Richard and Amy’s repertoire is drawn from a wealth of experience encompassing a vast range of jazz styles and periods. The rhythm section features musicians whose influences extend across the field from early jazz and swing to contemporary fusion and latin jazz.
5:00pm Pre-concert Early Bird meal at La Casa Mia (not included in the ticket)
Why not make an evening of it and book your pre-concert dinner at La Casa Mia who are kindly helping to sponsor the concert series
Programme
6:30pm Doors open
7:00: Spotlight Concert
Music performed by talented young people from Sandbach, featuring the LMT Big Band
7:30 Intermission
Art Exhibition by Maggie North and Susan Earith
Refreshments
raffle in aid of piano hire next season
8:00 Main Concert
Programme to be announced
The Amy Roberts/Richard Exall Quintet features two of the most exciting and versatile musicians on the jazz scene today. Both multi-instrumentalists, they perform an eclectic range of high octane music on a range of clarinets, saxophones and flute. With inspiration drawn from the all-time heroes of reed players, Amy Roberts and Richard Exall perform well crafted arrangements that pay homage to Johnny Hodges, Lester Young, Earl Bostic, Benny Goodman, Eddie 'Lockjaw" Davis, Cannonball Adderley, Charlie Parker and many more. Together, Richard Exall and Amy Roberts have produced a product that successfully crosses the traditional divides of the jazz world, performing melodic and intricate arrangements that wow audiences and appeal to listeners of all styles of music.
The Quintet were voted "Band of the Year" at the end of 2014 by Rochdale Jazz Society, and have continued to go from strength to strength! One particular highlight was their tour to Sweden which included performances at the Hallevik Jazz Festival to sell out crowds.
Amy and Richard have recorded 2 albums together, "Why Not", and most recently, "Hodge-Stic"
The line-up features…
Amy Roberts – flute, clarinet & alto sax
Richard Exall – clarinet, tenor & alto saxes, vocals, arranger.
Bill Coleman – double bass
David Ferris – piano
Nick Millward – drums
Amy Roberts, from near Penzance, West Cornwall, was voted winner of the Miscellaneous Category in the 2015 British Jazz Awards, and the Rising Star Category in the British Jazz Awards in both 2009 and 2011. She has played all over the UK and throughout Europe at prestigious clubs and festivals, and is well known on the jazz circuit as a charismatic performer on flute, clarinet and saxophones. Amy currently leads her own bands featuring some of the most exciting musicians on the jazz scene, as well as making guest appearances with other highly acclaimed ensembles.
In 2007 she was offered a place to study classical saxophone at the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. In July 2011 she graduated with a First Class Honours Degree, and was awarded a high mark of 89% in her final recital held in the RNCM Concert Hall. She studied saxophone with Rob Buckland, flute with Rowland Sutherland, and performed with the RNCM Big Band under the direction of Mike Hall. Amy was featured with the RNCM Big Band performing the Artie Shaw Clarinet Concerto in December 2010. During her final year of study, she was awarded the Martyn Edwards Bursary which was a scholarship for outstanding jazz performance. She was also selected as the only woodwind student to perform in the finals of the RNCM Gold Medal Competition, the highest level competition at the college.
She has been part of the Best Of Young Jazz Project in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, as a mentor for young people in the Worcestershire area. During the scheme Amy has worked alongside phenomenal bass player and educator Steve Berry, to inspire and teach the students taking part in the BoYJ Academy. In 2015 she was once again involved with the Best of Young Jazz, performing in their very own marquee at the Upton Jazz Festival in June, as well as helping educate and encourage the young people who may well be the next generation of jazz musicians . She has also been involved in educating young saxophonists in Anglesey during their Summer Residential Course in 2011 and 2012 run by the Local Education Authority.
Amy was honoured to be featured and used as a 'cover girl' in the Autumn 2011 Clarinet and Saxophone Society Magazine, after being interviewed by upcoming writer and musician William Upton. She has since been a featured artist in JazzWise, PhoneBox, Lady, Just Jazz Magazines and various newspapers, as well as taking part in interviews on several regional BBC radio stations, PlayjazzUK and Radio Nene Valley.
In January 2011 she became the first female musician to join the Big Chris Barber Band and has spent the past four years touring with them throughout some of the most highly regarded concert venues in Europe. Some highlights of being in the band include a 3 day stint at Dunluce Castle in Northern Ireland as the support act for Van Morrison and his band, and playing live for TV in Stuttgart, Germany. At the end of 2014 she left the Barber band to focus on her own career.
As a freelance musician Amy’s performances have included concerts with the Pasadena Roof Orchestra, The London Swing Orchestra, Pete Long's Echos of Ellington, Keith Nichols Blue Devils Orchestra and Harry Strutters Hot Rhythm Orchestra. She has been lucky enough to play alongside musicians such as Alan Barnes, Bruce Adams, Roy Willliams, Greg Abate, Mike Hall, Enrico Tomasso, Jeff Barnhart (USA), Chris Farlow, John Crocker, Andy Fairweather Low, and many more. Recently she was part of a special band put together to support the incredible talent Alex Vargas, an R&B Soul singer from Los Angeles, USA during his trip to the UK. She’s also part of powerhouse trombonist Ian Bateman’s soul and funk group “Kick Ass Brass” on baritone sax.
With the London Swing Orchestra Amy has performed all over the UK as well as in Monaco, Greece And Switzerland.
Amy's current projects include the Magnificent 7 Jazz Band, and the Richard Exall/Amy Roberts Quintet. In 2014 The Magnificent 7 released their debut album "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!" and 2015 brought the release of their second album “A Jazz Odyssey”, an eclectic CD to suit every musical taste. The Richard Exall/ Amy Roberts Quintet's first album was "Why Not" and they recently released a new CD dedicated to the music of Earl Bostic and Johnny Hodges – "Hodge-Stic"!
The Richard Exall/ Amy Roberts Quintet were voted "Band of the Year" at the Rochdale Jazz Society for 2014!
In 2016 Amy played flute as part of multi-Grammy award winning American trumpeters Terrance Blanchard's band "The Inner City Ensemble" during their UK tour.