Jim Hart Jazz Vibes Drums Piano London

Jim was the winner of a 2007 British Jazz award, the 2006 British Jazz award for 'Rising star' and the 2006 Worshipful company of musicians Bronze medal.

Originally from Cornwall, Jim Hart began playing Drums and Piano at age four and soon furthered this to include tuned and orchestral percussion.

One of the most in demand musicians on the London scene on Drums, Vibes and Piano, he now plays regularly with Martin Drew's New Jazz Couriers, Stan Sulzmann, Gwilym Simcock, Alan Barnes, Paul Clarvis and The Matt Wates sextet to name just a few. He also busy with his own projects- Gemini, who released their debut earlier this year, and The Jim Hart Quartet.
He has also played with Phil woods, Shaun Escoffery, The Herbaliser, Franco Ambrosetti, The Heritage Orchestra, Airto Moreira and many more.

Jim’s major project at present is Gemini. Formed several years ago as a vehicle for Jim to present his original compositions it has steadily developed into a serious working band. The release of his debut album Emergence brought great acclaim from critics and lead to a very successful UK tour in 2007.

Another of Jim’s current projects is The Jim Hart Quartet. The band features Jim’s arrangements of classic jazz standards. There is an emphasis on pushing the boundaries of standard jazz harmony and exploring new rhythmic concepts within the framework of well know tunes.

Other projects Jim is involved in include: The New Jazz Couriers, Quentin Collins Quartet, Alan Barnes/Jim Hart/Paul Clarvis Group- (The liquorice-stick all-sorts!), Stan Sulzmann Trio, Anjali Perin Quartet, Chris Lowe Quintet, and Matt Wates Sextet.

Jim is a founder member of the London based improvised music collective LOOP. His album Emergence was the first release on their recently formed label LOOP Records.

Jim Hart - Vibes | Ivo Neame - Alto | Mick Coady - Bass | Dave Smith - Drums

Jim Hart's Gemini was formed in the summer of 2003 and has, since then, been making a big impression on the London and the wider UK Jazz scene as part of much talked about Loop Collective. Their debut album 'Emergence' reveals a band with a fresh sound but one which has some years of playing together behind it.

The music is all written by Vibes player Jim Hart - winner of both the 2006 British Jazz award for 'Rising star' and also the Worshipful Company of Musicians 'Young Jazz Medal 2006'. It is rhythmically charged whilst always melodic and ranges from straight ahead swing through free-improvisation, West African, Latin and Funk grooves to simple and soulful ballads. In his writing the influences of Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Kenny Wheeler and Keith Jarrett can be heard.

Much of the music on the album is written in such a way that the pieces can become journeys from one place to another rather than always returning to an already stated theme. This method of 'through-composition' can be heard on the opening track 'So You Said' and on "The Code' and 'Waiting Game' which are linked to create over15 minutes of continuous music.

'No Noodle', 'Checkout' and the title track 'Emergence' are all played to a more conventional structure but are rhythmically very interesting and showcase the dynamic rhythm section of Mick Coady on Double Bass and Tom Skinner on Drums. Ivo Neame completes the quartet on Alto Sax. His individual style creates a real openness within the music. This is particularly evident on 'Liner Notes', a playful tune with freely improvised solo sections.

Gemini's sound and rhythmic feel is fueled by the fact that all the members of the quartet are rhythm section players. Both Jim and Ivo are much in-demand on other instruments. Jim works a lot on the Jazz scene as a drummer and also as a pianist. While Ivo Leads his own piano trio, soon to release their debut on 'Loop records', as well as playing piano and keyboards in several other bands from the collective. With this shared sense of time combined with the strong melodic nature of the writing and the openness of the improvising 'Emergence' is an album which is uplifting and exciting.

Jim Hart - Vibes | Ivo Neame - Piano | Mick Coady - Bass | Tristan Maillot - Drums

This dynamic group first got together in 2005 for the purposes of recording. Although this was the first time the four had played as a group, Jim had had musical associations with them all in other groups for some years. The result was a common ground combined with an exciting freshness which is still surprising them all.

The band plays arrangements of standards and some lesser known jazz repertoire ranging from Sarah Vaughan to Lee Konitz as well as some of Jim's own tunes. It is straight ahead jazz at it's most invigorating. Boundless and open it has the potential to go anywhere whilst still swinging like mad.