Alex Clarke - saxes, Eddie Gripper - piano, Nick Kacal - bass, Alex Goodyear - drums
After a short stint of gigs in 2023, the quartet reunites for a swift, heavy hitting UK tour of hard-bop and feel good swing. As a finalist in the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2020, winner of the Rising Star category in the 2019 British Jazz Awards and nominee in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2021 & 2022, Alex Clarke is known to be one of the most in-demand and versatile saxophonists to have emerged on the British jazz scene. Praised for her intelligent ear for harmony and a deep knowledge of repertoire across a variety of styles, Alex’s sound is steeped in the tradition of swing and bebop, “leaving the listener captivated by every phrase and nuance” (Jazz Views).
Having “already garnered comparisons with the greats” (Jazzwise) after the release of his debut album ‘Home’, Eddie Gripper has been rapidly establishing himself as another young contender on the national jazz circuit. He has worked as a performer, promoter and producer alongside top musicians in his field, including Huw Warren, Iain Ballamy, Laura Jurd, Alex Merritt and Yuri Golubev. As a composer, he has collaborated with Welsh folk artist Angharad Jenkins in a handful of projects, exploring the various aspects of folk, jazz and contemporary classical traditions.
Nick Kacal is a bassist originally from Trinidad who has lived in London and Manchester but is now residing in South Wales. After studying with Tony Hougham, the principle bass of the Covent Garden Opera, he moved to London and has played as a sideman on the scene playing predominantly jazz and acoustic folk, occasionally touring to places such as Cape Verde, France and Spain. He formed his own group, Guerillasound, releasing a CD in 2008 and touring successfully in Japan.
Alex Goodyear is a UK based drummer, bandleader and composer. Since graduating from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2019, he has returned to Berkshire and has become a regular of the UK Jazz scene, working with artists including John Law, Simon Spillett, Iain Ballamy, Sam Crockatt, Alex Merritt, Steve Fishwick, Greg Abate, Jake McMurchie, Denny Ilett, Alan Barnes, Huw Warren, George Cooper, Rebecca Nash, Libor Smoldas, Nick Malcolm, and Henrik Jensen.