Tickets £8, Doors 7pm, Performance 8pm

Gregory Fine feat. Paul Morgan and Martin Drew

Gregory Fine - piano

Paul Morgan - bass

Martin Drew - drums

Gregory Fine, one of Russia’s most outstanding pianists, was born in July 1949 in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia’s fourth largest city (known as Gorky in Soviet days). It was an era when jazz had been prohibited by Stalin for being the “music of the capitalists” and budding jazz musicians had to practice their dark art secretly – in the stark knowledge that an unpleasant fate could befall them.

Gregory’s musical career began aged 6, when he began to play in his father’s dance band, his passion for both music and rhythm leading him to study dance and ballet as well as his instrument. His ability took him into the legendary Soviet production line for classical musicians, eventually graduating from one of the world’s elite conservatories, the Gnessins Institute (now the Gnessins Russian Academy of Music) in Moscow, also winning the prestigious Dmitry Kabalevsky Piano Competition for young pianists aged 17 in 1967.

It was hearing the Canadian pianist, Oscar Peterson, aged 15, that set his heart on a career in Jazz and he became determined to lead his own trio and play in the style of his idol. After graduation he joined the Samara State Philharmonic as soloist and, as restrictions on jazz began to lift, embarked on a solo tour of the Republic’s entire Philharmonic system.

In 1989, Gregory’s first LP, “Fascinating Rhythm” was released on the official Soviet label, Melodia, and that year also marked his first international performances, appearing across Europe, in the UK, and at the Montreal Jazz Festival.

His appearance tonight reaffirms his connection to his musical idol, as he performs alongside former Peterson drummer, Martin Drew, with whom he first recorded an album back in 1998. In fact, tonight’s concert is part of their latest recording collaboration, as the performance will be recorded live for their forthcoming album and DVD - which means that all your appreciation and applause will be committed to musical posterity as well!