Neon is a gathering of four musicians who have taken very different paths. KIT DOWNES, the youngest of the four musicians, is only 23 years old. Many older musicians would envy his record. Kit, a Royal Academy graduate is one of the most popular players of his generation. Kit rose to fame first with Empirical, a highly-regarded group, and then with Fraud. His CDs with his own trio as well as with the electronic trio Troyka have been praised far beyond British jazz. Kit is accompanied by drummer TIM GILES, in James Allsopp’s Golden Age Of Steam. Tim has been professionally playing since he was 11, backing greats like Charles McPherson, Peter King and Art Farmer. In his teens, Tim was joined by Steve Watts, Iain Ballamy and Richard Fairhurst, young pianist, in Ballamy’s Hungry Ants. Tim is a rare talent that excels at everything, unlike many other precocious talents. Tim, another RAM graduate is also a member Fraud. He plays a major role in Tom Arthurs’ Centripede trumpet project. Tim Giles, one of the best drummers in the world, truly creates sounds. JIM HART, a violinist, is a founding member of London’s LOOP collective. He is one of the most sought-after musicians on the British scene as a soloist or as a sideman on vibes and drums. Gemini and the Jim Hart Quartet, his main projects as group leader have been met with high praise. He is also one of the most dynamic performers to emerge on vibes or marimba in many years. Jim was also a member, along with pianist Gwilym SIMCOCK and Stan SULZMANN, of the original Neon trio. STAN SULZMANN, a saxophonist, is left. Stan, like Jim Hart is a NYJO graduate – even though his tenure was several years earlier. Stan’s life is a “Who’s Who?” of jazz. Kenny Wheeler and John Taylor were long-term friends, as was Gordon Beck and US pianist Marc Copeland. In his forty-year career, he has worked with Mike Gibbs and Gil Evans. He also collaborated with the New York Composers Orchestra, Michael Brecker, and the NDR Big Band. Stan is not only a brilliant lyrical saxophonist, but he is also a respected composer. His big band album Birthdays, Birthdays shows his considerable talent. Although Neon started as a trio, it was as a quartet that the group achieved their greatest expression. Kit Downes and Tim Giles have added something darker and more edgy to the group, and enabled it to realize its rhythmic potential. Neon’s music has three composers. It is rich in sound and rhythms. Neon is more than its parts. from www.editionrecords.com
