Tonight’s Musicians:

Pete Oxley

Pete began his musical career in Paris in the mid ‘80s before relocating to the UK in 1997. Shortly afterwards he opened The Spin jazz club in Oxford which in 2012 won the Parliamentary jazz award as ‘The Best Jazz Venue In The UK’. Pete regularly performs with some of the world’s leading jazz artists including Chris Garrick, Gilad Atzmon, Tim Whitehead, Dave O’Higgins, John Etheridge and his own band Curious Paradise. He has now released 14 critically acclaimed CDs featuring his original compositions.

As a composer, Pete was selected as one of only a handful of British jazz musicians to have his compositions included in the definitive ‘European Real Book’ (Sher Music). www.peteoxley.com

Nicholas Meier

With his unique style that is a blend of Metheny-esque jazz and Turkish inspired world music, Nick has toured extensively around the world with his band the Meier Group. This wonderful band (featuring sax maestro Gilad Atzmon and Dave O'Higgins) won the overall prize for ‘best band’ at the Juan-les-Pins jazz festival! ​

His recent album Kismet is a wonderful heady mixture of Flamenco, jazz, Latin and Middle Eastern music. His prodigious jazz talent is matched by his other great passion: playing heavy metal guitar in his scorching group ‘Seven7’. ​

Nick was, for the last three years, guitarist in guitar supremo, Jeff Beck’s band, with whom he toured all over the world, performing at major venues and festivals. He has recently recorded a stunning album with the A-lister rhythm section of Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets) and Vinnie Colaiuta (Sting, Frank Zappa etc.). www.meiergroup.com

Dave Jones

While Dave is the also organising force behind Grand Union Jazz his bass playing in recent years has included Hejira - a Tribute to Joni Mitchell, Ronnie Scott’s Soul and Jazz Orchestra, Pete Cater Big Band, Way Out West Jazz Collective, Stefanos Tsourelis Trio, Tom Seals, Brandon Allen Groove Band, Jeremy Sassoon and Julian Costello. He has played with some of the finest jazz musicians in the UK such as Pete Long, Jacqui Dankworth, Frank Griffith and John Etheridge and also with visiting American artists such as Howard Levy. He has played alongside drummers Steve Gadd, Steve Smith and Keith Carlock and he is active in jazz education teaching regularly at Richmond Jazz School, International Summer Schools and Kingston University.
Dave also leads a classic nonet line up featuring some of the UK’s finest jazz musicians including Henry Lowther, Mark Armstrong, Nick Mills, Tony Woods, Tom Ridout, Chris Biscoe, John Turville, Tristan Mailliot plus various special guests including Brigitte Beraha, Demi Garcia Sabat on percussion and Mike Outram on guitar.
Playing and exploring the Nonet arrangements of great American writers such as Bob Hammer, Marty Paich and Frank Griffith provided the inspiration for the band while the experience of playing with Pete Cater Big Band, Ronnie Scott’s Soul and Jazz Orchestra, BBC Big Band and in formative days ‘Eurojazz' the European Community Youth Jazz Orchestra provided a unique perspective on writing for this the classic Nonet line up.

Dave’s writing is sophisticated and nuanced. Just when you think you know where he’s going, there is a change of texture or tempo, you do find yourself in an unexpected place and …. it’s beautiful!! … “ London Jazz News’.

Paul Cavaciuti

Paul Cavaciuti is an internationally renowned performer, composer, music teacher and therapist. He attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston (USA) and has played, toured and recorded with some of the top names in British and American music, including David Gordon, Pete Oxley and Nick Meier, Sheryl Bailey, Tim Whitehead, Roland Perrin, Chris Garrick, Jim Mullen, Tina May, Jacqui Dankworth, Christie Hennessy, Donovan, Howard Alden, The New York Festival of Song (NYFOS), the London Chamber Orchestra and many others.

Paul is an extremely active music educator. He was chairman of the percussion department at the Musician’s Institute (MI) in London and lectures extensively on music education. He has conducted numerous workshops on jazz improvisation, including at the Royal Academy of Music and the Purcell School. He is also a graduate of the Institute for Music and Health in New York and taught for several years at the Centre for Applied Music Research at Roehampton University, where he specialised in working with children and young people with autism and visual impairment.