Summer Festival: Jazz Night

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A night of contemporary jazz, improvisation, new music and creativity from Leeds based musicians Doomtet, Simeon Walker and Will Blackstone.

Doomtet:
Dave Edwards (bass guitar & electronics)
Anna Chandler (saxophone)
Will Blackstone (trumpet)
Nico Widdowson (keys)
Steve Hanley (drums)

Hailing from Leeds, Doomtet are the new kids on the UK Jazz scene with a sound that brings together intimate melodicism, lush harmony and intrepid improvisation. The influence of acts such as Kenny Wheeler, Maria Schneider, Wayne Shorter and Pat Metheny is not unique to Doomtet; many Contemporary Jazz acts draw upon that soundworld. Under the direction of band leader Dave Edwards, however, the band still manage to stand out in a crowded scene. To this day a self-professed “metalhead”, Edwards’ compositional influence gravitates towards darker, heavier genres. Written into the band’s music are sounds drawn from the likes of Meshuggah, Intronaut and Deafheaven, setting Doomtet apart from their Jazz contemporaries.

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Simeon Walker (piano)
Steve Hanley (drums)

Pianist & composer Simeon Walker returns to perform at University of Leeds having forged a career as an artist, performer, composer and educator across a wide variety of musical styles and disciplines, since completing his studies at the School of Music in 2008.

He will perform solo piano works taken from a range of recent successful and acclaimed releases, before concluding with new music in the form of a piano and drums duo, accompanied by Leeds-based drummer and improviser Steve Hanley. This new duo brings together two experienced musicians exploring the boundaries between composed and improvised music drawing on their influences across the classical and jazz spectrum.

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Graduate Profile

Dave Edwards
BA Music (international), graduated 2019

Dave Edwards is a bass guitarist born in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, but for whom Leeds has been home over the past 7 years. Having graduated from the University of Leeds in 2019, he has gone on to tour with acts such as Rosie Frater-Taylor and August Charles, alongside making a name for himself as a soloist.

Dave lays claim to being one of the only musicians in the UK committed to composing and performing for solo bass guitar, having drawn influence from innovators like Janek Gwizdala & Rich Brown. His music draws on Jazz, Electronic and Classical soundworlds; the latter influence taken from his musical parents. His debut studio record is anticipated for release in late 2022.

With his group Doomtet, Dave consolidates one further influence: Heavy Metal. Having formed the soundtrack of his youth, Dave writes his metal influences into the band’s sound; the resulting dirge intertwined with lush harmony, intimate melodicism and intrepid improvisation. Several singles from the studio are expected later in 2022, in addition to their current body of work: Live at the Escape Room.

Graduate Profile

Simeon Walker
Popular and World Music, graduated 2008

His music receives regular broadcast on radio, notably BBC Radio 3’s ‘Unclassified’ & ‘NightTracks’ programmes, appearing also on BBC 6Music, Radio 4, World Service & BBC Introducing shows; alongside Seattle-based KEXP and Berlin-based NeoFM. His music has been streamed in excess of 20 million times across a variety of online platforms, featuring prominently on Spotify’s Peaceful Piano & Classical New Releases playlists.

Simeon founded and continues to curate Brudenell Piano Sessions – an intimate and varied series of live music events highlighting the diverse and varied music being composed and performed on the piano. Held at one of the UK’s most iconic music venues, Brudenell Social Club, these events seek to give a platform for new and emerging artists to present their work in an informal, supportive and encouraging atmosphere, whilst challenging audiences’ perceptions about the environment and performance conditions of where this work can be heard, and providing opportunities for new musical discoveries.

In 2020, Simeon completed an MMus in Composition with distinction at Leeds Conservatoire, working with renowned composers such as Errollyn Wallen, Matthew Bourne and Ben Gaunt, with a focus on expanding his harmonic language and approach to structure, amidst the increasing influence of composers such as Howard Skempton, Morton Feldman, John Cage, Arvo Pärt and Laurence Crane in his work. Having trained as a singer alongside the piano, he also retains a keen interest in choral music.