Joel Purnell (Tenor & Alto) - Jamil Sheriff (Piano) - Zoltan Dekany (Bass) - John Perry (Drums) - Pat McCarthy (Guitar) - Kevin Holbrough (Trombone) - Andrew Colman (Trumpet) - Ben Martin (Tenor)
CAPRI
Dan Woodward (Drums) - Chris Donnelly (Elec. Bass) - Simon Nixon (Trumpet) - Steve Parry (Trumpet) - Jim Corry (Baritone Sax) - Simon Pugsley (Trombone) - Kevin Holbrough (Trombone) - Matthew Windler (Guitar) - Rob Durbin (Guitar) - Ben Walker (Vocals & Guitar), Joe Tatton (Keyboard) - Jack Foster (Percussion)
OTHER MUSICIANS
Rob Barron (Piano) - Ronnie Bottomley (Drums) - Laura Fowles (Sax / Vocals) - Graham Hearn (Piano) - Ulrich Elbracht (Guitar) - Jez Franks (Guitar) - Richard Iles (Trumpet) - Simon Kaylor (Saxophone) - Dave Walsh (Drums) - Matt Stacey (MD) - Curtis Shaw (Guitar) - Phil Steel (Drums) - Liz Tillotson (Piano/Vocals) - Rob Mitchell (Sax) - Simon Beddoe (Trumpet) - Wayne Pollock (Piano) - Paul Seaman (Piano) - Jeremy Ashby (Bass) - Errol Roberts (Drums) - Rus Pearson (Bass) - Richard Wetherall (Piano) - Mark Chandler (Trumpet)
Influences
John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Jerry Bergonzi, Michael Brecker, Phil Woods, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Bob Berg, Herbie Hancock, Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Henderson, Pat Metheny, Freddie Hubbard, John Scofield, Jason Rebello, Steve Gadd, Joey Calderazzo, Johnny Hodges, Bheki Mseleku, Dennis Chambers, Benny Goodman, The Brecker Brothers, Michel Camilo, Artie Shaw, Lee Konitz, Vincent Herring, Bob Mintzer, Steps Ahead, Jack DeJonette, Bobby Lyle, Bach, Wayne Shorter, Richard Bona, ELO, Donald Fagen, The Eagles, Rob McConnell Boss Brass, Eric Benet, Jamiroquai, Tower Of Power, Queen, Mozart, Branford Marsalis, Erykah Badu, Earth Wind & Fire, Dire Straits, Singers Unlimited, John Williams, Gary Peacock, Frank McComb, Aaliyah, Harry Connick Jr, ABBA, Sting, India Arie, Jill Scott, Radio Head, Bee Gees, Return To Forever, Snoop Dogg, The Beatles, Eminem, Lauryn Hill and all music that has something real to say...!!
UK based saxophonist, composer and jazz educator, Joel Purnell is acknowledged as one of Europe’s finest emerging contemporary jazz musicians. “A muscular, assertive saxophonist whose fluent solos show a strong sense of direction” (Jazz UK) and “the kind of attacking, melodically twisting approach that shows how powerfully he has absorbed the legacy of Michael Brecker” (The Guardian). Described by American jazz colossus ‘Jerry Bergonzi’ as a saxophonist possessing “amazing fire and energy”, Purnell’s “fire breathing solos” (Jazzwise Magazine) regularly captivate and enthral festival, club and theatre audiences throughout Europe.
Born in Bolton in 1975, Joel made his debut at the age of 15 performing regularly in the thriving jazz clubs and bars of Manchester alongside musicians such as saxophonist ‘Alan Barnes’ and guitarist ‘Mike Walker’. In 1992 Joel won the ‘Most Outstanding Jazz Soloist’ award in the ‘Boosey & Hawkes National Concert Band Festival’ before moving to Leeds in 1993 to study Jazz at LCM. Graduating with Honours in 1996, he received one of the country’s first Jazz Studies Degrees and during this period also firmly established himself on the northern jazz circuit. After completing his degree Joel toured the UK and Europe solidly for 3 years with the West End show ‘The Official Tribute To The Blues Brothers’ before returning to Leeds in 2000 to pursue a career in jazz education and to concentrate on his growing reputation as a performer on the UK and European jazz scenes. Now as one of the most sought after musicians and jazz educators of the moment, Joel Purnell is highly regarded in the educational arena by both jazz academics and students alike. Holding senior lecturer posts on the faculty at LCM since 2000, he lectures in Performance Studies and Jazz Language whilst also leading performance, improvisation and saxophone workshops throughout the UK.
With an ever expanding discography, Purnell has performed and recorded with many highly reputable bands and musicians from a wide range of genres. These include amongst others, a critically acclaimed tour and album (‘New York Minute’) with the ‘Rick Zunigar Quartet’, headed by the legendary Los Angeles jazz guitarist (formerly of the ‘Stevie Wonder Band’, ‘Chick Corea’ and ‘Freddie Hubbard’). Joel also gigs regularly as a permanent member of the innovative ‘Jamil Sheriff Octet’, where he is featured on both of the bands highly praised albums, ‘Daydreams’, and their latest release, ‘Backchat’. Away from the jazz circuit, he has worked along side the American soul diva ‘Viola Wills’ and performs, writes and records with New York’s funk club scene favourites ‘Capri’, who have recently supplied the theme tune for US MTV programme ‘The Paper’. Touring with some of the UK’s best selling rock and pop bands including the Indie group ‘Embrace’, Purnell has appeared at some of the largest live music venues in Britain whilst with another of his many projects, the ‘B3 Horns’, he has recently been featured on the latest album 'My Time' from R&B sensation 'Laura' and the eagerly awaited new album ‘Satellite Sweetheart’ by ‘Dave Formula’ (formerly of the bands ‘Magazine’, ‘Visage’ and ‘The Angel Brothers’).
In 2007, Joel Purnell wrote and arranged ten original compositions specifically for his long standing Quartet and released his debut solo album ‘Red Shift’ (GLP Records 2008) by ‘The Joel Purnell Quartet’. This internationally critically acclaimed album clearly represents Joel’s varied influences in both his improvisational and compositional styles; from the emotional ballad ‘This Is How I Knew’ to the modern contemporary title track “Red Shift”, this album demonstrates the strong connection created between these musicians since their formation in 2003 revealing a fluid, tight jazz unit, with a clear understanding of each others individual styles and the music as a whole. This “high-class band” (The Guardian) features a talented and highly respected rhythm section who all possess a true passion for jazz, musicality and improvisation; consisting of double bassist Zoltan Dekany, pianist Jamil Sheriff and drummer John Perry, ‘The Joel Purnell Quartet’ will be touring their new album extensively throughout the UK and Europe during the coming months.
The bands new album ‘Red Shift’ is now available from all major digital music stores, including iTunes, Napster, Amazon, CD Baby, Rhapsody, Emusic, mTraks, Audio Lunchbox, Sony Connect and Passalong. Alternatively, please visit
www.joelpurnell.com
for more information and downloads.
Autumn Within (by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) "... Birds are darting through the air, Singing, building without rest; Life is stirring everywhere, Save within my lonely breast...."
"Each day is a new canvas to paint upon. Make sure your picture is full of life and happiness, and at the end of the day you don't look at it and wish you had painted something different."
If you stop by my page, you can check out the short video that shows a little sample of a handful of 2009 shows that I have done so far :)
Thanks so much for the add–and your friendship. We enjoyed your music very much. Thanks for sharing it with all of us. It's a pleasure having you among our friends!
We hope you and your friends enjoy our music, too. We've just added four new compositions and two new blogs about Umano.
We wake up every morning and play the music of the new MySpace friends who have arrived at our site during the night. It occurred to us that these friends (you are among them) are almost universally positive, whether they be novices or legends, and without regard to their station in life or the country they occupy.
It also occurred to us that we couldn’t hold a verbal conversation with most of these friends, but we have bridged that gap by expressing our art honestly with each other.
We all have been filling the world with our music and art, in the hope that our messages of love and human understanding will have an impact on the world at large.
What a gift and what an opportunity we have received from this technology!
