ORPHY ROBINSON ( vibraphone) JASON YARDE (alto sax)

JOHN EDWARDS (doublebass) STEVE NOBLE (drums,percussion)

Plus … PAT THOMAS- solo piano- playing the music of Thelonious Monk.

Robinson and Yarde have both been major figures in the Jazz Warriors and have gone on to embrace a wide range of musical styles with improvisation at its heart.

“ Swing ,hip- hop, improv,you name

it ,Yarde can make it all sound as if it was meant to live together- and he is getting better at it all the time “ (the Guardian)

Edwards and Noble are forging a reputation as one of the most dynamic and hard hitting rhythm sections currently active on the European scene. Whether in Nobles’ power trio N.E.W - - the critically acclaimed group with Alan Wilkinson or playing in trio with the legendary soprano saxophonist Lol Coxhill .

“However,it was the locked –in rhythm section that really impressed,slyly implying a world of rhythms while maintaining a compelling freeform pulse.Their sounds are considered,their reactions intuitive” ( Financial Times)

“An engaging mix of jazz time,free –rock and abstract improv , Noble is one of the country’s most creative drummers” (the Guardian)

“ If you want to turn some friends on to improvised music take them to see one of Noble’s bands. The chemistry makes for explosive , exhuberant playing,seemingly endless creativity and- shocking though it May seem to some - fun” ! (Phil England ,the Wire )

ORPHY ROBINSON

One of the major figures of the 90s jazz scene- he played with Courtney Pine, Jazz Warriors and Andy Shepherd- releasing records on the BLUE NOTE label and performing with Don Cherry, David Murray and Henry Threadgill.

He has composed for Film and TV- including “In answer to your question” for the Balanescu String Quartet and “ 42 Shades of Black” for Phoenix Dance Theatre,which was performed at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

Currently leads the groups CODEFIVE- NUBIAN VIBES - he also plays in the groups BRUISE and CLEARFRAME

STEVE NOBLE

From playing with Nigerian master drummer Elkan Ogunde ,Rip Rig and Panic ,Brion Gysin and the Bow Gamelan Ensemble, Noble went on to work with the pianist Alex Maguire and with Derek Bailey(including Company Weeks 1987,89 and 90)and was featured(along with Alex Ward) in the TV series based on Baileys book ‘Improvisation; its nature and practise’. He has toured and performed throughout Europe , Africa and America. Currently leads the groups ‘4tet’ - ‘Say What’- ‘Shakedown Club’- ‘Harry Love All Stars’ and a trio with Lol Coxhil / Edwards-he also fills the drum stool in the following groups ; SFQ, Badland , Gannets , Aethenor, Freebase and Tim Hills’ group ‘Tongues of Fire’. Has been MD for the Spanish dance company MAL PELO since 1998. Noble also runs the record company PING PONG PRODUCTIONS

JOHN EDWARDS

Since taking up the double bass in 1987 and playing with the Pointy Birds and the Cholomondeleys dance company-he went on to play with B Shops for the Poor ,The Honkies and GOD as well as busking in the street and composing and performing music theatre with The Great Explorers. Since the early 1990s he has built a reputation as one of the finest ,and most in demand bass players currently active on the British and European improv/ jazz and New music scenes- a first choice for musicians such as Evan Parker ,Louis Moholo , Veryan Weston , Charles Hayward and Spring Heel Jack- Other groups include BRUISE and the Obliquity trio with Alan Wilkinson and Noble. A solo double bass cd ‘VOLUME’ was released in 2008.

JASON YARDE

Jason started out with the Jazz Warriors as a teenager and went on to MD this landmark orchestra, becoming one of its principal writers. Leader of the award-winning group J-Life, twice-nominated for a BBC Jazz award for Innovation and the Bird Award of the North Sea Jazz Festival. He has performed with the big bands of McCoy Tyner, Roy Ayers, Andrew Hill, Hermeto Pascoal, Sam Rivers and Manu Dibango, arranging and directing the latter for the Barbican Centre. As a musical director, arranger and saxophonist, he has worked with various artists and ensembles from 4hero to Louis Moholo, Bemebe Segue to Britten Sinfonia, Terri Walker to TY, Keziah Jones to Kronos Quartet, Jonzi-D to Jack DeJohnette and Dennis Brown to BBC Blast. As a record producer, he has worked extensively for Jazz label Dune Records. Since working with the London Symphony Orchestra through the Panufnik Young Composers scheme, Jason was commissioned in 2007 to arrange the music for Hugh Masekela’s first LSO concert, including his first Flugel Horn concerto; ‘All Souls Seek Joy’.

Most recently, a commission for the BBC Concert Orchestra received it’s world premier at the 2008 Proms and he has become a Civitella Ranieri Fellow.

PAT THOMAS

Pat studied classical piano from aged 8- started playing Jazz from the age of 16- he has since gone on to develop an utterly unique style - embracing Improvisation , jazz and new music. He has played with Derek Bailey in Company Week(1990/91) and in the trio AND(with Noble) – with Tony Oxley’s Quartet and Celebration Orchestra and in

Duo with Lol Coxhill.

Current projects include a duo with Steve Williamson, and the group SCATTER. A solo piano Cd “ PAT THOMAS PLAYS THE MUSIC OF DEREK BAILEY AND THELONIOUS MONK” was released in 2008 on the FMR label.