Latest Projects......

Jupiter Muke

This is John's studio project as a producer. It stemmed from some recordings made in Rommarö Studio in June 2006. The core is John's live band which consisted of Phil Peskett // keys, Richard Pryce // bass, Davide De Rose // drums, Barnaby Dickinson // trombone and Ben Castle // saxes & flute, but since then the initial recordings have been added to, chopped and sliced, refried and broliled and now there's additional input from Joanna Swan // vocals, Luis D'Agostino // guitar, Stew Jackson // guitar, Jerry Haglund // guitar and Dan Brown // guitar. (blimey that's a lot of guitars, but they don't all play at once!) The first EP is entitled "Epic Listening" as the tracks are intense, often heavy, tender, cinematic and inspiring. New tracks are already in progress and expect to see the revamped live band emerging at some point soon. Listen at www.myspace.com/jupitermuke

Headhunters

A new music night happening every Sunday night at The Sun and Doves in Camberwell. Attracting a consistently superb collection of bands performing in the broken beat, nu-jazz electronica vein. If you feel your band might fit the bill, contact John with your manifesto at info@epiclistening.com - alternatively just rock on up and take a listen - always free - always quality!

Other production work

John has also completed producing an album with Filipina singer songwriter Mishka Adams, who is signed to Candid Records. The record is due out in October. The album features John's band "JH4", and additional pedal and lap steel guitars from Jonathan "Catfish" Thomas. Recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios in South Wales in September 2006.

Who is he?

Born and raised in Gloucestershire in the West of England, John first got a taste for music at age seven. "My sister, who was a few years older than me, started playing tenor horn in the local brass band, and so I decided I wanted a piece of it too. I remember going down to the place that they rehearse and the bandmaster handing me a trombone. I was so small at the time that my arms weren't long enough to fully extend the slide, so he offered me a cornet instead, thank god it wasn't a tuba..."

Playing cornet in brass bands was one thing, but soon John switched over to the trumpet as it was more widely used in other forms of music as well. By age 17, he was principle trumpet with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, playing all over the country in some of the finest concert halls. "I remember my time with the NYO with fondness, and the experience was invaluable, but I always felt that solely playing classical music was not enough for me. I felt a need to break out of the restraints. Jazz music was the clear choice as it encouraged musical freedom through improvisation, and when I listened to jazz trumpet players they seemed to be doing more (technically) with the horn than I had ever heard in the classical arena."

Since then, John has been carving a career in jazz and commercial music both as a trumpet player and as a composer. His trumpet has taken him around the world, working as a sideman for the likes of Jamie Cullum, The Super Furry Animals, Ilya and Shirley Bassey. His own group, "JH4", formed in 1997 have recorded one album, "Less Is More" in 2000 which was a collaboration with the highly celebrated British landscape artist Richard Long. He is also the recipient of an award for "Outstanding Musicianship" from Berklee College Of Music, Boston.

"JH4"

Formed in 1997, JH4 initially was about playing some jazz and having fun. "We all had day jobs at the beginning and so we never really had to rely on the group to earn money which was a good thing, seeing as it rarely did." The band has, however, totted up a few notable performances in it's 8 years of history, playing at the Jazz á Vienne Festival, Jazz á Antibes et Juan Les Pins, Soho Jazz Festival, and recording and album at Studio Rommarö in Sweden. "A lot of the gigs we have done have been at parties and events, where we have often had to play in other styles than jazz and so our repertoire is a real mix and this reflects in our music today." Members have included, Charlie Stratford (drums), Davide De Rose (drums), Steve Kershaw (bass), Julian Jackson (bass), Richard Pryce (bass), Michael Young (keys), Jamie Cullum (keys), Ross Stanley (keys) and Phil Peskett (keys).

The group can also boast some enviable collaborations with the band's keyboard chair being filled by Jamie Cullum for a couple of years (before he became a star in his own right) as well as gigs with singers, Martina Topley-Bird and Gwyneth Herbert. The band did a whole week of gigs at Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho in August 2005, with special guests, Martina Topley-Bird, Jamie Cullum, Sean Freeman (sax), Ben Castle (sax), Barnaby Dickinson (trombone), Luis D'Agostino (guitar), with 4 out of 6 nights sold out.

For bookings: info@johnhoare.co.uk