John Horler Trio – Celebrating Bill Evans

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A world class celebration of a jazz legend

A rare opportunity to experience one of Britain’s top jazz pianist’s playing the music he loves. John Horler Trio – Celebrating Bill Evans is at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts on Saturday 13 June at 8pm. Tickets are £18.

John Horler is a British jazz legend. He has played with everyone from Chet Baker to Dame Cleo Lane; Sir John Dankworth to Maynard Ferguson – the who’s who of British jazz stars.

This special show celebrates the music, legacy and genius of pianist and composer Bill Evans – and the direct impact Bill had on John’s illustrious musical life. The music of Bill Evans has an enduring, timeless appeal.

Evans played with the legendary Miles Davis in the 50s - performing on and contributing to ‘Kind of Blue’ - one of the all-time bestselling jazz records. One of the most sublime numbers on the record ‘Blue in Green’ is Bill’s – which was written at Miles’ request, based on two chords suggested by Miles. This year also marks Miles Davis’ Centenary.

John was a 17-year-old student at the Royal Academy of Music when he first saw Bill play live in London. It was a genuinely life-changing moment. He was so overcome and inspired that he fainted and was carried out of the venue on his brother’s shoulders. From that moment on, John devoted his life to fulfilling his ambition of becoming a jazz musician. He went on to become one of our most cherished jazz artists.

His route to success was through pub gigs and appearances on BBC’s Jazz Club. As his reputation grew, he found himself increasingly supporting American jazz stars. Later in 1993, John started making his own recordings, highlighting his own compositions alongside his favourite standard tunes.

John is joined by two musicians – Tim Wells on bass and Ronnie Jones on drums -who love and admire the repertoire just as much as John does himself. The trio have played three sold-out headline shows at Ronnie Scott’s (two with Alec Dankworth on bass). They have also appeared at East Side Jazz Club, Reading Jazz, Watermill Jazz and West Country tours. They have also played live on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune and this is their third show at Norden Farm!