"Dan Banks: Jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher Dan Banks is based in Medway, Kent. Although initially self-taught Dan has studied classical piano under the tutelage of Tim Carey, and jazz piano, theory, arranging, and composition with Eddie Harvey and Brian Everington. Additionally, Dan holds a Masters degree in performance (awarded with distinction) from London College of Music.

Dan's influences as a pianist are broad. His initial experience of music came from the likes of Paul Simon, The Beatles, and Ricky Lee Jones-all played a lot at home when he was a child. However, when he started formal piano lessons, these focussed entirely on the classical tradition. His formative experience of learning 'classical' music has remained, and still now Bach, Bartok, and Debussy feature in his practice on a regular basis. In terms of Dan's jazz influences these range from what you'd expect (Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock), to the more contemporary (Eldar Djangirov, Joey Alexander, Jason Rebello, Michel Camilo, Michel Petrucciani, Craig Taborn, Uri Caine, Marc Copland), via the non-pianists (Miles Davis, Chris Potter, John Coltrane, Wynton Marsalis, and many more).

Dan is house pianist at the Bassment where he has performed with British Jazz luminaries including: Tim Garland, Jay Phelps, Laurence Cottle, Ian Thomas, Mark Nightingale, Paul Higgs, Nigel Price, Yazz Ahmed, Gareth Lockrane, Mark Armstrong, Jim Mullen, Vasilis Xenopoulos, John Etheridge, and many more. Alongside this, Dan regularly appears in the rhythm section at Trevor Taylor's Jazz825 club in Southend-on-Sea, supporting musicians such as Josh Ison, Geoff Warren, and Roberto Manzin.

In February 2017 Dan released his debut album, Two In a Box, featuring Roberto Manzin (sax), Paul Higgs (trumpet), José Canha (double bass), and Josh Law (drums). This album was inspired by the classic Blue Note sound of Horace Silver, Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, and many others. It consists of seven original compositions from Dan and has received highly positive reviews in numerous publications. In December 2018 Dan released his second quintet album, Simulated Cities, featuring the same musicians and another seven original compositions, and a small set of dates supporting this release is planned for mid-2019.

During 2018, and in response to his doctoral research, Dan began exploring alternative modes of composition and performance-particularly free-jazz and improvised music. As a result of this, he has been working on a project with Trevor Taylor (drums and percussion) and José Canha (double bass) exploring the intersection between free-jazz and sonification (transforming data into sound), using this as a platform to mediate and examine issues of anthropogenic climate change. The result is a captivating DVD and CD box set, not only presenting the finished product but also documenting the process and motivations behind the project; this will be available from FMR records in early 2019.

As a sideman Dan performs regularly with various Essex-based projects including: Solar, a jazz-funk outfit featuring Alex Hearn on guitar, Ben Hearn on bass, and Joshua Law on drums; The Simon Hurley Quartet, guitar-led ensemble headed up by Colchester based guitarist Simon Hurley, also featuring Andy Staples (double bass) and Alex Best (drums); The Julia Quinn Band, a five-piece band performing an eclectic set ranging from Joni Mitchell, through the Great American Songbook, to subtle and imaginative re-arrangements of popular music, featuring Julia Quinn (vocals), Tony Sandeman (guitar), Marc Cecil (drums), and Andy Staples (bass); and Tony Sandeman's 'Natural Selection', a five-piece band exploring some of the more unfamiliar corners of the jazz-fusion repertoire, featuring Tony Sandeman (guitar), Zak Barrett (sax), Andy Staples (bass), and Martin Johnson (drums).

Dan is also heavily involved in education and is currently a part-time lecturer on the MMus (work-based learning) course at London College of Music. Additionally, he is often in demand as a clinician and has given masterclasses on jazz theory, jazz piano, and jazz pedagogy for institutes and organisations across the UK. Alongside his busy schedule as a performer and teacher, Dan is also a PhD student, examining interaction and interplay in both Chick Corea's trio performances and jazz performance in general."

"José Canha was born in Setúbal, Portugal. He began as a musician in his late teens, singing lead vocals for various alternative-rock bands. During this time he explored a variety of different musical instruments and grew a strong affinity towards the ones in the lowest register. Also fortunately he had the chance to work with many diverse and talented musicians with a wide spectrum of the most distinct influences providing him an eclectic musical background that helped him develop a growing passion for the Blues and Jazz music.

In 1996, after his army service ended, Canha decided to abandon his previous academic intentions to commit himself to an in-depth study of his newfound passions: the bass and Black American music. He co-founded the band "Charlie & the BluesCats", a blues band that, among other highlights, supported two B.B. King shows in both Lisbon and Oporto coliseums, featured at jazz festivals in Greece, and performed throughout Portugal.

Although mainly self-taught, José decided to pursue further instruction to help him unlock the most intricate musical complexities he was facing when dealing with jazz and related music. His first electric bass teacher was Yuri Daniel (bassist for Maria João, Jan Garbarek).

Since then he has been invited to collaborate on a variety of projects across genres and styles including bossa nova, jazz, blues, r&b, manouche, rock, funk and fado, in ensembles ranging from duets to orchestras and theatre productions sets.

He inevitably progressed towards the double bass. In 2005 he began classical study under Miguel Leiria. He later enrolled at Escola de Jazz do Barreiro (Barreiro's Jazz School) where he became a teacher 3 years later. Also in 2008 he get into ESML attending the Jazz Music college course. After completing this and before moving to the UK, his work was mainly focused on popular music and world music fusion.

Now in the UK he has been working as a jazz double bassist accompanying various artists from the London, Essex and Suffolk Jazz scene. He continues working with artists and composers from Portugal in studio and occasionally as a live session player.

He has often been requested to teach throughout his career by private students and by several different music schools."

Trevor Taylor is an improvising musician based in the UK, performing electroacoustic improvisation. He is best known for his band Circuit, and his associations with saxophonists Evan Parker and Paul Dunmall. He is also the label leader for FMR (Future Music Records).

"Robin Porter is an award-winning saxophonist, composer and educator based in London. He is a versatile and accomplished musician, having performed at many prestigious venues across the UK.

Highlights include; a 2017 live performance on BBC Radio 3 with Nick Smart, Kit Downes, Tom Herbert and Martin France, alongside students from The Royal Academy of Music; a 10 month weekly residency from 2016-17 at The Jazz Café alongside Ashley Henry; a 2013 performance with his own project at the Royal Albert Hall 'Elgar Room' as part of the Proms Plus Late Sessions, which was later broadcast on BBC Radio 3; a 2013 UK tour with the same band, playing at renown venues on the jazz circuit.

Robin received a distinction upon completing the MA Jazz Performance course at The Royal Academy of Music (RAM), where he had the privilege of studying with many world-class musicians and educators. He is a graduate of the Leeds College of Music (LCoM) BA Jazz programme with first class honours, and was awarded 'The George Murphy Trophy for Jazz Saxophone'.

Robin is extremely grateful to numerous charities and organisations that have and are continuing to support him throughout his studies and career, including; Help Musicians UK; The Countess of Munster Musical Trust; The Royal Academy of Music Thompson Family Trust; The Loan Fund for Musical Instruments; The Macfarlane Walker Trust; The EMI Sound Foundation; The Sir Richard Stapley Educational Trust; The Southend High School for Boys Alumni Trust."