Thanks to Isle of Arts Festival for supporting VB by paying for this feature. Ed
The Isle of Arts Festival has a whole day devoted to brilliant piano playing at The Boathouse (Spyglass Inn) Saturday 16 April. Headlining our piano fest, Piano! Piano!, is one of Britain’s most talented jazz pianists and winner of the 2010 UK Jazz Pianist of the Year award, Craig Milverton.
Alongside his solo career, Craig has played with a who’s who of international jazz talent, including Digby Fairweather, Paul Jones, Ray Gelato, Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball and Van Morrison. He is also sought after as a solo accompanist for star vocalists including Stacey Kent and Tina May. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear a virtuoso performance from a jazz master.
What else to expect
Piano! Piano! kicks off at noon with Dave Smith and friends. Dave has played with many stars of the UK and European jazz world and is first choice for the many headline performers who have played at Island jazz events over the years. But in this session Dave is star of the show, accompanied by Leon Simmonds on double bass and Ken Black on drums.
Next in our line-up is talented newcomer Adam Saunders, who is still a student at Trinity College of Music and divides his time between London and his hometown Portsmouth.
Adam’s musical influences span many decades, from Oscar Peterson, via the great American songbook, to Jamie Cullum and Norah Jones – remember you heard him hear first at Isle of Arts.
Opinions are divided about our third pianist of the day Bob Brace Рpeople either think of him as a wonderful violinist who also plays piano, or a superb pianist who also plays a mean violin. At Piano! Piano! his talents on the piano will be at the fore with a selection of ragtime, stride, boogie-woogie and more. (And if you want to catch him playing violin, you can see his band M̩nage on Friday night at the Boathouse).
Tickets and further info
Tickets for each single two-hour session cost £4 or you can come and go as you please with an all-day pass for £9.
Tickets for Isle of Arts Festival events can be purchased online in advance or via our festival telephone hotline 01983 862 596 (open Monday-Friday, 10.00-16.30).
Tickets are also available at Seasons, 10 High Street, Ventnor.
Image: © David J. Thomas
