Andy Sheppard - Tenor & Soprano Saxophones
The man who has emerged as one of Britain's foremost tenor and soprano saxophonists was introduced to the music of John Coltrane at the age of 19 and immediately went out and bought his own saxophone. Three weeks later, he was playing with the Bristol based quartet Sphere, which gathered an impressive reputation through the late 70s, recording several albums, winning the occasional award and playing an astonishing number of live dates throughout Britain and Europe. These years established Sheppard as a saxophonist to watch, but instead of the obvious move to London he based himself in Paris, working with French bands Lumière and Urban Sax.

Returning to the UK in the mid-80s, Sheppard signed to Island's Antilles label and released his self-titled debut album in 1987. Star trumpeter Randy Brecker featured on several tracks, and the record was produced by the great American bassist Steve Swallow - the beginning of a musical relationship that continues to this day. The album was an immediate critical and popular success and was boosted by Andy winning the Best Newcomer at the British Jazz Awards, shortly followed by Best Instrumentalist Award in 1988, Best Album and Best Instrumentalist in 1989 and the Big Band Award in 1990.

Michel Benita - Double Bass
On the European jazz scene, Michel Benita is neither the most vehement nor the most intrusive double bass player around. Some speak of honesty in his consideration for others. His path, attachments, partners reveal a musician of commitment and fidelity, curiosity and enthusiasm. Living in Paris in the early 1980s, he did everything he could to catch up, and he multiplied his experiences and dragged his instrument around to all those who called on his services. The names of the jazzmen with whom he played in those early years would compile a Who’s Who of jazzmen who played in France, where expatriate American legends (Lee Konitz, Archie Shepp…) played side by side with sure European values (Daniel Humair, Bobo Stenson, Enrico Pieranunzi…), and where his future friends of always (Peter Erskine, Aldo Romano, Nguyên Lê…) played in one-night stands with musicians just passing through.

A tough school but a good one, traveling from club to club and on the road, a school that freed Michel’s fingers from the constraints of technique and earned him the reputation of one of the most promising bass players around. So he was naturally asked to play in the first Orchestre National de Jazz which, under the direction of François Jeanneau, brought together the cream of a new generation of French musicians in 1986.

Other friendships dating back to this time have never stopped producing beautiful music: the Italian pianist Rita Marcotulli, whom Michel met in 1987 and whom he asked to participate in his first quartet alongside Dewey Redman, a little known giant and long time companion of Ornette Coleman (two albums for Label Bleu); Aldo Romano, the drummer, with whom he has worked in privileged tandem since 1995, including in the group Palatino with Paolo Fresu and Glenn Ferris, which is certainly not the least interesting of his encounters (three records so far)…

Today, in 2010, the album ‘Ethics’, brings a new dimension to his music, with the use of the japanese koto, beautifully played by Mieko Miyazaki, a very eclectic and charismatic musician from Tokyo. Matthieu Michel, from Switzerland, plays his dreamy lines on trumpet and Philippe Garcia, his pal from the Truffaz years is on the drums and electronics. Eivind aarset, from Norway, on guitar and laptop, adds a very special ambient touch to the ten compositions Michel wrote for this brand new project.

In 2012, two major albums will be released. One of them is Palatino’s reunion (Romano, Ferris, Fresu, Benita) on a double CD live, recorded in Grenoble for the Naïve label. The other is his first appearance on a Manfred Eicher production (ECM), as a member of Trio Libero, initiated by british saxophonist Andy Sheppard and with Seb Rochford on the drums. The three musicians play their own material which, for its most part, was composed from their collective improvisations.

Sebastian Rochford
is the extraordinary, imaginative and adventurous composer, songwriter, producer and instrumentalist who, with his multi-genre output and the help of some key collaborators, has turned British jazz on its head.

A characteristic of Rochford's music is the mixing of a jazz background with modern electronic and pop/rock influences, so it is no surprise that his influences include Beethoven, Daughters, Bjork, Skepta, Burial, Prince and contemporary electronica as well as a large dose of jazz. The CD releases with his own bands, as well as his contribution to many others as either a composer, player or producer, attest to his particular brand of fertile inventiveness and his ability to get the best out of a wide spectrum of versatile musicians.

Rochford enjoys a significant UK career and a growing international profile as a composer, bandleader and drummer. He has played and recorded with an astonishing array of local and international luminaries, including: Yoko Ono, Herbie Hancock, Brian Eno, Squarepusher, David Byrne, Bojan Z, Marc Ribot, Patti Smith, Sean Lennon, Corinne Bailey Rae, Adele, Soft Machine legend Hugh Hopper, Babyshambles, Grime producer Statik, Stan Tracey, Fran Healey, Adrian Utley, Andy Sheppard and Britten Sinfonia under the direction of maverick pianist Joanna MacGregor.

Formerly a member of the F-IRE Collective, Rochford’s current bands include the Mercury- nominated Polar Bear; new band Jyager Bear, with MC Jyager, Pete Wareham and Shabaka Hutchings; Trio Libero, with Andy Sheppard and Michel Benita; the avant-garde rock trio Big Dave, with ex-Babyshambles guitarist Patrick Walden; electro-acoustic quartet Fulborn Teversham; and Silver Birch, the new line-up formerly known as Acoustic Ladyland. Rochford recently released a critically acclaimed album with Theremin innovator Pamelia Kurstin: Ouch Evil Slow Hop on Slowfoot Records. Trio Libero’s debut album, When We Live On The Stars, is due for release on ECM in early 2012 and a tour will follow shortly after.

As a producer, Rochford has been responsible for overseeing the sonic worlds of all of his own band recordings and those of Acoustic Ladyland. He has also worked as a producer only, on tracks for Joanna MacGregor and Andy Sheppard’s album Deep River, as well as the complete album for folk/jazz chanteuse Gwyneth Herbert.