Matt Skelton presents The Blackhawk Quintet – Celebrating Shelly Manne
This will be a night of cool jazz in tribute to one of the greats of the West Coast scene of the 1950s, Shelly Manne - an extraordinary and unique artist, who has left an immense legacy of collaborations and recordings. A precise, creative, and individual drummer, he was dynamic and always deeply swinging.
This show celebrates his quintet, and their particular contribution to the Shelly Manne canon. A swinging, tight-knit unit, energised with joyful, unselfish and virtuosic participation, with Shelly’s beat, responsive encouragement, and supportive leadership always at the heart of matters.
The centrepiece of the music is inspired by a clutch of golden quintet performances captured live at The Black Hawk Jazz Club in San Francisco between 22 and 24 September 1959.
The members of Matt Skelton’s band have been hand-picked for the way they connect with, and are inspired by, their corresponding original artists. They aim to express their own originality and collective inspiration, with the Manne Blackhawk quintet as their DNA framework.
This stellar line-up comprises Jim Davison (trumpet), Mark Crooks (tenor sax), Leon Greening (piano), Jeremy Brown (double bass), and Matt Skelton (drums & leader).