Pigfoot


Chris Batchelor trumpet: Liam Noble piano:James Allsopp baritone sax: Paul Clarvis drums

Pigfoot burst onto the London scene in 2013 with their highly original take on New Orleans jazz ‘21st Century Acid Trad’, recorded live at the Vortex. At their ongoing Vortex residency ‘Pigfoot Play’ they have been extending their repertoire in all directions, with gigs dedicated to Opera, Motown, Elvis, Bacharach and the music of 1972, all spontaneously transformed by the band’s wild musicality and wry humour.

This imaginative approach to popular material by the all star line up has been met with critical and audience acclaim at Swanage, Bedford, Scarborough, Brecon and London Jazz Festivals. They have just completed recording their second CD “Pigfoot Shuffle” due for release in September 2019.
 
Here they turn their genre-bending skills to re-workings of a range of classic material; Led Zeppelin’s raucous “Black Dog”, the 70’s funk of Curtis Mayfield’s “Pusherman”, the South African township transformation of a Mozart aria from “The Marriage of Figaro” and, typically, a medley of Elvis Presley and Wagner material.
 
The Pigfoot sound has also developed, with the  introduction of Liam Noble’s creative and individual keyboard setup, which allows Chris Batchelor and James Allsop to combine as a flexible and powerful frontline, egged on by the inspired eccentricity of Paul Clarvis’ sparky and spiky drumming. Anything can happen.
 

"There is all the musical intelligence you would expect from these four superb jazz musicians, along with a whole lot of heart and joy. There is also an admirably subversive glint in every eye. Damn, do these guys have a good time!"
Peter Bacon thejazzbreakfast.com

You can see Pigfoot here

You can buy Pigfoot Shuffle here -

 


Chris Batchelor's Zoetic

Chris Batchelor trumpet: Margrit Hasler viola: John Parricelli guitar: Steve Watts bass: Paul Clarvis percussion
 

Formed in 2018, Chris Batchelor’s Zoetic is a close-knit and sympathetic band of long term musical partners brought together to play Batchelor’s evocative compositions. The unusual combination of trumpet, viola, guitar, double bass and percussion, with this particular personnel, creates a distinctive and atmospheric group sound.

The collective sensibility shared by Zoetic’s stellar line up is the result of years of playing alongside in many different projects. Guitarist John Parricelli and bassist Steve Watts were fellow members of the legendary ’80’s big band Loose Tubes, for which Batchelor was a key composer. Paul Clarvis, here on tabla and hand percussion, has been a member of Batchelor’s eclectic quartet Pigfoot for over ten years, while violist Margrit Hasler is a more recent addition to the UK scene, having previously featured in Mark Lockheart’s ‘Ellington In Anticipation’, another post Loose Tubes connection.

Zoetic’s 2023 album Telling The Tale (Pokey Records 002) reflects the breadth of Batchelor’s global influences and inspirations, ranging from the mysterious, cinematic title track to the rolling township groove of Elephant Lane, the spiky rock sounds of Huckster, the vibrant Andalusian inspired Corneta and the beautifully melancholic ballad Canto Triste by Brazilian singer songwriter Edu Lobo.
 

A highlight of the gig-going year. The music casts its net wide for idiom and influence. The approach of the ensemble, led by trumpeter Chris Batchelor forges a distinctive sound and mood; quietly spellbinding, unfailingly uplifting” Mike Collins jazzyblogman.wordpress.com

“As always with Batchelor, around half the pleasure comes from the compositions and the other half from the performances, which, as might be expected from a lineup of this calibre, are terrific”  Chris May Allaboutjazz.com

“A melting pot of an album full of grace and charm - what a welcome diversion from the norm” Stephen Graham marlbank.net

“Zoetic’s sound is melodically catchy without a cliché in earshot, produced by creatively idiosyncratic individuals who simultaneously sense exactly when to make space for the interventions of partners on the fly.“ John Fordham londonjazznews.com
 
Feature here by John Fordham in LondonJazzNews

You can see Zoetic here -

You can buy Telling The Tale here -

 
 
 

Zone-B

Chris Batchelor trumpet: Steve Buckley alto sax: Rob Luft guitar: Tom Herbert bass: Gene Calderazzo drums


An exciting new group led by the telepathic frontline combination of Steve Buckley and Chris Batchelor, who have enjoyed a long and fruitful playing partnership which started even before the formation of Loose Tubes in the 1980's.

They went on to feature in bands such as Microgroove, Taxi Pata Pata and Bosco D'Oliveira's Grupo Folia before making several influential albums as co-leaders, including the ground breaking multi-track recording Life As We Know It. 

The international group Big Air that they subsequently formed with Myra Melford, Jim Black and Oren Marshall in 2002 received universal critical acclaim and their CD was described as "the best British jazz record for 20 years" by Brian Morton in Jazz Journal.

Re-united in Zone-B, Buckley and Batchelor have joined forces with the world class rhythm section of Rob Luft, Tom Herbert and Gene Calderazzo to present fiery and soulful original music inspired by the range and depth of the musical experiences they have had together.

You can see Zone-B here:

https://youtu.be/jIzX4Orf94E

http://youtu.be/-HB2FYEFmy0

http://youtu.be/e8YRIDJ8xBU

 


Big Air


Chris Batchelor trumpet: Steve Buckley reeds: Myra Melford piano: Oren Marshall tuba: Jim Black drums

Genre-mashing international quintet, Big Air is a collaboration between UK jazz artists and some of the leading US players - Chris Batchelor & Steve Buckley (Loose Tubes) , Myra Melford, Jim Black & Oren Marshall. Their first release on Babel won five star reviews from The Guardian, BBC Music Magazine and was described in Jazz Journal by Brian Morton as "the best British jazz record for 20 years".

For bookings contact Lee Paterson +44 (0)7947 103892 lee@gogobetween.com