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The Final BBC Young Jazz Musician 2020

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The Final BBC young jazz musician 2020 The Final The Band – Nikki Yeoh’s Infinitum Nikki Yeoh (piano), Michael Mondesir (bass) and Mark Mondesir (drums) Matt Carmichael Matt Carmichael: Hopeful Morning Saxophone Matt Carmichael: On the Gloaming Shore Matt Carmichael: Sognsvann Deschanel Gordon Kenny Garrett arr. Deschanel Gordon: Haynes Here Piano Deschanel Gordon: Awaiting Thelonious Monk: Round Midnight Alex Clarke Bernice Petkere: Lullaby of the Leaves Saxophone Dave Brubeck: In Your Own Sweet Way Alex Clarke: Before You Arrived INTERVAL Kielan Sheard Kielan Sheard: Worlds Collide Bass Kielan Sheard: Wilfred's Abode Oscar Pettiford: Blues in the Closet Ralph Porrett Billy Strayhorn arr. Ralph Porrett: Lotus Blossom Guitar John Coltrane arr. Ralph Porrett: Giant Steps John Parricelli: Scrim Boudleaux Bryant: Love Hurts JUDGING INTERVAL Xhosa Cole BBC Young Jazz Musician 2018 Saxophone Thelonious Monk: Played Twice Xhosa Cole: George F on my mind Announcement and presentation of BBC Young Jazz Musician 2020 2 BBC young jazz musician 2020 Television YolanDa Brown Double MOBO award winning YolanDa Brown is the premier female saxophonist in the UK, known for delicious fusion of reggae, jazz and soul. Her debut album, “April Showers May Flowers” was no.1 on the jazz charts, her sophomore album released in 2017 “Love Politics War” also went to no.1 in the UK jazz charts. YolanDa has toured with The Temptations, Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Billy Ocean and collaborated with artists such as Snarky Puppy’s Bill Laurance, Kelly Jones from Stereophonics and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. A broadcaster too – working across TV and radio, including her eponymous series for CBeebies, "YolanDa’s Band Jam", which recently won the Royal Television Society Awards as Best Children’s Programme. For the BBC Proms she hosted the Ella and Dizzy Centenary, as well as Last Night of the Proms, Gospel Choir of the Year for BBC One and BBC Young Jazz Musician. She co-presents Loose Ends with Clive Anderson on BBC Radio 4, covers for Trevor Nelson and Vanessa Feltz on BBC Radio 2 and presents her own show “YolanDa Brown on Saturday” on Jazz FM. YolanDa has also appeared on a whole host of TV shows including Celebrity Mastermind, Sunday Brunch, House of Games and BBC Breakfast. YolanDa was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by the University of East London and was also invited to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace. A champion of the importance of music education, YolanDa is chair of Youth Music (the largest music education charity in the UK). In 2018 along with philanthropist James JP Drake, she launched the "Drake YolanDa Award" offering grants for emerging musicians. An entrepreneur too, YolanDa launched the “London Saxophone Festival” in 2018. From concerts for children, to film screenings and the very popular Sax Village, it is a welcome addition to the festival circuit. YolanDa loves to drive fast cars around race tracks in her spare time – if you can seriously imagine her having any – and can even rattle off a Rubik’s Cube in around five minutes (on a good day). She is a real renaissance woman, set to reach new heights. 3 BBC young jazz musician 2020 The Finalists Matt Carmichael Saxophone Matt Carmichael: Hopeful Morning Matt Carmichael: On the Gloaming Shore Matt Carmichael: Sognsvann Born in the highlands of Scotland, Matt began playing saxophone aged 11 at school thanks to his local music service and was later introduced to jazz by saxophonist and mentor Allon Beauvoisin. Early performance opportunities came through the East Dunbartonshire School’s Jazz Orchestra, NYJOS and the Tommy Smith Youth Jazz Orchestra before enrolling at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow where he is still a student. Matt will release his debut album ‘Where Will The River Flow’ in early 2021, featuring Fergus McCreadie (piano), Ali Watson (bass) and Tom Potter (drums) who have been performing across the UK and beyond over the past few years. Matt’s music reflects his love of both Jazz and Folk, with the Scotsman newspaper claiming he ‘has developed an exciting Scottish style of his own.’ Some other fantastic artists Matt has recently collaborated with include Mark Hendry, Luca Manning, corto.alto, The Joshua Elcock Big Band, Alan Benzie, JM Jazz World Orchestra, Seonaid Aitken, Jonny Mansfield, Peter Wilson, Charlie Stewart, Fat-Suit and Mezcla. Deschanel Gordon Piano Kenny Garrett arr. Deschanel Gordon: Haynes Here Deschanel Gordon: Awaiting Thelonious Monk: Round Midnight Twenty-two-year-old pianist Deschanel was born in Hackney and attended youth programmes such as the Hackney Creative Jazz Ensemble and the Julian Joseph Jazz Academy. Growing up he was surrounded by a wide range of music from gospel to reggae, and was inspired aged ten by a video of virtuoso pianist Oscar Peterson. This sparked his love of jazz and he switched from classical to jazz piano training. Deschanel plays in his own trio and with various bands across the London jazz scene, including the Mercury Prize nominated SEED ensemble and as a regular with Mark Kavuma’s The Banger Factory, also featuring on the album of the same name. He has performed at the likes of Ronnie Scott’s, The Barbican, the Love Supreme jazz festival in East Sussex, the Gent Jazz festival in Belgium and Winter Jazzfest in New York. Called ‘the piano man to watch’ by London Jazz News, Deschanel graduated from Trinity Laban in 2020 with first class honours. 4 BBC young jazz musician 2020 Alex Clarke Saxophone Bernice Petkere: Lullaby of the Leaves Dave Brubeck: In Your Own Sweet Way Alex Clarke: Before You Arrived Alex is a 20-year-old saxophonist, flautist and clarinettist, originally from South Cheshire now based in Warwick. Beginning her music journey at a young age playing classical piano and flute, Alex has been playing the saxophone since the age of 14. Alex has benefitted from tuition from Andy Scott, Dan Whieldon and Alan Barnes, and is also an alumnus of the National Youth Jazz Collective. After studying for a year at The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Alex left to focus on her career as a performer. She now studies with Dean Masser and juggles her busy gigging schedule with a full-time job as Music Assistant at Warwick School. As well as leading her own bands, The Alex Clarke Hot Five (traditional/New Orleans) and her straight-ahead quartet, Alex has performed alongside notable names such as Bruce Adams, Gilad Atzmon, Dave Newton and Art Themen. Alex released her debut album ‘Mirage’ in 2018 and won the Rising Star category in the 2019 British Jazz Awards. Kielan Sheard Bass Kielan Sheard: Worlds Collide Kielan Sheard: Wilfred's Abode Oscar Pettiford: Blues in the Closet © Jonathan Trotman Kielan is an upright and electric bassist and composer from London. He started playing classical double bass at the age of nine and began experimenting in rock on the electric bass at eleven. During secondary school he played in the Habs Big Band and was taught by Tom Taylor, Matt Herd and Jon Ormston. Kielan joined the Junior Royal Academy of Music when he was fifteen, when he was taught by Gareth Lockrane. It was during his three years there that he got serious about playing jazz. Kielan began studying at Trinity Laban in September and loves being surrounded by like-minded musicians. He has composed an album’s worth of tunes and aims to record a full album by 2022. 5 BBC young jazz musician 2020 Ralph Porrett Guitar Billy Strayhorn arr. Ralph Porrett: Lotus Blossom John Coltrane arr. Ralph Porrett: Giant Steps John Parricelli: Scrim Boudleaux Bryant: Love Hurts Currently in his 3rd year at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Ralph studies jazz guitar with John Parricelli, Stuart Hall, Colin Oxley, Tommy Emmerton and classical guitar with Jørgen Skogmo. Ralph loves performing and improvising in a variety of styles, especially jazz. Ralph draws inspiration from Wes Montgomery, Bill Frisell and Mike Walker. Regular performances with his trio consolidate these influences and catalyse the development of his voice as an improviser. Memorable moments include performing at the Music for Youth Proms, playing with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and hearing the orchestral arrangements CBSO commissioned him to write, performed at Symphony Hall by ‘Project Remix’. Before moving to London, he attended Jazzlines, National Youth Jazz Collective Summer Schools and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Junior Department, where he studied with Mike Williams and Percy Pursglove. Ralph is proud to be part of the wider Guildhall community and has performed on mandolin with the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican. He is also a member of Guildhall Jazz Singers and played for the Opera Department's premiere of ‘The Angel Esmeralda’. Ralph is thrilled to be in the BBC Young Jazz Musician 2020 Final! 6 BBC young jazz musician 2020 The Band – Nikki Yeoh’s Infinitum Nikki Yeoh Piano Nikki Yeoh is a creative free spirit who, although deeply rooted in the language of improvisation, is open to a range of music that leans as much to populism as it does high art. Since her emergence on the British jazz scene in the mid-90s, pianist © Nick White Nikki has proved to be an improviser, composer and all-round adventurer who has continually sought to broaden her musical horizons. Accomplished soloist as she is, Nikki has also excelled as a composer; this is borne out by the number of very significant commissions. Among her most notable recent works are Suite Of Seven Tunes, based on the seven deadly sins for the internationally renowned reeds virtuoso John Sunman, and River Spirit, written for New College Boys’ Choir following a commission from Oxford Contemporary Music.
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