After living his early years in Jamaica and Hong Kong, Dominic Howles moved to leafy Somerset at the age of 13 to encounter two things he had never experienced before: snow and the Wurzels! Undaunted by such an onslaught, he soon got into playing bass guitar in local bands with influences from Bruce Foxton, Jean-Jacques Burnel, Mark King, Larry Graham, Robbie Shakespeare to Stanley Clark. Things were to change though in 1984 when Dominic saw Weather Report at the Glastonbury festival. This was to spark an interest in jazz that has carried on to the present day.

While still on bass guitar, he attended jazz workshops run by respected London session sax player and arranger John Barton, who had moved down to Frome. The move to double bass came a few of years later and from then on the acoustic side of jazz had taken over. Not long after, Dominic joined the Tommy Chase Quartet with whom he toured the country playing festivals, making TV and radio transmissions.

He then received a full scholarship to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (1991-1992) on the one year post graduate course in Jazz and studio music, whilst there he was able to play with renowned pianist John Taylor, singer Norma Winstone and saxophonist Stan Sulzmann. Since then, Dominic has been busy on the British jazz scene playing all across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He has also done TV, Radio sessions (Stacey Kent, Blue Harlem, Tommy Chase etc) and theatre shows (Ain't Misbehavin’, Sweet Charity, West Side Story, etc).

Some of the people who he has played and recorded with include:- Stacey Kent, Anita Wardell, Bobby Wellins, Don Weller, Julian Siegel, Phil Robson, Tim Richards, the Mike Garrick Big Band, Tim Whitehead and many others. Recently, Dominic has put together a few gigs for his own nonet with big influences being Jim Mcneely, Steve Gray and Thad Jones. He also has his own quartet whose normal line-up is Gareth Lockrane – flutes and the trio.

Dominic has recently recorded his own Septet album called Bristolian Thoroughfare and this quintet has already laid down some tracks for a forthcoming album.

Dave O’Higgins is a Jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, educator, recording engineer, producer and studio owner! Born in Birmingham and brought up in Derbyshire he learnt drums and piano as a child. Aged 15 he bought a saxophone and began trying to learn Wilton Felder’s solo on Street Life by the Crusaders with Randy Crawford. In 1983 he moved to London to study music at the City University where he formed the O’Higgins Quartet/Quintet in 1985 and he also toured and recorded with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. From 1986-1994 he toured and recorded with Cleo Laine and the John Dankworth Quintet, and 1986-2000 toured and recorded on and off with Icelandic fusion band, Mezzoforte.

He co-led fusion band Roadside Picnic with bassist Mario Castronari, signed to BMG Records as part of the “jazz boom” of late ‘80s and toured extensively with award winning sax quartet, Itchy Fingers. In 1990 he recorded A Clearer View with fellow BMG artist Jason Rebello, produced by Wayne Shorter. The 1990s were busy: he played several times with US vibes player Joe Locke (including one at The Albert), which led to recording a second solo cd in New York in 1994 with Locke, Joey Calderazzo, James Genus and Adam Nussbaum. Further collaborations resulted with Billy Childs, Eddie Gomez, Gene Jackson, Dave Kikowski and Gary Novak. He played a week at the Royal Albert Hall with Frank Sinatra, toured with Ray Charles, toured and recorded with Martin Taylor’s ‘Spirit of Django’, MD’d and arranged 3 songs on the cd Celebrating Grappelli with violinist Stephane Grappelli. This album was a big hit worldwide. Into to the Noughties he formed the Dave O’Higgins Biggish Band - a 10 piece band playing all original compositions and arrangements, and was given the Peter Whittingham Award for musical excellence to record Big Shake Up cd.

Presently a member of the BBC Big Band, Dave is a regular guest with Ronnie Scott’s Allstars (house band). In 2001 he toured and recorded with Jamie Cullum; 2005-2008 with Kyle Eastwood; 2002-present toured and recorded with Matthew Herbert Big Band; 2009-2011 collaborations, recordings and concerts internationally with Brazilian accordion, piano player and composer, Chico Chagas; 2010-present Brubecks Play Brubeck group formed with Darius, Chris and Dan Brubeck to celebrate the music of Dave Brubeck, including at Dizzy’s at the Lincoln Center, New York. His jazz education CV is just as long and detailed.

Steve Waterman is one of the top British jazz trumpet players both at home and on the international scene. He began his career while studying at Trinity College of Music, and since then has worked regularly on the British and European jazz scene. Steve has worked with John Surman’s Brass Project recording a CD on the ECM label The Brass Project [ECM 1478].

He’s toured Europe playing at many of the major Jazz Festivals with the Carla Bley Big Band and recorded two CDs for the ECM label. Other work with such luminaries as Andy Sheppard, Mal Waldron, Tony Coe, Don Weller and Mike Garrick has cemented his reputation os a top bracket trumpeter. Steve has recently started endorsing the new range of Waterman Trumpets and Flugelhorns made by Tim Oldroyd’s Geneva company. Steve is very committed to Jazz education. He is professor of Jazz Trumpet at Trinity College of Music in London and visiting Jazz Trumpet specialist at The Royal Northern College Of Music and The Welsh College Of Music And Drama. Steve runs his own Annual Contemporary Big Band Jazz Weekend with Alan Barnes. Steve has won numerous jazz awards over the years, and was again this year placed in the BBC British Jazz Awards.

Pianist and composer Nick Tomalin is a Graduate of Leeds College of Music and in 1993 completed a post-graduate certificate in Jazz at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Since then he has been working as a freelance musician and music teacher in London.

Nick has performed at many prestigious jazz venues in London including the 606 Club, the Jazz Café, the Vortex and Ronnie Scott’s, both with his own bands and as sideman for some of the country’s leading jazz musicians including Jim Mullen, Don Weller and Alan Barnes. In 1998 he played keyboards for the UK tour of the Motown tribute musical Dancing in the Streets featuring Edwin Starr and Jackie Graham.

Nick currently runs his own quartet featuring Gareth Lockrane on flutes and is also education manager for the E17 Jazz Collective which is a group of musicians based in the Walthamstow area.

Matt Fishwick is one of the first-call drummers in London. He, along with his identical twin brother, trumpet player Steve Fishwick, was born in Manchester, in 1976. Becoming interested in music at a young age he quickly devoured his dad's record collection of Big Band jazz, Classical music and Pop/Rock music before discovering the sounds of Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. Receiving his first drum kit at age 11 Matt entered the thriving Manchester jazz scene a few years later, together with Steve, playing his first professional gigs whilst still in his early teens.

In 1994 Matt left Manchester to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Here he met many like-minded musicians that have since made an impact on the London Jazz scene and internationally. They include Tom Cawley, Gareth Lockrane, Orlando Le Fleming, and Osian Roberts. It has been with Osian that both Matt and Steve have continued to work most closely, playing many gigs together and recording on Osian’s record label ‘Hard Bop Records’. Matt also had the opportunity to work with many other great musicians including Mike Carr, Jim Mullen as well as visiting Americans such as Scott Hamilton, Kenny Davern, Howard Alden, Harry Allen, Warren Vache, John Colianni, Ken Peplowski, and many others.

From 2004 to 2009 Matt lived in New York, Playing and working with many great musicians including Frank Basile, Adam Birnbaum, Frank Wess, Cedar Walton, Anita O'Day and Earl May amongst others. He performed at many venues in NYC including The Iridium, Smalls, Fat Cat, The Rainbow Room. In 2009 Matt returned to London where he now leads his own quartet and co leads a band with Steve Fishwick.

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