This promises to be an exciting project for Jim Hart’s trio; I’ll let him explain his choices…..

For this tour Michael Janisch, Dave Smith and myself are joined by two great musicians. Antonin-Tri Hoang plays alto saxophone and clarinet and is a rising star of the French contemporary scene. I met him 3 years ago on an album recording we were both on and was really blown away by his playing. He combines a contemporary approach to improvising and extended technique with a deep knowledge of jazz history. I invited him to play with Cloudmakers and we did a Jazz on Radio 3 session and a gig at the Pizza Express and I was sure I wanted to do more after that. It has been great to write for him in this project. We are also joined by Hannes Riepler on guitar who is a lynch pin of the London scene having moved here via Amsterdam from his native Austria, 10 years ago. Hannes and I have been playing in the Anglo-French band Electric Biddle for about 3 years and we have developed an ever-deeper musical relationship from playing in a purely improvised setting together. He has developed a beautiful sound palette with pedals and loops which is going to add so much to the sound of the group.

Jim Hart is one of the most in demand musicians on the European jazz and alternative music scene as a soloist and sideman on both drums and vibraphone. Now living in Alsace, France, Jim was resident in London from 1996 - 2014. After studying at Chetham's School of Music and the Guildhall Scholl of Music and Drama, Jim first started making a name for himself in the UK as the drummer for NYJO and on vibes with Martin Drew's New Jazz Couriers, Gwilym Simcock's Elftet and the Christian Brewer Quintet. He has become a very established musician on the British Jazz scene playing in the groups of Stan Sulzmann, Sir John Dankworth and Cleo Laine and Alan Barnes and worked with the likes of Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Julian Arguelles, Mike Walker, Lianne Carroll and Peter King to name a few. He is a five time recipient of a British Jazz award.

He started his own group Gemini in 2003 with whom he went on to become a founder member of London's LOOP Collective. He has recorded five albums under his own name. As well as being a bandleader he also plays regularly on vibes in rising Sax star Marius Neset's ‘Birds’, the Ivo Neame Quintet/Octet and with Stan Sulzmann's ‘Neon Quartet’. He plays drum kit with Julien Lourau's ‘Electric Biddle’. Outside of the jazz world his drumming has kept him busy with a number of projects including Sister Mary and the Choirboys and he has been involved in several projects exploring music of West and North African Origin including Dan Nichols' Point X, Bex Burch's Vula Viel, Fofoulah and Electric Jalaba. Jim has toured extensively with visiting American musicians in the last few years including Ralph Alessi (with whom Cloudmakers Trio recorded their first album Live at the Pizza Express), Joel Frahm, Jaleel Shaw and Terrel Stafford, and in 2010 he was a special guest with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra as part of their London residency at the Barbican Centre.

Michael Janisch has established himself as a tireless creative force across the developing international spheres of contemporary improvised and experimental music. Based in London (originally from the USA), he successfully traverses this creative topography as electric and double bassist, composer, bandleader, producer, session musician and record label owner (Whirlwind Recordings); and with an infectiously enthusiastic and influential spirit, he continues to energize and shape the current, bustling, international scene, giving rise to London Jazz's statement: "Contributions like Janisch's - both as bassist and as producer - to the musical life of our great city are beyond price."

His current cross-genre project as composer and bassist (and fifth album as a leader), Paradigm Shift - which ambitiously combines electro-acoustic, contemporary jazz, free improvisation, future-funk, multi-metered groove, punk and electronica - has seen the release of the eponymous, far-reaching double album (October 2015). Michael has performed with (select list): Gary Burton, Quincy Jones, Roy Hargrove, Joe Locke, Dianne Reeves, Joe Lovano, Vincent Herring, Evan Parker, Will Vinson, John Taylor, Ambrose Akinmusire, Wynton Marsalis, Chris Botti, Jeff Ballard, Jason Rebello, Tim Garland, Gary Husband, Greg Osby, Aaron Parks, Martin Taylor, Kurt Elling and even accordionist Richard Galliano.

Dave Smith is one of the most in-demand drummers on the British alternative /improv music scene. He currently holds the drum chair in Robert Plant's (Led Zeppelin lead singer’s) solo project, as well as the Cloudmakers Trio. Drawing on a wide range of influences, from West African percussion to jazz drumming, his explosive style and musical sensitivity give him the versatility to play in many musical environments. By the time he was sixteen Dave had performed at the Royal Albert Hall and had won a full scholarship to become a specialist musician at Wells Cathedral School. He then went on to study Jazz Performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he graduated with a BMus in 2003. Dave is also known for his work in co-leading Outhouse, a Loop Collective group that formed in 2005. Since releasing their debut record on the Babel label, Outhouse have toured the UK and performed in Canada, Germany, France and West Africa. Dave travelled to The Gambia to study Sabar drumming through ECCO (Education through Communication and Culture Organisation). Learning the complex rhythms of West Africa inspired Dave to lead a project in The Gambia with Outhouse and five Sabar percussionists, forming the new group Outhouse Ruhabi. They showcased their new music in May 2008 at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, recorded for BBC Radio 3 and recorded an album that was launched in October 2009 with a 15-date UK tour.

Dave also performs and recorded with award winning world music outfit Juju (Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara) Berber/Parisian singer Iness Mezel, Loose Tubes' Mark Lockheart Quintet, Donny McCaslin (USA) Eddie Henderson (USA) and Ingrid Jenson (USA) amongst others.

Since arriving in London in 2006 (after completing his studies in Amsterdam) Austrian-born guitarist Hannes Riepler has become an integral part of the London jazz scene. Passionate about forging new musical friendships and creating performing opportunities Riepler established the 'Vortex Downstairs Jazz Night' held every Sunday evening at London's renowned Vortex Jazz Club. This weekly gig has attracted international attention not only for its incredibly high standard of musicianship but also for being the place to 'hang' for both local jazz musicians and those visiting the capital alike. Riepler's second album as a leader Wild Life evolved from one of these sets in which bassist Oli Hayhurst sat in with visiting New York saxophonist Chris Cheek and London-based drummer James Maddren. The energy and chemistry between the four musicians was so immediate and natural that a European tour ensued and the album (the follow up to acclaimed debut release The Brave) swiftly followed. This band may be with us in springtime. Known also for his work with French saxophone star Julien Lourau (Electric Biddle), Riepler also is a member of US-drummer Jeff Williams' band. He holds teaching positions at Trinity Laban Conservatoire and Middlesex University (London).

Antonin Tri Hoang plays alto saxophone, clarinet and bass clarinet. He studied at Paris Conservatory and for five years he played in the French National Jazz Orchestra (ONJ), playing the music of John Hollenbeck, Gil Goldstein and Robert Wyatt, among others. He published his first album Aeroplanes in duo with pianist Benoît Delbecq in 2011. Currently he is performing with different bands: jazz music (Paul Lay Quartet, Matteo Bortone Travelers, Umlaut Big Band) or experimental music (Watt, Novembre, Désordre) while composing and exploring improvisations. He is regarded as one of France’s most promising horn players.

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