The Ridouts - Mark, Alex (BBC Young Musician Of The Year) & Tom

Well, this is a fun gig! The band tonight will feature two generations of great jazz musicians, father Mark Ridout on guitar along with his Award-winning children, son Tom on sax and recorder and daughter Alex on trumpet. A busy professional musician, Mark Ridout has performed in many of the country's major venues and his fluent and muscular playing has been heard with the likes of Jimmy Smith, Babara Dennerlein, Tony Martin, Natalie Cole and Jane Monheit. He also includes numerous studio sessions for both and jazz and popular music artists, has performed on 'Strictly Come Dancing' and with Alison Moyet on the 'Lesley Garrett show' and can be regularly heard with the BBC Big Band. As an educationalist his credits are equally impressive, including teaching work on both the Wavenden Jazz and Loire Summer schools amongst many others. Tom Ridout is in his final year studying jazz saxophone at the Royal Academy of Music where he has been awarded the prestigious Richard Turner Jazz Prize. He is a member of NYJO, was a finalist in the BBC’s “Young Jazz Musician of the Year” Awards and is also a composer, fronting his own quintet playing his original compositions, which includes amongst others a gig here at the 606 Club! Currently studying at the Purcell School of Music and at The Junior Department at The Royal Academy of Music, Alex Ridout was one of only two UK teenagers selected to attend the Brubeck Institute Summer Jazz Colony in California last August and performs regularly with the National Youth Jazz Collective. However, she has more recently shot to fame as the 17-year old winner of this year's BBC “Young Jazz Musician of the Year” Awards (yes, they were both in the finals!). And we haven't even talked about their Mum yet, the wonderful saxophonist Leigh Etherington (who sadly is not performing this evening). One very talented family! I have worked with Mark off and on for over 12 years now and can attest to his wonderful musicality and ability. Accompanied by a rhythm section featuring the upcoming Flo Moore on bass and Tristan Maillot on drums it is with great pleasure that we welcome this band to the Club this evening.

"Mark Ridout...brilliant" Jazzwise;
"Mark Ridout...impressive" London Jazz Review;
"fiery, focussed soloing by impressive tenor saxophonist Tom Ridout" Jazzwise;
"Alexandra...stood out because she connected with everybody...she gets it and I think rhythmically...was just streets ahead...it was beautiful" Julian Joseph (Chair BBC YJMoTY)