Deirdre Cartwright guitar
Louise Elliott saxophone and flute,
Alison Rayner double bass
Simon Pearson drums
Exciting, original contemporary jazz fusion.
“If there is a more complete guitarist in contemporary music than Deirdre Cartwright – I’d like to know who it is” Dave Gelly The Observer
With influences ranging from Pat Metheny, Santana and Mike Stern to Horace Silver and Wes Montgomery, PLAY features Deirdre Cartwright’s classic band, which represented the UK at the Festival of European Jazz in Mexico City. Featuring melodic tunes and great grooves, PLAY group perform original jazz fusion and Latin tunes from her albums Debut and Play.
Deirdre first hit the headlines in 1983, when she presented BBC TV’s groundbreaking 1983 series ‘Rockschool’. She was also a member of the internationally acclaimed 1980s women’s jazz group, the Guest Stars. A hard swinging, melodic and funky guitarist, it is Deirdre’s clear enjoyment of the sheer variety of sounds her instrument can produce that is so infectious, and which makes her playing so listenable.
More recently she has written and recorded albums with ARQ, and Emily Remembered. She has played with Tal Farlow, toured with the Jamaican composer Marjorie Whylie, presented on Radio 3 and founded Blow the Fuse with Alison Rayner.
“Cartwright’s coolly undulating Grant Green shuffle groove is one of the understated pleasure of UK’s contemporary fusion.” John Fordham
“Her sinewy guitar fronts a sparse trio who stretch out like a psychedelic 1960s blues band, but take the blind leaps of faith of improvisers. Highlights are the Nirvana grunge-fusion Smells Like Jazz and a sublime exploration of Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights.” Stewart Lee Sunday Times