Ben Holder / Will Barnes

Still in his early 20’s Midlands-based virtuoso jazz violinist Ben Holder has already made quite a name for himself on the Gypsy Jazz/Swing circuit and seems destined for great things. A graduate of the Birmingham Conservatoire this multi-award-winning violinist started life as a classical musician, but his interest in Jazz, inspired by listening as a teenager to the likes of Benny Goodman and Oscar Peterson as well as the great jazz violinists Stefan Grappelli, Joe Venuto and Stuff Smith, led him to a parallel life as an accomplished jazz musician. These days his powerful and swinging playing can be heard with a number of the North’s finest Swing outfits including Gypsy Fire and Djangology. WILL BARNES is a young, but highly rated guitarist who is creating a buzz with his energetic, technically adept playing as well as his innovative exploration of various genres within jazz. His distinctive sound mixes bebop, folk and gypsy jazz, with musical influences ranging from Django Reinhardt and Kenny Burrell to John Martin and Bert Jansch. Alongside playing, composing and touring Will also runs a successful recording company where he has worked on numerous label releases as both a producer and engineer. This is an impressive gig from two truly gifted young musicians performing in a straight ahead, swing/manouche style, and certainly worth catching.

“Ben Holder has the warmth and flexibility of a sax player, and all the extra possibilities of a string instrument - lightning speed harmonics, glissando and double stopping. Chilled and confident… he puts on a hugely enjoyable show” LondonJazz News