New college showcase at Welwyn Garden City theatre

By Alan Davies Saturday, October 20, 2012
10:28 PM

THE first live concert of a new venture takes place in Welwyn Garden City this weekend.

It’s the premiere of Herts Jazz Club’s College Collection gigs at Campus West on Sunday night, with the Birmingham Conservatoire taking the stage.

It has long been the policy of Herts Jazz to support and raise the profiles of the next generation of jazz musicians.

So, with the support of the PRS Foundation for Music, Herts Jazz’s artistic director Clark Tracey has selected the very best of the next generation still attending music colleges to perform their own compositions in WGC.

Over the coming year, Herts Jazz will be presenting College Collection, a series of concerts featuring two groups per evening, representing musicians from the Royal Academy of Music, Trinity College of Music, the Guildhall School of Music, Leeds College of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Northern College of Music.

The first set on Sunday night is from Birmingham Conservatoire, coached by Clark earlier this year.

The BCU Sextet features Jack Dring on trumpet, Robbie Fearon on tenor sax, Alan Gilbert on guitar, Andy Woodhead on piano, Stuart Barker on bass and Nathan England-Jones on drums.

A second set features a Birmingham Conservatoire alumnus recently heard at Herts Jazz with the late Abram Wilson.

The Reuben James Trio features Reuben James on piano, Alex Davis on bass and Moses Boyd on drums.

Tickets for the concert cost £11 in advance if booked online at http://www.hawthornetheatre.co.uk/whatsonstage.html

The price is £13 at the door and £8 for members.

The club is particularly keen to bring jazz to a wider audience and tickets are available for just £5 to students and under-21s.

* For more information about Herts Jazz Club visit www.hertsjazz.co.uk