Jazz: Tammy Payne

Tammy Payne is an excellent vocalist who tonight presents her new project featuring her Latin-flavoured original songs performed by some of Bristol’s finest musicians.

“Tammy Payne is one of the finest jazz and soul singers that the UK has produced in the last two decades” – Kevin Le Gendre **** BBC ONLINE

After releasing a couple of dance chart hits, notably “Take Me Now” on Gilles Peterson’s now iconic label Talkin Loud in the early 90’s, Tammy took a U-Turn. Rather than make the soul/dance album fans expected, she took time out to play congas in salsa bands, travel to Brazil to learn bossa nova and release eclectic music under various guises. This period saw her sing, drum and write with a long line of co-producers including Boca 45, Sissi, Smith and Mighty and Jukes as well as touring as a drummer with PJ Harvey producer John Parish. 2010 album Don’t Think Twice under the band name Tamco [Edition Records] presents her as a radical re-interpreter of classic songs, and following release Viva Outsider received further positive reviews: “She’s exceptionally soulful with a story-teller’s gift for immersing herself in the tales she tells.” – Bruce Lindsay, All About Jazz.

Trombonist Joe Bradford is a familiar face on the Bristol scene. Having grown up playing in local big bands, Joe studied in the USA for a couple of years before returning to Bristol as a professional player. You may have seen him playing with Baila La Cumbia, the Big R Big Band, Soma Soma or the Dockside Latin Orchestra, and he is now also running a popular series of jazz workshops.

Multi-instrumentalist Ruth Hammond plays piano tonight, but is equally well known as a sax player and vocalist, she’s played keys before at the club with the Hopkins-Hammond Trio, and appeared on sax with funksters Jingu Bang.

Bassist Will Harris somehow juggles his two careers of musician and medical doctor – having studied at the Royal Academy he performs with many of London’s top players as well as many Bristol bands including The Jazz Defenders.

Drummer Paolo Adamo grew up in a tiny village in the southern Italian region of Molise. He attended the Thelonious Monk Jazz Academy of Campobasso for nine years, and for six years participated in Jazz Puzzle, an annual seminar in Belgium where he played with musicians from all over Europe, and which helped inform his decision at age 19 to relocate to Bristol to pursue a career in music.