The California Club, 195 Foxhall Road, Ipswich IP3 8LB

Performances 8.00 to 10.30pm : usually every third Sunday of the month

Advanced bookings - Dave : 01473 231 552

Click to view a map ... Click to download a map

Comfortable - friendly - air conditioned-fully carpeted well stocked bar
at very reasonable prices - tea and coffee

Click HERE to see last year's programme( 'Links / Previous Gigs ... 2008')

Click HERE to download the current programme (pdf)

Sunday January 11th 2009

Scott Hamilton Quartet ... £13.00

What more can be written in praise of the world’s best mainstream tenor saxophone
player who continues to tour the globe?

We are again privileged to be able to present this giant of mainstream jazz in the idealintimate
setting of the California Club.

Scott Hamilton brings his regular English band with him to The Club. This includes the excellent
John Pearce on keyboards, that doyen of the double bass Georgiou Allessandro and the erudite drummer Steve Brown to complete the quartet.

Sunday February 15th 2009

Kate Williams Quartet ... £11.00

Kate has connections with this region going back to her student days at the University of East Anglia. However this will be her first visit to The California Club and her appearance is long overdue.

The Club is pleased to present Kate with her new quartet which includes Stan Sulzmann on saxaphone and flutes, Jeremy Brown on double bass and Tristan Mailliot on drums

Sunday March 15th 2009

Asaf Sirkis Trio ... £10.00

And now for something completely different. Perhaps best known by our audience, as the regular drummer for Gilad Atzmon tonight is a chance to hear Asaf’s own band performing his original music.

The trio featured at the Club will be Asaf Sirkis on drums, Tassos Spiliotopoulos on guitar and
Yaron Stavi on electric bass

Sunday April 19th 2009

Keno Kings ... £11.00

The band was formed in Norfolk over 12 years ago and has achieved considerable
success as a live and recording band.

The band consists of Phil Selby, guitar and vocals, Mick Alden, harmonica and vocals,
Steve Jinks on bass guitar and Dave Sparrow on drums.

Sunday May 17th 2009

Eriko Ishihara Quartet ... £11.00

Pianist singer and composer Eriko was born in Tokyo and has been playing piano since the
age of four. She graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and
has been steadily playing on the British Jazz Circuit.

At the Club Eriko will play keyboards accompanied by Colin Oxley on guitar,
Simon Thorpe on bass and Sebastion de Crum on drums.

Sunday 21st June 2009

Karen Sharp ... £11.00

It is always a pleasure to welcome back home town girl Karen who has now played at the Club
in several different contexts. Tonight Karen is joined by Robert Fowler in a two tenor
saxophone and clarinet extravaganza tribute to those maestros Al Cohn and Zoot Sims.

On the bandstand tonight supporting the two tenor sax and clarinet stars will be Robin Aspland
on keyboards, Simon Thorpe on double bass and Matt Home on drums.

Sunday July 26th 2009

Michael Hanson and David Newton ... £12.00

David Newton has been voted Best Jazz Pianist so many times that he must have run out
of space to display the awards. Thirty years playing jazz in a variety of contexts,
particularly his Trio, and accompanying singers like Stacey Kent qualifies David
as being Britain’s best “pound for pound” leading jazz pianist.

At the California we have the chance to hear him in the perfect Club setting accompanied
by Michael Hanson on Guitar.

Michael is very well known to Club regulars as he used to live in Ipswich and was a massive
contributor to the local jazz scene over many years. He scores through excellent all
round musicality, fluid playing and good taste.

We can recommend tonight’s performance as a highlight of the year!

David Newton Keyboards and Michael Hanson guitar.

Crystal clear sophisticated jazz not to be missed for any reason.

Sunday August 16th

Alan Barnes with the David Newton Trio ... £12.00

Alan opened our current run at The California Club in December 2006 with a storming
evening of jazz which set the Club off again in the right direction in our new surroundings.

It is fair to say that the Club has been very successful in the new location so that it is with
great pleasure that we can welcome back Alan to play for us tonight.

Alan can play all the saxophones and clarinet with equal fluency, has jazz awards too many
to mention, is an excellent raconteur and presenter and owns his own record label which
has issued many splendid and critically acclaimed CDs. What more can you ask?

Well this evening Alan is accompanied by the David Newton Trio!
So you have the UK’s leading sax player with one of the best piano trios in the world.

Alan Barnes saxophones and clarinet, David Newton keyboards, Andy Cleyndert bass
and Matt Skelton drums.

This is as good as it gets

Sunday September 27th

Matt Wates Sextet ... £12.00

We have been trying for years to book this band and at last we have succeeded.

Matt was born in London in 1964 and graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 1988.
He has been leading this particular band for about twelve years and released eight CDs of the group.

Playing firmly in the jazz tradition of the great small groups of the nineteen sixties Matt is
inspired by Horace Silver and Art Blakey. The emphasis of the band is on medley and
straight ahead swing as well as playing music that is fun to play.

The Sextet plays about 80% original compositions of Matt with the remaining 20% being
drawn from the “Great American Songbook” standards.

Matt Wates alto saxophone, Steve Main tenor saxophone, Martin Shaw trumpet and flugelhorn,
Leon Greening keyboards, Malcolm Creese bass and Matt Home drums.

“This is quite simply the best British band in years” Steve Voce Gramophone Jazz.

Sunday October 18th

Gilad Atzmon ... £11.00

Gilad played a phenomenal gig here at the Club last April. It is in response to the many requests
we received that we have brought him back albeit with a different bass player and drummer.

Gilad was born in Israel in 1963 but has been living in the UK since 1994. He has been happy
to play in many contexts with diverse artists ranging from Ian Drury and the
Blockheads, Robbie Williams to Sir Paul McCartney.

At the Club Gilad will be performing with his regular jazz band. This features him on
all types of saxophones, clarinet and flute, with Frank Harrison on keyboards,
Jeremy Brown on bass and Stephen Keogh on drums.

Over the years Gilad has built his reputation on powerful performances marrying invigorating
saxophone playing with his middle-eastern influences. It is an opportunity to hear first rate
exciting playing in a unique modern style.

One word you do not associate with Gilad is conservative in any of
its meanings. Expect musical fireworks tonight!

Sunday November 8th

Kaz Simmons ... £10.00

Born in Hove East Sussex, Kaz made her stage debut singing solo at
the age of four at the Brighton Dome.

Since then she has graduated from Goldsmiths College London and studied
Jazz Performance at the Trinity College of Music.

Now established as a jazz artist on guitar and vocals, Kaz regularly performs at the
Pizza on the Park, The Vortex, and Ray’s Jazz shop at Foyles.

Kaz has released two CDs the first being “Take Me Home”. Richard Niles on BBC Radio 2 said,
” On the front cover it says: Take me Home –and you ought to.”

Her latest CD is called “Different Smile” and again this has met with universal approval.
The Album contains a mixture of originals, Brazilian gems and contemporary
songs set in a sensitive and uncluttered style.

The band features Kaz Simmons guitar and vocals, Sam Crockett tenor saxophone,
Ivo Neame keyboards, Simon Thorpe bass and Dave Smith drums.

“She takes the music in new and wonderful directions” JazzReview.com

Sunday December 20th

Paul Lamb and the Kingsnakes ... £12.00

They played their first gig for the Club last May and it was such an enjoyable gig
that we thought we would like to invite them back for our Christmas concert.

Paul Lamb and his popular band have a very busy schedule as you would expect for
one of the best blues bands playing today.

Paul is recognised as one of the world’s best harmonica players with over 30 years experience.
He was influenced by that magical harmonica player Sonny Terry who made his
name with Brownie McGhee.

The band playing at the Club will be Paul Lamb (harmonica and vocals),
Chad Strentz (rhythm guitar and vocals), Ryan Lamb (lead guitar),
and Rod Demick (bass) and Sonny Below (drums).

The many awards won include BBC Awards Best Blues Band for five years and best
harmonica for six years and best blues album for four recordings.

"... Simply better than the opposition - from whatever side of
the Atlantic it happens to come". Blueprint.
"Absolute dynamite" The Times.

Coming soon ...

Sunday January 10th 2010
Scott Hamilton Quartet

Sunday February 21st 2010
Kate Williams Quintet

Sunday March 21st 2010
Sue Richardson Quintet

Richard Beckton.

This site last updated 02/07/09