Saturday 29th June 8.00pm Tickets £8 (£6 concessions)

We are delighted to announce the eagerly anticipated return of Kettering born jazz supremo Dave Keech and his sextet Close to the Bone. After wowing the audience here at Kettering Arts Centre twice before , they are returning again – but this time with a brand new show: a New Orleans special.

Expect gutsy rhythms and hot solos over struts, stomps and rags as they recall the roots of jazz.

Close to the Bone describe themselves as devout jazz disciples influenced by soul, reggae, ska, funk and hip-hop and inspired by greats like Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk and Charles Mingus.

Dave was born and bred in Kettering started playing the trombone at the age of 11 after being inspired by his grandfather’s brass band-fuelled passion for the instrument. He began playing in the school band whilst a pupil at Kettering Boys School and was taught by Maxwell Thornton, former trombonist in the famous GUS band.

He was exposed to serious jazz at the age of 13 and by 18 was playing professionally in pubs and clubs in various jazz groups in the Northants area. He continued to play professionally and was thus able to fund himself through art school, starting out at Nene College and then going on to graduate with an MA from the Royal College of Art, London in 1989.

Dave spent several years as a mainstay of the Ray Gelato’s Giants, touring extensively throughout Europe from northern Finland to southern Italy, as well as appearances at Montreal Jazz Festival and Carnegie Hall, New York. He made numerous TV appearances and recordings with Ray including the highly acclaimed “The Full Flavour” on Linn Records, on which one of Dave’s own compositions “Since You Moved In With Me” features.

Dave is passionate about the arts and sees his work as designer, artist and musician as being seamlessly connected. His long stint as Associate and senior designer at Lord Foster’s world renowned practice bears witness to this; he was with Norman Foster for over ten years, even playing at his wedding!

In 2002, Dave and his young family moved to Japan, invited to join Yamaha’s creative team as musical instrument designer. During his time there he produced some ground-breaking designs ranging from electronic keyboards to new digital drum kits. At this time he was designing musical instruments by day and playing extensively and recording as lead trombonist with Japanese contemporary big band The Blue Notes Jazz Orchestra by night.

Dave’s new six piece band, Close To The Bone, draws on myriad influences ranging from Duke Ellington to Charles Mingus and is a vehicle for compositions by Dave and co-writer Chris Lamptey. Dave’s composition “Demonology” co-written with South African producer and guitarist James Ribbans, has recently been selected for a forthcoming film on British sculptor and pop art giant, Sir Eduardo Paolozzi.

When not performing, Dave runs London-based design company Keechdesign (www.keechdesign.co.uk), is a senior visiting tutor at the Royal College of Art, and is a trustee of the London-based arts charity, Olympian Arts.

Tickets available (after 27th March) from Waterstones, Tourist Info, Kettering, St Andrew’s Church.

Contact Becky on 01536 513858 (except Fridays) or willsbecky@googlemail.com Also available online here

top image courtesy of Richard Derwent.