Clare
was born in Cumbria and studied piano and clarinet until managing to
get hold of a saxophone. She moved to York and then to Leeds before
eventually making it to London where a successful career in pop music
ensued. Having written and played on many recordings with artists
such as David Bowie,The Communards, Mica Paris, Maxi Priest and she
spent some time working with Mervyn Africa before embarking on a solo
career based around her Quartet.
Being mainly self-taught she brings an original
approach to her compositions and performances. Her experience with
such a diverse mixture of musical styles ranging from salsa to reggae
to funk and African music, along with a heavy influence from jazz
players such as Sonny Rollins and Chick Corea, has created a unique
style. The Clare Hirst Quartet have performed at many festivals,
clubs and arts centres throughout the country and currently have a CD
out on 33 Records entitled "Tough and Tender".
The Musicians
Hilary Cameron or Andrea Vicari - Piano, Ben Hazelton- double
bass, Sebastian Roachford - Drums, Clare Hirst - Saxophones
Hilary Cameron (piano) studied at the Royal College of Music and
is a regular member of Just East of Jazz and works with her own trio.
Davide Giovannini (drums) originally from Italy, Davide spent several
years in Cuba mastering the art of timbales and latin music. He works
regularly with Snowboy and Negro Can. Phil Scragg (bass) is a unique
player whose bass solos have to be heard to be believed. He has
played in a diverse range of bands from Dudu Pukwana to The Beautiful
South and Incantation. He is alsobusy writing scores for films. Clare
herself made a recent appearance on BBC 2's "Jazz 606" series with
the Mervyn Africa Quartet.
PRESS QUOTES
'A lively sax led session...blowing some passionate tenor and
coaxing a swooningly
beautiful tone from the soprano. 'Time Out '
'A charming set showing considerable verve and
energy...recommended. '
Venue Magazine
'Breathy and evocative tenor playing'. Chris Parker,The
Times.
'Clare Hirst fields a powerful flow of ideas on both tenor and
soprano - a promising and original quartet' Jazz Rag