Allison Neale Quartet: Celebrating Paul Desmond and Jim Hall

American born altoist Allison Neale’s beautifully crafted lines evoke the spirit of Paul Desmond and Art Pepper with whom she has a particular affinity. Regarded as one of the finest exponents of the melodic West Coast style, she has performed alongside leading international artists such as Adelaide Hall and Bud Shank, US tenorist Scott Hamilton and more recently in collaboration with New York guitarist Peter Bernstein, who appears on her critically acclaimed new CD ‘Quietly There’. She has performed in both the John Dankworth ‘Generations Band’ and also the ‘Two of a Mind’ project alongside multi reed man Chris Biscoe of Mike Westbrook fame and tours the UK with her current Quartet.

As one of Europe’s finest jazz guitarists, Colin Oxley has played and recorded with vocalist Stacey Kent, US greats Bill Charlap, Warren Vache and Harry Allen, as well as British clarinettist Julian Bliss.

For this special project, altoist Allison Neale and guitarist Colin Oxley recreate the magical pairing of Paul Desmond, best known for his long standing association with Dave Brubeck, and Jim Hall, guitarist with Sonny Rollins. Drawing from these influences, they explore their own unique musical partnership, while staying true to the nature of the original recordings, beautiful in their simplicity and elegance. They will be joined two of the finest rhythm section players on today’s jazz scene, bassist Jeremy Brown and drummer Matt Fishwick.

“Allison Neale plays the alto saxophone with a tone so light and airy it positively melts at the edges”—Dave Gelly, The Observer

“A talent to savour”—Peter Vacher, Jazz UK

“...a beautiful alto sound …light and fluffy like candy floss but with much more substance. Art Pepper, Paul Desmond, early Lee Konitz hover around the edges of her playing which floats like a butterfly before landing on a flower close to your heart.”—Bebop Spoken Here, Review ‘Melody Express’

• Lineup: Allison Neale, alto sax; Colin Oxley, guitar; Jeremy Brown, bass; Matt Fishwick, drums
• Doors open at 2pm; music starts at 2:30pm
• Ticket prices £12 early birds, £15 full price, £18 on the door.

This year, the Battersea Jazz Festival is raising money for the Lily Foundation. The Lily Foundation is the UK's leading charity dedicated to fighting mitochondrial disease. We’re working towards a world in which every mitochondrial disease patient has a voice and access to treatment, support to improve their life and, ultimately, a cure. 10 million people in the UK suffer from diseases in which mitochondrial dysfunction is believed to be involved, and every other day in the UK a baby is born that will develop mitochondrial disease. The Lily Foundation is fighting to change this. £1 of every ticket you purchase will be donated directly to the Foundation’s work.