Fleece Jazz

The great drummer Shelly Manne is often associated with the West Coast school of jazz. He has been considered the quintessential drummer in what was seen as a West Coast movement, though Manne should not be so pigeonholed. In the 1950s, much of what he did could be seen as in the West Coast style: performing in tightly arranged compositions in a cool style, as in his 1953 album The West Coast Sound. Some of the West Coast jazz was experimental several years before the more mainstream avant-garde playing of Cecil Taylor and Ornette Coleman, but Manne could and did play with great musicianship in any genre.

You could not pick a better drummer to honour Shelly Manne than Matt Skelton. He is a drummer who is equally at home in modern and vintage jazz styles, and he enjoys a diverse musical career that has already spanned three decades. He has accompanied many leading jazz luminaries such as Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Conte Candoli, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli, Warren Vache, Scott Hamilton, John Hendricks, Kurt Elling, Curtis Stigers, Gregory Porter, and most recently Georgie Fame. He has recorded and appeared with singers such as Marion Montgomery, Dame Cleo Laine, Claire Martin, and Dame Jessye Norman. Travelling as John Wilson's drummer, he has most recently performed with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Stockholm Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Antwerp Radio Orchestra, and The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2015, Matt has taught at both The Guildhall School Of Music and for The London College Of Music, University Of West London.

Mark Crooks is always a welcome musician at Fleece Jazz. I remember with such pleasure his Artie Shaw evening. He played the part of Artie Shaw in a gala performance in Dublin, which impressed so much that he was then invited to perform a Benny Goodman programme, followed by featuring as clarinet soloist in an all-American band at the Lincoln Center in New York. His playing on clarinet has incredible phrasing and subtle dynamics. He is a Getzian powerhouse on sax.

Winner of the Smith-Watkins Trumpet Award (2016), Royal Academy of Music, Jim Davidson is now pursuing a busy and varied freelance career based in London. He has performed with several Classical and Jazz orchestras, including the LSO, the RPO, the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra and the BBC Big Band. He is also a member of the Misha Mullov-Abbado Group, The Patchwork Jazz Orchestra, Jonny Mansfield’s Elftet and his band Quintet-a-tete.

Leon Greening studied piano at Leeds College of Music and the Guildhall. His extraordinary solos, inspired by the likes of Wynton Kelly and Bud Powell, keep the audience on the edge of their seats and mark him out as one of the finest pianists this country has ever produced. His hard swinging style has made him a favourite on the UK Jazz circuit for well over a decade, and his intense performances have not only encouraged a loyal following but high praise from critics: “Leon Greening epitomises the assured confidence of a new generation.’”  Jazz Journal; “Listening to Leon Greening’s playing is like hearing a history of post-Bop piano…..authentic and yet personal echoes of (all the greats)…..all the more remarkable for coming from a musician of such youth.” Clark Tracey

Born in the southwest of Ireland and then growing up mostly in Surrey, Conor Chaplin studied at Trinity College of Music in Greenwich under the tutelage of Simon Purcell, Steve Watts, and others. Also formative in his education were the late great composer and educator Martin Read at Alton College in Hampshire and his time as part of Surrey County Youth Jazz Orchestra, based in Woking, and the National Youth Jazz Orchestra.  Conor is currently touring mainly with such projects as Marius Neset's 'Happy' Quintet, rising star saxophonist Emma Rawicz, Laura Jurd's Mercury Prize nominated group Dinosaur, and guitarist Tom Ollendorff's trio.  Between these regular projects and other one-off occasions, he has had the pleasure of touring extensively throughout the UK, North America, Europe and Asia. 

• Mark Crooks - Tenor sax
• Jim Davidson - Trumpet
• Leon Greening - Piano
• Conor Chaplin - Double Bass
• Matt Skelton - Drums

Fleece Jazz is an independent, non-profit association run by a voluntary committee who have been providing modern and contemporary jazz for 28 years. They book talented musicians and jazz bands from the UK and beyond to perform at Stoke by Nayland Resort, providing the perfect backdrop for these cherished and popular events.

Fleece Jazz events are generally held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month.