Steve Waterman & Karen Sharp

with

Dave Jones piano, Alan Vaughan bass and Martin Webber drums

steveRenowned as one of the top British jazz trumpet players both at home and on the international scene, Steve began his career while studying at the Trinity College Of Music, and since then has worked regularly on the British and European jazz scene.
Steve has a remarkable recording career, spanning the past 20 years, and has worked with a great variety of jazz and cabaret artists worldwide. Steve has his own quintet and in 2003 formed his 18-piece jazz orchestra playing his original competitions.
He is professor of Jazz Trumpet at The Royal Academy Of Music and Trinity College of Music in London and visiting Jazz Trumpet specialist at The Royal Northern College Of Music and The Royal Welsh College Of Music And Drama. Steve also teaches on many summer jazz courses and has conducted numerous Trumpet master classes and workshops ranging in size from small groups to big bands throughout the UK and in Spain, Finland, Latvia and Cuba.
Steve is very committed to Jazz education. He has co-written with John O'Neil a highly acclaimed Jazz Trumpet tutor book - THE JAZZ METHOD FOR TRUMPET published by Schott & Co.

Karen took up the tenor saxophone whilst studying composition at the Royal Northern College of Music. A friend introduced her to a recording of Dexter Gordon and she was instantly hooked, quickly joining the college jazz band and finding regular work in a busy soul band based in Liverpool. Since moving to London in 1999 She has become a busy freelance musician working alongside the likes of Jim Mullen, Sir John Dankworth, Roy Williams, Clare Teal, Alan Barnes, Danny Moss, Mark Nightingale, Paul Lacey’s Back To Basie band, Dick Sudhalter, Barbara Lea, Gary Scott, Ellyn Rucker, Tina May, Nikki Iles and Esther Miller. In March 2004 Karen took over from Kathy Stobart in Humphrey Lyttelton’s band playing tenor and baritone saxophone.

As well as appearing with Humphrey Lyttelton, Karen writes for and plays baritone and tenor with her own quintet. The band has played at many festivals and jazz clubs both in the UK and in abroad including the Silda Jazz Festival-Norway, Edinburgh Festival, Swanage Jazz Festival, Hamburg Feast of Jazz, Newbury Festival, Oundle Festival, Bures Jazz Festival, Coventry, Isle of Wight, Isle Of Man and Keswick Jazz Fesitivals. Karen has also appeared at Wakefield jazz Club, The Stables-Wavendon, The Concorde Club, and numerous other jazz venues across the country.

Featured with the band is vocalist
Esther Miller

“Voice, style and presence – she has it all. A great talent.” Humphrey Lyttelton

Esther MillerEsther Miller is a jazz singer of the classic school, possessing an outstanding technique, sensitive interpretation and an eclectic repertoire. She was born and raised in Port Elizabeth, South Africa's east coast motor city, where she sang in church and school choirs and raided the family Nat King Cole albums for early inspiration.

She started off as the vocalist with Gerry Spencer’s “Jazz Cyclone” – one of the leading bands on the South African jazz circuit at the time. During this early apprentice she worked with some excellent players, including guitarists Herb Ellis, Johnny Fourie, Errol and Alvin Dyers - saxophonists Winston Mankunku and Ezra Ngkukana, Bassist Basil Moses, to name but a few
Esther has honed her technique with classical singing lessons and delved into jazz history to take her inspiration from Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Shirley Horn and Blossom Dearie as well as the jazz/pop of Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.

Now she's settled in the U.K. and performs in many different settings most recently, appearances at the 2008 Cleethorpes Jazz Festival; 2008 Burton Agnes Jazz Festival, the 2007 Cape Town Jazz Festival with trumpet star, Jeremy Pelt; the 2007 Jazz Divas Festival on the Isle of Wight; the Cheltenham Jazz festival with her quintet.

Other festival appearances include the 1st Lockerbie Jazz Festival, with Jim Mullen and Alan Barnes; the 2006 Swanage Jazz Festival; 2006 Swindon Jazz Festival; 2005 Silda Jazz Festival, Norway, the 2005 Jazz Divas Festival on the Isle of Wight, 2004 Cork Jazz Festival, Ireland, The 2005, 2004, 2002 & 2001 Birmingham International Jazz festivals where she won universal critical acclaim with sell-out performances.
Esther is also a regular performer at various venues around the UK.

Recorded works include her 2006 album “Dream Dancing” - “Invitation” in 2002 – “Say Hello to Esther” in 1999 - and numerous television appearances in SA.
The latest addition to her discography is the album “A Place in the Sunlight” which was recorded in September last year. The project is in collaboration with Pianist/Composer, Steve Melling who has been working very closely with Esther over the last year. The album also features Trumpeter, Steve Waterman; Bassist, Zoltan Dekany and Drummer, John Perry. Peter King performs a guest spot on alto saxophone. "A Place in the Sunlight" was released in July 2009 and includes Band members: Steve Waterman – trumpet, Karen Sharp – Tenor Sax, Steve Melling – Piano, Zoltan Dekany – Bass, John Perry - Drums