Deirdre Cartwright guitar
Louise Elliott saxophone & flute
Alison Rayner double bass
Winston Clifford drums
Deirdre Cartwright Group – inventive, 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, and compositions by Deirdre Cartwright.
Deirdre 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 the groups Emily Remembered, Picnic with Annie Whitehead, Paint it Blue and ARQ (Parliamentary Jazz Awards ‘Ensemble of the Year’ 2018). 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.
Stewart Lee, Sunday Times