16 September - Simon Spillett and the Ronnie Jones Trio
Winner of the prestigious saxophone award in the 2011 British Jazz Awards, Simon has played with the leading lights of British jazz throughout his career including Sir John Dankworth, Stan Tracey, Peter King and The Ronnie Scott's Jazz Orchestra. Simon's concert and club appearances across Britain have included sold-out gigs at Ronnie Scott's and the Brecon Jazz Festival. He has also broadcast on BBC Radio 3's Jazz-Line Up with his own band. Joining forces with Ronnie and his trio for the second time on tour, Simon will perform a selection of modern jazz tunes with the band before they go on to perform their own repertoire as a trio.
17 September - Martin Simpson
This will be Martins' fourth visit to the Flavel and the concert will no doubt be a fantastic evening of superb musicianship if the previous three are anything to go by. Martin is known as a guitarist of formidable talent equally at home playing English traditional folk, American folk and blues and his own compositions. He is universally acclaimed as one of the finest ever acoustic and slide guitar players. He is also a fine banjo-picker to boot and his solo shows bear witness to an artist at the very top of his game. Whether interpreting material from traditional sources or singing his own potent self-penned songs, Martin is a remarkable storyteller.
Martin continues to collaborate with a dazzling array of people from across the musical spectrum: Jackson Browne, Martin Taylor, June Tabor, Richard Hawley, Bonnie Raitt, Danny Thompson, Richard Thompson and Dom Flemons are among the great musicians he has worked with. In recent years, he has been a lynchpin in the award-winning group, Full English and has recorded and toured with Andy Cutting and Nancy Kerr.
He has had the most nominations of any performer in the 18 years of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards winning the accolade of musician of the year twice. A virtuoso player without question, above all Martin Simpson conveys his diverse treasure trove of material from the heart, performing with rare subtlety, intensity and honesty. A true master of his art.
18 September - Eduardo Niebla
Hailed by the Guardian for his ‘exquisite guitar playing’, Eduardo Niebla is a formidable flamenco jazz guitar virtuoso and master of today’s generation. Continually seeking out new musical terrain he has traversed the worlds of jazz, classical and world music, collaborating with such diverse partners as sitar maestro, Nishat Khan, Lol Coxhill (sax), the Dante String Quartet and Craig David. With guitarist Matthew Robinson he presents an imaginative and stimulating instrumental set from his latest albums in which flamenco is infused with classical Indian music and a contemporary jazz edge.
Eduardo Niebla, has been trailblazing his exhilarating flamenco jazz fusion for over 40 years, collaborating with George Michael and Juno Reactor as well as some of the top world music, jazz and classical artists of today. Accompanied by guitarist Joao Lima, Eduardo on this UK tour.
Info
