Remembering Johnny Hoo

Johnny Hoo, long-standing and much loved dummer of Andy Hamilton and the Blue Notes died on 5th April 2019 and was put to nrest in a wonderful and well attended send off on 3rd June. John played on both of Andys albums, Jamaica By Night and the classic Silvershine (alongside a galaxy of star names), best selling Jazz album of 1990. John’s wonderfully effervescent personality came through in his music as well as in everything else he did.

 

In recent years John has been fighting prostate cancer, but a late diagnosis meant the that it eventually got the better of him. During this period John launched and became the driving force behind...
 

“It’s a Man Thing”

 
...a campaign to raise awareness of prostate cancer among Afro-Caribbean males and encourage people to get tested. This campaign drew in Jazz musician, Courtney Pine and leading cancer specialist Professor Nick James.

 

The Voice newspaper published a couple of articles on the campaign:

• Top Doc Joins Prostate Cancer Launch
• Friends Unite To Conquer Cancer

 
Whilst you will find plenty of accolades on John’s Facebook Page
 

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John Smith & Malcolm Gibbons
Guitar Quartet - 6^th June

 

Ace guitarists Malcolm Gibbons and John Smith return to the Silvershine Club to bring us some more scintillating Jazz guitar. John and Malcolm are two of the very best Jazz guitarists in the West Midlands and have played with some of the best the region has to offer including our founder Andy Hamilton MBE and Silvershine favourites the Steve King Big Band.
 

This gig is a must for all lovers and players of guitar based music.

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Vic Evans with The Blue Notes
• 13^th June •

 

It’s Vic and the boys this coming Thursday. It will be a Jam Night, so bring you’re instrument if you’ve got one.

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Alex Clarke
with The Blue Notes - 20^th June

 

Alex Clarke is a Rising Star on the UK Jazz scene. Her swinging, melodic sound is reminiscent of Ben Webster and Lester Young.

 

At the Silvershine Jazz Club we are delighted to be welcoming a hot new talent to play with The Blue Notes. Classically trained on piano and flute, Alex now plays saxophone, clarinet and flute in her Jazz performances. Known for her versatility and open-minded attitude towards jazz, Alex enjoys performing a variety of genres from New Orleans to bebop, whilst, outside of Jazz she plays everything from Ska and Northern Soul to Prog Rock.

 

Alex has played with a lot of big names (Roy Williams, Bruce Adams, Enrico Tomasso, Gilad Atzmon...) and held the tenor sax chair in the Greater Manchester Jazz Orchestra last year.We think she will blend in perfectly with The Blue Notes.

 

This will be a gig to remember!

More about Alex at alexclarkejazz.co.uk

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•  Shaine Dorsey Band  •  27^th June  •
with Malcolm Gibbons (guitar)

 

At the Silvershine Jazz Club we start the New Year with the wonderful voice of singer, Shaine Dorsey, who will be performing with her wonderful backing band. Daughter of popular West Midlands based Jazz & Big Band Swing Singer, the late Warren Dorsey, Shaine was always a very popular performer when she joined in on Andy Hamilton's afternoon gigs at the Drum and the Symphony Hall (above).

 
Her band will feature Shaine’s regular piano player Andy Peate as well as the excellent Malcolm Gibbons on guitar.
 

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JAM NIGHT
with Vic Evans & The Blue Notes
- 4^th, 11^th, 18^th & 25^th July, & 7^th August -

 

It’s Vic and the boys this coming Thursday. It will be a Jam Night, so bring you’re instrument if you’ve got one.

 

The hot news is that youth will be combining with experience to create a new line up, with Blue Note debutant, Judah Daniels, on keys and the ever-so-young but ever-so-good Louis Hamilton-Foad on drums...

...Oh! And the magnificent Andy Gayle on sax.

• Andy Gayle - Sax
  
  
• Vic Evans - Vocals
  
  
• Paul Foad - Guitar
  
  
• Ray Brown - Bass
  
  
• Judah Daniels - Keyboard
  
  
• Louis Hamilton-Foad - Drums

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BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year, Xhosa Cole, first picked up a saxophone at the Ladywood Community School of Music, an Andy Hamilton project. From there he took every opportunity to develop his skills including a stints in the fabulous MYJO and the National Youth Jazz Collective before going on to TV success where he showcased his own composition 'Moving Ladywood'. For this gig he will be performing with the Blue Notes to play Andy Hamilton's music and his own.
 

This will be a very special night, so put in your diary now!
 

...and guess what. They’ve been rehearsing...

...plus they'll be joined by Outer Circle (the next generation!).
 

- Outer Circle -

The next generation of jazz. Fantastic night at the Silvershine Club - The Outer Circle debuted their first original song, The Master. Check it out below!

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