Saturday 15 October 2016

Alex Webb All You Need to Know

Here is a writer not content with peddling jazz covers but a composer hell bent on writing some new jazz standards” – Blues & Soul
“What sets this album apart is the quality of Webb’s writing and arranging … his songs have a timeless quality, many of them sound as if they ought to be standards” – TheJazzmann.com
“Original songs by Alex Webb both lyrically and musically nail the times” – Womanaroundtown.com
 “An amazing songwriter” – Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Jazzwise
 “Original songs penned by Webb … are bright, tuneful surprises” – Bistroawards.com
“Webb has that reliable musician’s ear for well-crafted and pleasant songs”  – London Jazz Blog
“Plays the piano as nimbly as Fred Astaire dances” – Theeasy.com
I am a jazz-oriented songwriter and arranger and for a large part of my career I’ve worked in and around the music business – in live music promotion, music publishing, as a music press officer and in music radio.
As a piano player, in the last few years I’ve been fortunate to work with various combinations of bassists Gary CrosbyMiles DansoGeorge Trebar, Larry Bartley, Neil Charles and Andy Cleyndert, and drummers Shane ForbesMoses BoydSiemy DiRod Youngs, Andy Ball and Andy Chapman. I’ve also had the pleasure of playing with some great soloists, including Frank Griffith, Guy BarkerDenys Baptiste, Nathaniel Facey, Winston Rollins, Sue Richardson and Freddie Gavita. If you don’t know them, check ’em out. On the Brazilian side, playing with bassist Kita Steuer and drummer Uira was a gas, too.
Recently in New York I was lucky enough to perform with vocalists Charenee Wade,Cyrille Aimee and Allan Harris, as well as the excellent up-and-coming instrumentalists Mimi Jones (bass), Shirazette Tinnin (drums), Benny Bennack III(trumpet), Bill Todd (alto), Brent White (trombone) and Camille Thurman (tenor sax – and a great singer too).
Influences? All the Bs, certainly: Bach, Beethoven, Bruckner, Bessie, Billie, Basie, Bud Powell, Chet Baker, Betty Carter, James Brown, Anita Baker, Chico Buarque, Jacques Brel, Dee Dee Bridgewater, The Beatles … and of course Charles Hawtrey and the Deaf Aids.

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