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British Jazz Awards winner Alec Dankworth has worked with artists as diverse as Stephanne Grappelli, Abdullah Ibrahim and Van Morrison. After studying at Berklee Colledge of Music, Alec became a member of various groups, notably Clark Tracey, Julian Joseph and Nigel Kennedy. During a period of residency in New York he played with the Duke Ellington Orchestra and joined the Dave Brubeck Quartet. His group Alec Dankworth's ~Spanish Accents releases its firsts CD in July 2008. British Jazz Awards winner Alec Dankworth has worked with artists such as Stephanne Grappelli, Abdullah Ibrahim, Van Morrison and The Dave Brubeck Quartet. The Alec Dankworth Trio is his current group. Alec Dankworth studied bass at Berklee College, Boston. In 1980 he joined the Cleo Laine/John Dankworth quintet, touring the USA, Australia and Europe. His association with Nigel Kennedy has included a duet recording of Duke Ellington's 'Black, Brown and Beige' suite and also a UK tour, performing Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Alec has recorded with Buddy de Franco, John Williams, James Galway and the London Symphony Orchestra. Artists he has performed with include Mose Allison, Guy Barker, Eddie Daniels, Billy Eckstine, Georgie Fame, Stephanne Grappelli, Johnny Griffin, Pete King, Abdullah Ibrahim, Julian Joseph, Marian McPartland, David Murray, Anita O'Day, Dave O'Higgins, Courtney Pine, George Shearing, Tommy Smith, Clark Terry, Lew Tabakin, Stan Tracey, Mel Torme, and the Royal Ballet! He has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Sydney Opera House and the Royal Albert Hall. A collaboration with sister Jackie Dankworth has encompassed tours of Hawaii, the Far East and Beirut. Alec co-leads the 'Alec and John Dankworth Generation Band` which has recorded two CDs to date. Alec joined the Van Morrison group in 1995, touring Europe and America and recording three albums including 'The Healing Game'. Alec was voted 'Best Bass player' in the 1995 and 1997 British Jazz Awards. He was co-artistic director of the 'Jazz Encounters at Wigmore Hall' series. In the August '97, Alec moved to New York. He has since performed with
the Duke Ellington Orchestra, with a residency at 'Birdland'. In May 2001 Alec left the Brubeck Quartet, and is based in London. He is now working once again with John Dankworth and Cleo Laine, and with the Tina May Quartet. In 2002 The Alec Dankworth Trio was formed – an acoustic trio performing an eclectic mixture of originals and standards by composers ranging from Dave Brubeck to Abdullah Ibrahim. Featuring Phil Robson on guitar and Julian Arguelles on saxes. Some recent CDs on which Alec is featured include The Dave Brubeck Quartet 'The Crossing', and The Bill Lesage Trio 'The Right Vibes', and in July 2003 the Alec Dankworth Trio released its first CD 'If You're Passing By'. In 2006 the trio was expanded to form a new band ~Spanish Accents, featuring Cataluñan drummer Marc Miralta and violinist Chris Garrick. The new quintet plays jazz with a Spanish flavour. Alec has arranged folk tunes from Spain, originals with a flamenco rhythm and compositions from Chick Corea, Dizzy Gillespie and Jack DeJohnette. The new CD ~ Spanish Accents ~ will be released on Basho Records in July 2008 Discography Reviews |