All That Jazz!
A celebration of the best of jazz on film, both fiction and documentary, and supported by two outstanding live jazz trios.
An Evening with Spike Wells and the QOW Trio Film and Live Jazz at the Guildhall, Priory Park, Chichester Booking Ref
Thu 19 Aug 20:00-22:30 (Guildhall) Gig at 20:00: Film at 21:15 Tickets £15.00
Spike Wells and the QOW Trio
A couple of years ago, I was looking for a new musical adventure and found this in the form of “QOW” (so named after a tune composed by Dewey Redman). Instead of the usual piano trio, this group is formed of tenor saxophone, bass and drums. The saxophonist is the brilliant young virtuoso Riley Stone-Lonergan and the bassist is my old friend Eddie Myer. We play in a deliberately wide range of styles, ranging from the swing era, through bebop to the avant-garde, slipping in the odd calypso, standard and ballad on the way! Our first CD was recently released on the Ubuntu label to great critical acclaim, and we hope that the cinema audience will really love our music.
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chichesterfilmfestival.co.uk
A Love Supreme
The story of a creatively driven and spiritually motivated man, this film traces the unique career of Spike Wells, renowned jazz drummer, aka Fr. Michael Wells. Anglican Spike achieved early success on the drums during the 1960s and 70s with the Tubby Hayes Quartet. He also toured with Stan Getz, Roland Kirk and Ronnie Scott and did stints as house drummer at Ronnie’s club. After too many late nights and miles on the motorway, he opted for a secure day job by qualifying as a lawyer, but music didn’t take a back seat for long. He was soon back, joining the bands of Peter King and Bobby Wellins. Then another twist. In his mid-40s, a religious conversion led swiftly to the priesthood. After this, he happily combined parish work with his beloved jazz gigs. And still does. The film was first released in 2000 featuring interviews with the drummer, his family, Bobby Wellins and others. This 2020 edit has been updated and extended with additional interviews from Simon Spillett, Art Themen and Wells reflecting on his life to date. UK 2000/20 Gary Barber 60m
