Report: Peter Westbrook

Jazz lovers in west Lancashire are in for a rare treat on Thursday 21st June when Southport Jazz presents major UK artist Andy Panayi in concert at The Royal Clifton Hotel.

Saxophonist, flautist, composer, arranger, bandleader, educator, Andy's graced the UK jazz and classical scenes for many years, and is currently a professor at The Royal College of Music and The Royal Academy of Music in London and the Birmingham Conservatoire.

An exceptionally gifted musician, skilled in performance, composition and arranging, Andy plays all the flutes and all the saxophones and currently leads his own groups, both jazz and classical. He also writes commissioned works and compositions & arrangements for his own ensembles.

Andy has performed and recorded with singers as varied as Shirley Bassey, Jessye Norman, Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello, and worked alongside such artists as Freddie Hubbard, Phil Woods, Wynton Marsalis, Ronnie Scott, the BBC Concert Orchestra, The Moscow City Ballet, John Dankworth & Cleo Laine ... the list goes on and on (click: www.andypanayi.co.uk)

Appearing with Andy, after his main set, will be Flute Flight, a smaller version of the Jazz Flute Big Band (JFBB), which has appeared at the London Jazz Festival and locally at the Burscough Arts Centre. Flute Flight features Andy, who is JFBB-UK music director, along with three other flautists, JFBB leader Peter Westbrook, Mark Parkinson and Gemma Blackburn. They will be supported by hard-working local pianist Tom Sykes and his trio.

Accustomed to presenting the annual Southport Jazz Festival, The Royal Clifton is a great venue for this kind of music. It will be presenting Andy in the comfortable Conservatory Bar; the concert begins at 7:30pm - tickets are £8 at the door.