In Jan 2011, in an inspired move, we brought you “Bookshop – Unplugged’, acoustic sessions  in an intimate setting, and we’ve been bringing you closer to beautiful music ever since. Come along and experience a ‘Bookshop Unplugged’ gig and you’ll be hooked…

Darrel and Mike

Darrel Mayhead & Mike Trim

7.00pm Friday 26th February

Wivenhoe Bookshop

Join us as ‘Bookshop Unplugged’ returns with another intimate evening of beautiful music between the bookshelves with two superb guitarists.

We’re delighted to welcome Darrel for his Bookshop debut. He is an excellent guitarist who specialises in jazz and funk but can turn his hand to most styles. He co-leads a jazz quintet and gigs with kora player Josh Doughty.

When Darrel and Mike started playing together last year the chemistry was there right away. Expect sparks to fly in a warm, intimate setting. This one’s not to be missed!

 Tickets £7.00 – to book yours call us on 01206 824050, or reserve by email. Early booking is advisable due to limited availability.

UNPLUGGED EXTRA!

Guitarist Chris Allard

Chris Allard & John Turville

from 7pm Thurs 18th December

Wivenhoe Bookshop

Tickets £12

We’re mightily privileged to be hosting an extra special ‘Bookshop Unplugged’ with two world class jazz musicians, Chris Allard and John Turville.

Chris will be on electric and acoustic guitars, accompanied by one of the finest pianists in the country, John Turville.
This duo cover a lot of ground stylistically, and will be featuring a varied selection reflecting their passion for lots of different music,  including some of each of their original compositions, some jazz standards, contemporary Argentine tangos, and some Bach violin music (on the guitar!).

Guitarist Chris Allard has performed at many prestigious venues and festivals, including the Royal Albert Hall, Montreux Jazz Festival, Duoro Jazz Festival Portugal, Royal Festival Hall, BBC Proms in Hyde Park, the O2. He has performed and recorded with Jacqui Dankworth, James Morrison, Russell Watson, Gwilym Simcock, Ken Peplowski, the BBC Big Band, Jamie Cullum, Alison Balsom, amongst others.

He has appeared on numerous albums, and recording sessions at studios including Abbey Road, Pinewood Studios, Maida Vale, and has performed live on TV and radio many times.

Chris also leads his own band, which has played all over the UK and in Europe, at the International Guitar Festival, Ronnie Scott’s, Maison Musique in Turin, Italy, St James Theatre, London, amongst others, and had radio-play in Los Angeles and Portugal. Their last album received critical acclaim including four stars in Guitarist Magazine.

Praise for Chris Allard

“One of the great guitarists in this country” Jamie Cullum BBC Radio 2

“Full-blooded solos…right on the money” Jazzwise

“Great playing…beautiful, a real guitar player” Pat Martino

Pianist John Turville

Pianist John Turville  is an experienced composer as well as a trained classical and jazz pianist, and currently directs the E17 big band.

He has toured the UK and Europe with Gilad Atzmon and is currently working with Tim Garland’s Lighthouse Trio, Tim Whitehead, Guillermo Rozenthuler’s folkloric quartet ‘Rioplatenses’, Dog Soup, and the Koby Israelite Group.

He has played at all major UK venues including Ronnie Scotts, the 606 Club, Pizza Express, the Bloomsbury Theatre, Bridgewater Hall, St Davids Hall Cardiff and the Sage Gateshead. John is also the pianist for many tango groups, including the Birmingham-based ‘El Ultimo Tango’ and Transtango, a multimedia project featuring Tim Garland and Eduardo Vassello

Praise for John Turville

“‘Conception is a highly personalised album of contemporary piano jazz that confirms Turville’s status as one of the brightest young stars in the UK jazz firmament.” (Ian Mann, The JazzMann, 4 stars)

““World-class… exquisite… consistently inventive and beautifully performed throughout, Conception is one of the best jazz recordings I’ve heard in 2012  (John Adcock, Jazz Journal – 5 stars)

Tickets £12, early booking advisable. To reserve your ticket, phone the bookshop on 01206 824050, or email.

Double Bill!

Sinead Orme and Mike Trim

From 7pm Friday 6th December

Wivenhoe Bookshop

Tickets £6

With a wonderful voice and an extraordinary gift for writing deeply personal and evocative songs, Sinead Orme (pictured right) is a very special talent. Born and raised in Dublin, singer-songwriter Sinéad  has been living in Essex for 6 years. She has gigged around Essex, Suffolk, Cambridge and London in various Folk Clubs, Theatres and Music Festivals.

Sinead first met Mike onstage at a charity gig where they had agreed to play together unrehearsed, and they brought the house down! Since then they have become close musical friends, Mike producing her debut album ‘Chapters’.

Mike is a powerful songwriter, along with his unique guitar style, his songs weave their very personal story. As a finale Mike and Sinead will join forces to round off this intimate but powerful evening.

Sinead’s CD album ‘Chapters’ is on sale at the Bookshop. Each of the eleven songs have been inspired by a chapter in Sinéad’s life; The uplifting optimism of New Chapter and Sunrise, the beautiful simplicity of the love songs Twelve and Echo and Narcissus, the poignant nostalgia of childhood in The Little Corner, which is embodied in Irish traditional folk, the powerful, political protest of Over these Gates and Blindfold, and the sophisticated jazz style songs To a Little Girl and Red Shoes.

Mike’s CD album “Songs from the Crucible’ is also available at the bookshop.

Tickets £6, early booking advisable. To reserve your ticket, phone the bookshop on 01206 824050, or email.