live EP available now!

Our new live EP recorded at the legendary Band on the Wall venue in Manchester is available to download NOW! Head on over to our shop to take a listen or check it out below… You also get a pdf photo album included with the download with 10 great shots by Martin Wilson of us during the soundcheck and the gig back in June.

Don’t forget that the EP launch is Thursday 20th October back at Band on the Wall (where else!) and it’ll be an amazing night – get your tickets in now, they’re cheaper in advance. Also if you’re coming down, say hello on our facebook event!

You’ll also have seen that we’re releasing an extremely limited edition DVD alongside the download which will initially be available exclusively at gigs – you’ve seen pictures of the box, now its time for a preview of the video! Check out queen spark below…

See you on Thursday! We start at 8pm sharp, don’t be late…

Posted by Ben on 17/10/2011 at 11:03 in gigs, news and tagged , , , , . Leave comments here.



EP details – it’s a DVD!

Next Monday (17th October), we’re releasing a 3 track live EP recorded in June at the legendary Band on the Wall venue in Manchester – you’ll be able to download it via the Efpi shop. As well as recording the audio, the whole gig was also filmed and I can now reveal that we will be releasing an extremely limited edition DVD of the three tracks alongside the download.

We will only be selling 200 numbered copies of this DVD, and initially they will be available exclusively at our final two gigs of 2011 – the EP launch party at Band on the Wall in Manchester on 20th October (tickets), and at Kings Place during the London Jazz Festival on 19th November (tickets). If there are any copies left after the Kings Place gig we will of course make them available online.

epout

epin

The DVD is pictured above, and we’re really pleased with it! Its a really nice cardboard sleeve, very minimally designed, and each DVD comes with a code to download the audio version for free. We’ll be putting some of the footage from the DVD up on youtube to preview over the next few days so keep an eye out – it looks great though!

If you can’t make it to either of those gigs fear not – we will be holding a competition to win one of 14 copies signed by a member of the band, full details to be announced soon!

Posted by Ben on 13/10/2011 at 13:55 in news and tagged , , . Leave comments here.



little bits of news

This is possibly old news if you’re signed up to our newsletter (if you didn’t receive it last week you can read it and sign up for the next ones here), but thought I’d write it here too cos both of these things are pretty exciting…

Firstly you’ll be able to hear a track from our forthcoming live EP for the first time ever anywhere in the world on Mike Chadwick’s Cutting Edge show on Jazz FM from 10pm TONIGHT! (Sunday 9th). Mike is also in charge at Band on the Wall in Manchester, where we recorded the EP in June and where we’ll be launching it with another special gig on Thursday 20th October – get your tickets in NOW…

Secondly, very pleased to announce that we’re heading into the studio next month to record for a new full length album which will be released early next year – can’t wait to get in there and get started!

Posted by Ben on 09/10/2011 at 11:18 in misc, news. Leave comments here.



band on the wall EP release & launch party

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Very excited to announce details of the release of a live EP next month, which was recorded in June at Band on the Wall in Manchester. You’ll be able to download it from our online shop on Monday 17th October, and there will be an extremely limited edition physical release available alongside the download – more details to follow soon!

We’ll be launching this EP with a big old knees up back at Band on the Wall on Thursday 20th October – tickets available NOW… If you were there in June for the recording, you’ll know that it was a really special night and this promises to be another amazing evening. This will also be our last Manchester date of 2011 which has been an incredible year for us (European Young Artists’ Jazz Award, Ronnie Scott’s twice, live recording etc etc!) so there’ll definitely be a party atmosphere!

See you there…

Posted by Ben on 21/09/2011 at 13:57 in gigs, news and tagged , , , . Leave comments here.



Burghausen TV broadcast

Its a shame I’m in Manchester over the weekend and not in Bavaria for a few reasons – better availability of quality weissbier over there, and an admittedly neglible weather improvement (4 degrees warmer and a bit less rainy according to the BBC), but mainly because if I was in Bavaria I’d be able to watch our gig from the Burghausen International Jazz Festival in March, which is broadcast almost in its entirety on BR-alpha on Sunday evening (September 18th) at 21.15 – click here for the details.

beats&pieces_RPI_5293

As many will know, we were in Burghausen to play in the final of the European Young Artists’ Jazz Award, which we were fortunate enough to win! Applications are now open for next year’s competition, and I can’t recommend it highly enough – its an amazing opportunity for any emerging acts. The deadline is November 1st, all the info is here. Good luck!

Posted by Ben on 16/09/2011 at 13:51 in misc, news and tagged , , , , . Leave comments here.



Ronnie Scott’s – 3rd August

I know its been a couple of weeks since the gig so this is a massively delayed post (I’ve been moving house, its been a nightmare…) but still wanted to write something because it was such a great night! We had loads of fun playing, the Kairos 4tet were awesome too, and everyone we met was lovely – except the trigger happy Soho traffic wardens, but thats another story…

healey twitter pic

Picture above by Sam Healey

There were a few really nice reviews that I thought I’d share too – I’ve taken out some quotes below and there’s a link to the full article as well:

Beats & Pieces reminded us that jazz can be pleasingly vulgar… few bands play work of this complexity with such passionate conviction. Movers and shakers such as [Colin] Towns, Matthew Herbert, Darcy James Argue and [Ben] Cottrell demonstrate that large ensembles remain a vital force in contemporary jazz.

John L Walters, The Guardian

Beats & Pieces dazzled with a glorious, full-bloodied set demonstrating all that’s good about big band jazz. The big band tradition is alive and well and living in Manchester.

Selwyn Harris, Jazzwise

Anton Hunter’s overdrive-guitar gave the rhythm section grunge and the soloists, notably altoist Sam Healey, trumpeter Nick Walters and adventurous pianist Patrick Hurley, brimmed with the fearlessness of youth

Jack Massarik, London Evening Standard

Thanks again to everyone at Ronnie’s for having us and to everyone in the audience (many travelling a fair few miles!) for being amazing… If you missed out this time, we’re back in town in November at Kings Place during the London Jazz Festival, tickets available NOW! See you then…

Posted by Ben on 19/08/2011 at 17:35 in gigs, news and tagged , , , , , , , , , . Leave comments here.



Ronnie’s sold out! & London Jazz Award

Our gig at Ronnie Scott’s tomorrow with the fabulous Kairos 4tet is now sold out! Hope you managed to get tickets in time if you were planning on coming down…

Also congratulations to Julian Siegel who received the London Jazz Award at the awards ceremony in London last week – very much deserved! We had a great night anyway, and once again thanks very much to you all for your sterling work on facebook and twitter to get us on the shortlist… We had the highest number of votes by a considerable margin all thanks to you, you’re all legends!

So hopefully see some of you at Ronnie’s tomorrow – if you missed out, get your tickets NOW for our next London gig at Kings Place during the London Jazz Festival in November so you won’t miss out again!

Posted by Ben on 02/08/2011 at 13:04 in gigs, news and tagged , , , , , , . Leave comments here.



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