Groove Digger

Friday 6th January, Tickets £12, Doors 7pm, Performance 9:00pm (2 sets, approx finish 11.30pm)

Groove Digger gets your weekend started at London's best jazz club Hideaway

Julia Nutter - vocals
Matt Telfer - tenor sax
Sophie Alloway - drums
Pete Duncan - guitar
Mike Flynn - bass
Jon Newey - percussion
Rowan Porteus - trumpet
Roberto Manzin - sax

Influenced by funk pioneers The Meters and James Brown’s The JBs, leading London jazz funk band Groove Digger’s smouldering sound is laced with heat of the moment improvisation, whipped into biting street-style grooves. With a mission to blend top notch jazz musicians with slamming funk, ska, reggae and Afro grooves, Groove Digger live up to their name, delving deep into driving beats and bass lines, frenetic percussion hooked to an exciting horn section and funky guitar.

Led by guitarist/composer Pete Duncan the band features some of the London music scene’s finest players including hard blowing tenorist Matt Telfer (Lauren Dalrymple Band, sessions), trumpeter Rowan Porteous (Reuben Richard’s Soul Train, Fernando’s Kitchen), and fiery Italian saxophonist Roberto Manzin. The dynamic rhythm section features versatile bass guitarist Mike Flynn (who’s worked with many top jazz, funk and world musicians) alongside in-demand drummer Sophie Alloway (who’s toured with rapper Roots Manuva, appearing at Glastonbury and on Later… with Jools Holland, and performed with the likes of Tony Allen and Mike Mondesir), while renowned percussionist Jon Newey (Jabba, England’s Glory) brings a shimmering layer of congas and percussive effects to their heavy funk rhythms.

Combining all this on a set of smouldering jazz funk classics from the JBs, The Meters, Aaron Neville and Eddie Harris alongside their own dynamic originals Groove Digger are that rare thing – a jazz band that knows how to lay down the funk – and a funk band that knows how to stretch and burn on solos. From cool school grooves to hard-hitting funk Groove Digger get the dance floor rocking and the sound system shaking.

Julia Nutter - Vocals

Julia has been singing for a number of years and throughout that time has amassed hundreds of live gigs. She graduated from The Institute of Contemporary Music in 2007 .This very thorough training afforded Julia the opportunity to study in depth many styles of music including jazz, rock, funk, pop, blues and soul .Julia joined Groove Digger at the start of 2008 and her strong, soulful voice shines through on the recent ‘Groove Digger‘ EP. Julia continues to work at The Institute where she sings and coordinates the vocal workshops.

Rowan Portens – Trumpet

Rowan is one of the top jazz and lead trumpet players working in London today. A classically trained musician, he graduated in Sonic Arts at Middlesex University, where he developed an algorithmic pitch following processor specifically designed for the trumpet. Since then, he has been doing his own solo performances as well as becoming an in demand session musician. As well as playing superbly for ‘Groove Digger’, Rowan is also involved with Salsa band Mezcla Row de Londres, Nigerian Jazz artist Tunday Antiken, Julian Bahula and Reggae artist G-Vibes.

Roberto Manzin – Saxophone

Roberto's distinctive and personal Sax sound has led to over 40 recorded album projects, many tours  and TV shows, all while continuing to develop skills on Alto, Tenor and Soprano Saxes  He is a London based Saxes and Clarinet player and composer, born in Rome of Eastern Europe  refugees who were also musicians. His music life began in Milan where he studied Music and played  with James Brown,  Donna Summer, Manu Katche and many others.  For a number of years, Roberto  played in Tony Scott's Jazz Quintet – Scott being the legendary American Bebop Clarinet player who  performed with the likes of Charlie Parker and Billy Holiday.  Roberto migrated to the more dynamic and evolving music environment of London in the mid '90's,  wanted to sample its exciting intercultural richness. In London Roberto played in Antonio Forcione band for three years and he recorded in Forcione's album "Ghetto Paradise" featuring Trilok Gurtu,  and Kai Eckhardt, John McLaughlin's rhythmic section. He performed and recorded, amongst others with Jim Mullen, Jonathan Gee, Roberto Pla, Roland Perrin, Jason Rebello, Victor Hugo. Since then, Roberto Manzin continues to appear in Jazz  Festivals in Europe including Ascot, Hull and Vilnius Jazz Festivals as well as performing regularly in London at Ronnie Scott's Bar, 606, The Vortex and many others. 

Pete Duncan - Guitar

Pete has played countless gigs since a young age covering a wide spectrum of styles including jazz, rock, blues, reggae and motown. He attended the celebrated ‘City of Leeds College of Music ‘from 1991 – 1994 and passed the ‘Jazz and Contemporary Music ‘degree. These three years proved extremely fruitful helping Pete to improve his guitar skills as well as harness his natural talent for composition and arrangement. In 1998 Pete took to the high seas and played on three different cruise ships sailing throughout the Mediterranean and Norway. Since moving to London in 1996 he has been gigging continuously and teaching as a peripatetic guitar tutor in schools,colleges and music centres throughout south west London .In 2001 Pete complemented his music degree by passing the London College of Music Electric Guitar Teaching Diploma ( post grade 8 standard ).‘Having originally formed ‘Groove Digger’ Pete has found a vehicle which allows him to fulfil his thirst for writing songs and tastefully arranging well-known covers. He has recruited some of London’s finest musicians to create the unmistakable Groove Digger sound – as the latest EP clearly demonstrates.

Sophie Alloway – Drums

Sophie is currently heavily involved in the London jazz scene; as the house drummer at several jams, running her own residencies and gigging with various jazz and rock groups. Her current groups feature in-demand bass players such as Neville Malcolm (Incognito, Gabrielle, Billy Cobham, Tom Jones, Us3), Sam Burgess (Tim Whitehead, Dave O'Higgins) and Mike Mondesir (Jeff Beck, Billy Cobham, Whitney Houston, Courtney Pine). Sophie has toured internationally with Mercury-prize nominated rapper/MC Roots Manuva, performing on the Jazz World stage at Glastonbury and on BBC 2 on Later… with Jools Holland.

Jon Newey - Congas and Percussion

Conga player and percussionist Jon Newey has been active on the London scene since the early 70’s afterwhich he formed the improvising funk sextet Crew before the cult rock band ‘England’s Glory’  with future ‘Only One’ Star Peter Perrett and played on both England’s Glory albums. In the mid 70’s he formed the street funk band Bandana with future UK ‘Subs’ leader Charlie Harper, and subsequently joined the street funk/reggae group Jabba who were well know on the London circuit from the mid 70’s to the mid 80’s, after wich he formed he formed the improvising funk sextet 'The JCB's' that also featured guitarist Julian Chapman, saxophonist Mornington Lockett and guitarist Brendan Hobon. Jon has also played and recorded with Chris Jagger, Nick Kent’s ‘Subterraneans’ and played on many sessions. From 1977 Jon has also worked extensively for the music press, including 'Sounds', 'Top Magazine' and then free-lanced for many other music titles. For the last twelve years Jon has been editor of 'JazzWise' magazine and has won several awards as an editor and writer.

Mike Flynn - Bass

Born in London, via-Stroud, Oxford, Brighton and now living in Brixton, Mike has been playing bass guitar for 24 years. Though mainly self-taught Mike has studied privately with great bass players Mike Mondesir, John Goldsby, and Rob Statham, playing music from across the spectrum of styles; from full-on rock bands to piano jazz trios, even a little classical opera group. Playing countless live gigs and numerous recording sessions, has made him a very versatile bassist. As well as holding it down with Groove Digger, Mike has played with some amazing musical talent that includes live performances with members of The Egg (playing live on MTV and Channel 5), opera singer Heather Cairncross, Soweto Kinch, Robert Mitchell, Tom Pilling, Roy Dodds, Robin Banerjee (Amy Winehouse), Lauren Dalrymple (Jazz Warriors), Mamadee Kamara (Courtney Pine, Andy Sheppard) Dylan Howe, Shannon Harris (Wheatus, Lilly Allen), Ben Sarfas (Lou Rhodes), Indian music producer NIraj Chag, and most recently singer Paula Rae Gibson plus dozens of superb jazz, rock and world musicians. Mike has also carved out an extremely successful career as a music journalist and writes regular columns / reviews as the Jazz Editor at Time Out, Jazzwise Magazine and Bass Guitar Magazine alongside many other freelance projects - Mike also won Jazz Journalist Of the Year in 2010 at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards and has been a judge on the Mercury Music Prize panel since 2008.

Matt Telfer– Tenor Sax

Since living in London Matt has studied with and had Guidance form some of the worlds leading jazz musicians including Tim Garland, Bob Mintzer, Toni Kofi, Dave O’Higgins, Courtney Pine, Phil Woods. Matt has also performed in some of the UK’s most prestigious venues and festivals such as: Carney Wharf Jazz Festival, Soho Jazz Festival, Ealing Jazz Festival, The Jazz Café, Wembley Stadium, Pizza Express Jazz Club, The Pigalle Club, The Cinnamon Club, Birmingham NIA, Ronnie Scott’s, The Hard Rock Café London. You see Matt perform with his quintet at various venues in London. Matt is an endorsee of neck pipes Yanagisawa and Rico Reeds. You can purchase Matt’s latest electronic dance music E.P Dynamite Kisses on itunes and Amazon.

"Biting Meters/JBs-style street grooves from this kicking seven-piece jazz funk band" Time Out Magazine