Denny Ilett and Craig Crofton Quartet

Guitarist Denny Ilett is, of course, well-known as the organiser of the Bristol Jazz & Blues Festival, and is one of the few musicians around able to play convincingly in almost any style. He can be found performing in groups ranging from Gypsy Jazz through to Frank Sinatra and Led Zeppelin tributes, and along the way has worked extensively with New Orleans vocalist Lillian Boutté and king of funk Pee Wee Ellis.

During lockdown, he led his fantastic Electric Lady Big Band in a live-streamed concert from Ronnie Scott’s, and the band also appeared at the 2022 Cheltenham Jazz Festival. In July this year, Denny played in the band Blues Vibe at the Jazz Davos Klosters festival in Switzerland alongside saxophonist Craig Crofton, so it seemed natural for the two to reunite for tonight’s club date.

Craig Crofton is an Anglo-American sax and flute player who has lived in the UK for over 20 years and has built up a great reputation for the power and visceral excitement of his playing. A protégé of Marcus Printup (Lincoln Center Orchestra) he has come to develop a unique sound of his own that stands out in many musical settings. Craig has featured with artists like Kasabian, Lack of Afro, Haggis Horns, Nitin Sawhney, This is The Kit, Mr Benn, Chris Monkey and is at the forefront of popular Bristol bands Phantom Ensemble, Baila la Cumbia, Dockside Latin Orchestra, Radio Banska and Dub From Atlantis to name a few. He last played at the club in January with his band Split Tone.

Ruth Hammond, playing organ tonight, is also a fine saxophonist and vocalist. She has appeared at the club before with the Hopkins Hammond Trio and Jingu Bang, and can be heard playing sax round Bristol with Brass Junkies.

Alex Goodyear is an explosive young drummer who made a great impression at our final gig of last season featuring guest saxophonist Ed Jones.