearing as a special guest on the album, lending an extra dimension and creating what
the London Jazz Blog described as ‘music of great dynamic energy’
The band also features Parliamentary Jazz Award winner John Turville on piano, and the
ever-inventive George Hart on drums.
‘Ridley has made a stirring debut here and his future on the scene seems very bright
after this fine start’ ****
Marlbank
‘Live, the gradual accumulation of players and styles is exhilarating. It creates a
strong sense of narrative, as the gig builds to its mesmerising finale’.
London Jazz blog
‘An impressive debut recording by Ridley’
Jazz Camera
'An attractive debut release from a leader and composer with real character'
Jazz Breakfast
Matt Ridley
Since graduating from Trinity College of Music in 2005, Matt
has established himself as one of the most versatile,
creative and hard-working bass players on the UK scene.
Known for his imaginative soloing, solid time keeping and
great sound, he is (somewhat unusually) in demand for both
straight-ahead and modern jazz. He also has much
experience in the spheres of World Music, Folk, Classical
and Pop.
It is this global awareness and love for all music that has
given rise to his creative outlet, the Matt Ridley Trio. Whilst
improvisation of the highest order is of central importance,
perhaps a greater emphasis is placed on inventiveness of
composition, in an attempt to reconcile the differing attitudes
which personify different genres of music. The result is an
ensemble which sounds like no other. Startlingly freshsounding, at times incredibly complex, at others disarmingly simple, the group transcend
many different styles and have arrived at one that can only be described as their own. A
collaboration with globally recognised saxophonist and composer Jason Yarde has spawned
yet more music, and promises to be an interesting development in the band’s evolution.
Aside from his originals project, Matt leads the 'MJQ Celebration, Matt is kept busy with the
‘MJQ Celebration’. A straight-ahead yet modern outfit, the band comprises Brit-jazz award
winner vibraphonist Jim Hart, (notably one of the very few UK artists to be nominated in the
‘Downbeat’ reader’s poll), pianist Barry Green, and Brit-jazz award winner Steve Brown on
drums. Propelled by Ridley’s ebullient swing, the group lend an exciting modern sensibility to
the well known and loved repertoire of the Modern Jazz Quartet.
In addition, Matt is involved with many fledgling creative projects in London, plays worldwide
with Darius Brubeck (son of jazz legend Dave Brubeck), and has just finished a UK tour with
‘Lyric Ensemble’ in memory of Michael Garrick (featuring Tony Woods, Nette Robinson and
Nikki Iles)
He is a founder member of the ‘SE Collective’, a group of like-minded musicians who
champion innovative live music in South East London, where he resides.
Matt also enjoys success in World music and Folk, forging long-lasting musical partnerships
with virtuoso oud player Attab Haddad, and BBC award-winning folk songsmith Sam Carter.
He is a founder member of the SE Collective, a community of musicians in South East
London championing improvised, live music.
John Turville
John is one of the leading pianists on the UK scene. A
graduate of Cambridge and the Guildhall, he has since
received numerous awards, including #3 in the MOJO
Albums of the Year 2012, ‘Best Album’ in the
Parliamentary Awards 2011, ‘Best Instrumentalist' in the
2010 London Jazz Awards, the 2009 Promoter’s Choice
Award (PRS), and was a semi-finalist in the Martial Solal
competition in 2010. He has worked and recorded with
many of Europe’s leading jazz and tango groups, including
Tim Garland’s Lighthouse Trio and Acoustic Triangle, the
Gilad Atzmon Quartet, the Kairos 4tet, Tim Whitehead,
Koby Israelite, the Threads Orchestra, the Yuriy Galkin
Nonet, Asaf Sirkis Trio, Matt Ridley, Combustible Alarms,
El Ultimo Tango, Transtango, the London Tango Orchestra
and Guillermo Rozenthuler. In the pop world, he has also
worked with Nate James, Natacha Atlas, US3 and Sola
Akingbola (Jamiroquai).
His own trio have released two acclaimed albums on the F-IRE label and toured widely
throughout the UK and Europe. Recent engagements include sets at Ronnie Scotts,
Barbican (LJF), Hideaway, Kings Place, South Bank, Pizza Express, and the Manchester
and Scarborough Jazz Festivals.John is also an experienced composer and arranger. He
founded, writes for and directs the E17 large ensemble, and has had works commissioned
by Manu Delago and ‘Living Room in London’, the Threads Orchestra, Solstice Quartet and
Transtango. He is the visiting jazz piano tutor at Birmingham Conservatoire and has
coached jazz and tango ensembles at the Guildhall, in summer schools in Devon and
Barcelona and at Uppingham School and Dulwich College.
George Hart
Born into a musical family, George started playing the
drums and performing at an early age. He was
introduced to jazz by his father, performer and
composer, Paul Hart with whom he did many of his first
gigs. After attending local jazz workshops, visiting jazz
Summer schools and honing his sight reading with the
National Youth Jazz Orchestra, he applied for the
undergraduate jazz course at the Royal Academy of
Music. He studied here from 1998-2002, graduating
with first class honours. Since then George has been
freelancing in London where he has performed at
venues such as Ronnie Scott's, Pizza Express, 606,
Jazz Cafe and the Queen Elizabeth Hall. You can hear
him on records by Phil Donkin, Ivo Neame, Brigitte
Beraha and Seb Pipe. In spite of all this talk of ‘Jazz’,
George is interested in a wide variety of music. He has
been involved in a wide spectrum of playing situations,
from Classical through to Heavy Metal. More recently,
George has been touring and recording with "Swing Out Sister" and recording with Colin
McKenzie's "Transit".
Jason Yarde
Jason Yarde started out with the Jazz Warriors as a
teenager and went on to MD this landmark orchestra,
becoming one of its principal writers. He has a BA
(Hons)
in
Performance
Arts
from
Middlesex University incorporating study at William
Paterson College in New Jersey. Jason was the
leader of the award-winning group J-Life, has been
twice-nominated for a BBC Jazz award for Innovation
and the Bird Award of the North Sea Jazz Festival.
He has performed with the big bands of McCoy
Tyner, Roy Ayers, Andrew Hill, Hermeto Pascoal,
Sam Rivers and Manu Dibango, arranging and
directing the latter for the Barbican Centre. As a
musical director, arranger and saxophonist, he has worked with various artists and
ensembles from 4hero to Plan B, Bembe Segue to Britten Sinfonia, Terri Walker to TY,
Keziah Jones to Kronos Quartet, Jonzi-D to Jack DeJohnette and Dennis Brown to BBC
Blast.
As a record producer, he has worked extensively for Jazz label Dune Records, completed
Gwilym Simcock debut CD on Basho and most recently Empirical’s 2010 MOBO winning,
‘Out ‘n’ In’ on Naim Jazz. As well as composing for his own projects, Jason has written for
dance, music theatre, opera and TV. Since working with the London Symphony Orchestra
through the Panufnik Young Composers scheme, Jason was commissioned in 2007 to
arrange the music for Hugh Masekela’s first LSO concert, and write his first Flugel Horn
concerto; ‘All Souls Seek Joy’ becoming a UBS Soundscapes composer with the Orchestra.
In 2008 he served as mentor for TAKEOVER - the first full show and program for Emerging
Artists in Residence at the Southbank Centre, he became a Civitella Ranieri Fellow and an
orchestral commission for the BBC Proms, ‘Rhythm And Other Fascinations’, won the
inaugural BASCA award for ‘Contemporary Jazz Composition’ in 2009. He also received
a Paul Hamlyn Foundation Arts Awards in 2010.
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 07779228835
www.mattridleybass.com