The Wild Flower Sextet has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Sponsume.com to help raise funds towards our debut album, which we’re recording in February this year with support from the Jazz Services Recording Support Scheme – check out the page at http://www.sponsume.com/project/wild-flower-sextet-album to get involved!

Here is my video pitch for the campaign:

There are all sorts of rewards on offer from donations of £1+ up to £250!

Also come and see us play if you can – we’re at Sela Bar, Leeds, tonight or Wakefield Jazz on Friday.

Matt Anderson and Jiannis Pavlidis Duo – Alone Together

Matt Anderson and Jiannis Pavlidis Duo – When Sunny Gets Blue

Matt Anderson and Jiannis Pavlidis Duo – Solar

I’m very grateful that Jazz Services has kindly awarded the Wild Flower Sextet a place on its Recording Support Scheme 2013. The funding this provides will enable us to record our debut album in February next year, with a view to touring this nationwide in the Autumn.

Part of the funding requires us to raise more money from external sources in support of the album, so we will be holding a fundraising gig in Leeds on the 16th January (venue tbc) where there will be a chance to pre-order copies through our crowdfunding campaign, more details of which will be announced soon!

It’s Wayne Shorter’s 80th birthday this Sunday the 25th August. As he tirelessly celebrates with concerts at the Hollywood Bowl and the Blue Note Jazz Festival, we’ll be marking the event with a Wild Flower show at Zeffirellis, Ambleside this Saturday the 24th.

Details here: http://www.zeffirellis.com/livemusic/event/wild-flower-quartet.

We had a great time playing at the Lit and Phil, Newcastle with the Wild Flower Quintet featuring Laura Jurd last month.

Thanks to Russell from the bebop spoken here blog who gave us a great review, available online here: http://lance-bebopspokenhere.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/wild-flower-quintet-lit-and-phil-july-18.html

I’m also very grateful to photographer Ken Drew who managed to capture these images of the gig:

I’m excited to start working with Sam Gardner again after he has joined the Wild Flower project in the place of Dave Walsh. It will be a real shame to see Dave go after some amazing gigs that we’ve done together, but luckily I’ll still get to play with him in Jamie Taylor’s Quartet. Sam and Sam Vicary already play together a lot as a popular drum and bass team for lots of jazz artists based or appearing in Leeds, such as recently Tim Whitehead, Krzysztof Urbanski and Jiannis Pavlidis, and they also play and record together in ambient hip-hop band Ikestra.

A few new shows announced for the band:

24th Oct – Matt n’ Phreds, Manchester (Quartet)
15th Jan – Scarborough Jazz (Quintet)
17th Jan – Wakefield Jazz (Sextet)

Also we are fast approaching our dates at The Lescar, Sheffield (17 July) and the Lit and Phil, Newcastle (18 July) – Dave is doing these final two gigs with the band and we’ll be joined by Richard Iles in Sheffield and Laura Jurd in Newcastle. Can’t wait!

Jazz Yorkshire is offering a £200 bursary to under-26’s who would like to participate in the Leeds College of Music Summer School. If you’re interested or know someone who might be, get in touch with Kate Tanner at the college – k.tanner@lcm.ac.uk.

More details about the Summer School (which I’m teaching on alongside Matt Roberts) here: http://www.lcm.ac.uk/courses/Short-Courses/summer-courses/summer-jazz

Robert Laing at Splinter at The Bridge, Newcastle, has very kindly made us these two HD-quality videos of our gig there on the 5th May. The sound and video are really good quality so it’s great to have these up on YouTube.

‘Come Rain or Come Shine’:

‘All or Nothing at All’: