Jazz on 3 - Mike Walker's Ropes at the Manchester Jazz Festival

Jez Nelson presents the world premiere of guitarist Mike Walker's Ropes project. Commissioned by the Manchester Jazz Festival and held at the Royal Northern College of Music, the sell-out event saw the local jazz hero accompanied by a full string orchestra and a specially assembled quartet - lifelong collaborator Iain Dixon on saxophones and clarinet, Steve Watts on bass, Les Chisnall on piano and US drummer Adam Nussbaum. Walker has been at the core of the Manchester jazz scene for over two decades and has performed with many global names such as Anthony Braxton, Bill Frisell, Tim Berne and John Taylor. Widely regarded within musicians' circles as one of the best, yet least well-known guitarists, Walker has recently released his debut album entitled Mad House and The Whole Thing There, having worked on it for the last 10 years. Mike Walker’s Ropes Recorded at The Manchester Jazz Festival, July 2008 PLAYLIST JAZZ ON 3 SIGNATURE TUNE Artist Russell Gunn (Russell Gunn – trumpet, Gregory Tardy & Bruce Williams – reeds, Andre Heyward – trombone, Chieli Minucci – guitar, James Hurt – keyboards, Rodney Jordan – bass, Woody Williams – drums, Khalil Kwame Bell – percussion, DJ Apollo - turntables) Track Title Seventy Four Miles Away Composer Joe Zawinul Album Title Ethnomusicology Volume 1 Label Atlantic JEZ NELSON INTERVIEWS MAGNUS ÖSTROM FROM E.S.T. CD TRACK Artist Esbjörn Svensson Trio Track Title Ab Initio Composer Esbjörn Svensson / Dan Berglund / Magnus Östrom Album Title Leucocyte Label ACT MIKE WALKER QUINTET & AND THE MADHOUSE STRINGS RECORDED AT ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC, PERFORMING ‘ROPES’ – A MANCHESTER JAZZ FESTIVAL COMMISSION (23RD JULY 2008) LINE UP: Mike Walker – guitar, composer, arranger
 Iain Dixon – clarinet & tenor saxophone Les Chisnall – piano
 Steve Watts – double bass
 Adam Nussbaum – drums Madhouse Strings: Ben Holland, Becca Thompson, Anthony Banks, Paula Smart, Julia Hanson, Sarah Whittingham, Simon Gilks, Martin Clarke, Cath Yates, Jacob Lay, Sarah White, Suzie Gibbon - violins
 Rachel Jones, Alex Gayle, Jackie Anthony, Jayne Coyle - violas
 Barbara Grunthal, Hannah Roberts, Tim Smedley, Esther Harriott - celli
 Dan Storer, Sian Holland - basses SET-LIST: 1) Still Slippy Underfoot (Walker) 2) Madhouse (Walker) 3) Devon Bean (Walker) JEZ NELSON INTERVIEWS MIKE WALKER CD TRACK Artist Mike Walker Track Title Real Embrace Composer Mike Walker Album Title Mad House and The Whole Thing There Label Hidden Idiom JEZ NELSON INTERVIEWS MIKE WALKER CONTINUED SET-LIST CONTINUED: 4) Ropes 1 (Walker) 5) Ropes 2 (Walker) 6) Ropes 3 (Walker) LINKS: http://www.mike-walker.co.uk/ http://www.myspace.com/mikejswalker CD TRACK: Artist Albert Ayler Track Title Rollins Tune Composer Sonny Rollins Album Title The First Recordings Label Sonet