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THE MUSICIANS.....
IAN EAST - saxophone/flute/zurna (traditional oboe)
Saxophonist and flautist Ian East grew up in London with a large
appetite for music from all over the world. He studied for four years at the
Royal Academy of Music where he met up with like minded collaborators David
Beebee and Patrick Naylor who went on to form Beeboss Records. Ian has worked
with Steve Melling's Quartet, Tim Whitehead's Sight Reading Mothers, David
Beebee's Gaya, Brasil Universo (playing music of Hermeto Pascoal), New Dreams
Quartet (inspired by Don Cherry), Philip Clouts Quartet and Patrick Naylor's
Soundial amongst others as well as running his own projects Balkanatics, Ian
East Quartet and Momentito with David Beebee. His varied CD releases can be
found on the Beeboss Records website. He is also actively involved in jazz and
world music education, running jazz and Balkan music workshops and teaching
saxophone at the Blackheath Conservatoire He has performed/taught with Eddie
Parker's Integrated Music Project IMPRO and also spent five years performing and
leading workshops for Yehudi Menuhin's Live Music Now!
"East on tenor is fluent and passionate" Tony Hall, Jazz Express.
"our long range tip for the top" Jack Massarick, Evening Standard.
CHRIS BATCHELOR - trumpet
Started playing as a professional musician in
1979 with Django Bates & then with Dudu Pukwana. Founder & composer of
Loose Tubes 1983-90. Also during this time played with Taxi Pata Pata, 3
Mustaphas three & co-led Orkestra Rafiki. More recently has played &
recorded with Alex Maguire's Big Stick, Martin Speake's Fever Pitch & Django
Bates' Delightful Precipice & his own group with Steve Buckley. First CD
released 1995, followed by 'Life as We Know it', with Steve Buckley (Babel,
1999). In 2000 he toured in the UK with Hermeto Pascoal & with the 'Life As
We Know It' band at Canadian festivals. In 2001 he toured in the UK with his own
band Big Air (including New Yorkers Jim Black & Myra Melford). With this
group he won 'Best New Work' in the BBC Jazz Awards. He also toured the UK with
Michael Brecker in spring 2001.
From Strumica in
Macedonia, Igor gained his Trumpet Masters Degree at Skopje’s main music
university ‘Cyril and Mepodiy’ and then went on to play with the Macedonian
Philharmonic Orchestra for five years. He has also worked with master
clarinetist Stojan Dimov and with Alea, a group specialising in modern 20th
Century Macedonian music. He also worked on the Brass band and jazz circuits as
a trumpeter, pianist and singer before moving to London.
TOM ARTHURS - trumpet
Nominated as Rising
Star in the 2004 BBC Jazz Awards, and winner of the Peter Whittingham Award
2001, Tom's debut album of original compositions with quintet Centripede was
released on the Babel Label in 2003. Tom is also writing for and performing with
Freefall (with Azilut's bass clarinet virtuoso Lothar Ohlmeier, Julie Sassoon
and Milo Fell) as well as Squash Recipe: a transatlantic collaboration with
Toronto drummer Joe Sorbara and New York pianist Bruce McKinnon. Besides his own
projects Tom has recently been performing and recording with Timeline, Synergy
(the F-IRE big band), Pete Wareham, mbira player Chartwell Dutiro, JazzXchange
Dance and Music Company, electronic music manipulators Icarus and Squint
visuals. He has also recently recorded some comedy trumpet for BBC3's The Mighty
Boosh!
PETRO DEWSHI - accordion
Played with Polish folk dancer groups Orlenta, Karolinka in late 1980s
and early 1990s. In 1989-1993 he played with various musicians in Yugoslavia,
Czechoslovakia & Poland and in London from 1995/6 onwards played in many
Balkan music groups including Yash BAsh with David Bitelli which
specialises in music from the southern Balkans, Mukka, Marama Caffe BAnd,
Ultraswing and Marcel Mamaliga. In 1999-2001 played with improvising musicians
from the Bassesferre collective in Bologna, Italy. Recorded with Gilad Atzmon
Oriental House Ensemble 'Exile' 2002 and with Mukka 'life,Life' 2003 and
Bucharest string ensemble 'Radio London' 2003. Divides most of his time between
Italy and UK. Having played amongst numerous musicians from Romania, Serbia,
Italy, France and the UK his accordion playing therefore reflects the influences
of these contries. Much in demand in restaurants and private clubs as a soloist
or in duos as he carries a huge repertoire. Has also been working for Jazz
Umbrella since 1995 and is involved in music education.
DAVE POWELL - tuba
A graduate of London University and the Royal
Academy of Music, Dave was trained as a classical musician, but has always had
an interest in other kinds of music. He has performed with numerous symphony,
opera and ballet orchestras in Britain and abroad and also specialises in
contemporary music as a member of the London Sinfonietta. He was a
founder-member of Loose Tubes and has played with the bands of Mike Westbrook,
John Dankworth, Billy Cobham, Barry Guy, Pete Hurt, Martin Speake etc. Dave has
run many education and community projects involving drama, improvisation and
composition. He has his own 8-piece jazz/world music band “Kermesse” which has
recorded a CD. His compositions include songs for children, a piece for 16
trombones, sacred choral music, electronic dance music, and a piece for solo
tuba and brass band.
NUMAN ELYER - darbuka
Numan started his career playing traditional
Turkish music in various folk groups around South West Turkey. He subsequently
moved to Istanbul where he studied under the county's leading darbuka players.
Since then, he has developed his own individual style, which has evolved further
following his move to the UK a few years ago. The new 'all-finger' style, as
popularised by Numan, is fast gaining in prominence. This new style is much
influenced by classical Indian percussion such as the tabla and gatam. The all
finger style translates exceptionally well to the darbuka and has much increased
its range and uses. Now settled in the London area, he has played with several
artists including Terry hall, Natasha Atlas, Eduardo Niebla, Mukka, Abdelkader
Saadoun, Nara, Damask and various classical Indian groups. He also plays
regularly for some of Britain's best-known belly dancers and runs darbuka
workshops. In addition to the darbuka, Numan plays davul, gatam, djembe, bongos
and frame drum. This range, ability and ear for all rhythms enables Numan to
play many musical styles, not only those from the Middle East. So far his
playing has encompassed jazz, Latin and Indian, as well as broad based Western
European styles.
RASTKO - davul (tapan)
Rastko Rasic was born in Belgrade, Serbia and
as a boy first played the trumpet and later classical percussion. As he was
growing up the range of music played in the family home was great: everything
from classical and jazz to rock and punk to traditional Armenian and Serbian
song. Perhaps it is no surprise then that when he started playing drums and
percussion he did not confine himself to one particular style. In 1993 he won a
scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston, U.S.A. and it was
during his stay there that he started collaborating with such diverse artists as
Vardan Ovsepian, afro-pop group Lovewhip, the avant-garde Balvanyos Ensemble,
the Ethiopian reggae band Mebreq and the Romanian pan-flute virtuoso Damian. He
has been living in London since 2000 performing with various jazz groups and
working on pop and world music projects including the pan-Balkan Mukka and
currently, the hotly tipped Polly Paulusma.