Dominic Howles

As a highly respected and much-loved double bass player, Bristolian birthday boy Dominic Howles has played our club many times. His glittering career has led to him performing with many of the greats, including Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Tommy Chase, Jim Mullen, Stacey Kent, Blue Harlem and the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain! — plus TV, radio, theatre and our most impressive jazz venues.

As a composer and arranger, Dominic has produced three critically acclaimed albums, and tonight you’ll hear beautiful arrangements of some well-known classics and pieces taken from Bristolian Thoroughfare, within which you’ll detect influences from Ray Brown, Oscar Pettiford and Christian McBride.

Central to the evening’s concert is Dominic’s passion for the music of Duke Pearson and Oliver Nelson. Together, they are consistently cited as two of the most significant jazz voices of their generation. Their gifted lives were cut tragically short, but not before they left a wealth of stunning compositions and arrangements — many of which remain an integral part of the jazz songbook, and will be celebrated tonight.

Duke Pearson (1932–1980)

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, he was a talented pianist and arranger. His discography includes work with Cannonball Adderley, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Nancy Wilson, Chick Corea, Carmen McRae and Thad Jones. He became an A&R man for Blue Note, wrote numerous arrangements, and composed great songs including ‘Jeannine’.

He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the 1970s and passed away in 1980, leaving an amazing catalogue of compositions and arrangements still revered today by our finest musicians and educators.

Oliver Nelson (1923–1975)

“Perhaps the skill he mastered most keenly was his ability to turn listeners on.”

Oliver Edward Nelson was a prolific American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer and bandleader. His 1961 Impulse! album The Blues and the Abstract Truth is regarded as one of the most significant recordings of its era, and his classic melody ‘Stolen Moments’ remains a favourite.

During the sixties, Nelson became one of the most strongly identifiable writing voices in jazz. Schooled in both the American jazz and European music traditions, his arrangements could be intricate — but when it came time for a solo, it’s clear that Nelson, himself a brilliant soloist on tenor, alto and soprano saxophone, fashioned everything as the proper set-up for the featured player.

His passing in 1975 from a heart attack was largely attributed to sheer hard work and stress. He left behind an incredible musical legacy.