Jazz At The Merchants House presents Dave Milligan : CHROMA

Dave Milligan : CHROMA

• Dave Milligan – Piano
• Paul Towndrow – Alto Saxophone & Whistle
• Michael Butcher – Tenor Saxophone
• Mikey Owers – Trombone
• Chris Quinn – Bass
• Stephen Henderson – Drums

Widely regarded as a pioneer of the jazz-folk crossover style, pianist Dave Milligan is a "genre-defying, creative force" (The Scotsman). While audiences may know him best as the long-term collaborator of trumpeter Colin Steele or the mastermind behind The Unusual Suspects, CHROMA marks a significant new chapter.

This project sees Milligan stepping forward as a bandleader to present original music that celebrates the intersection of jazz and traditional roots. Milligan’s writing deliberately leaves expansive space for the individual voices within the ensemble to shine.With a powerhouse horn section and an elite rhythm team, CHROMA is a masterclass in musical dialogue. The music flows between sophisticated arrangements and the raw, spontaneous energy of the moment.

More About Dave Milligan

Dave Milligan is a highly versatile improvising musician whose musical imagination flows freely between multiple genres; most notably in the worlds of jazz and celtic music. As a performer, composer, arranger, musical director and educator — and having established himself early in his career as one of Scotland’s leading jazz pianists — his collaborations with some of the brightest artists in the folk music scene earned him a reputation as a hugely adaptable and creative force.

Dave is a highly versatile musician and a leading figure in the diverse Scottish music scene. His musical imagination flows freely between multiple genres; most notably in the worlds of jazz and celtic music. In a professional career spanning thirty years, he has travelled all over the world as a performer, composer, arranger, musical director and educator.

Now based near Edinburgh, Dave grew up in the Scottish Borders and studied at the City of Leeds College of Music, before returning to his native Scotland. To this day he continues to draw inspiration from a wide range of music; from jazz to folk & traditional, and film scores to dance music.

Having established himself early in his career as one of the country’s leading jazz pianists, Dave’s work with some of the folk and Celtic music scene’s brightest artists earned him a reputation as a hugely adaptable, creative force. As part of Glasgow’s Celtic Connections festival in 2003, he co-founded and directed – along with harpist, vocalist and composer Corrina Hewat – The Unusual Suspects, a 22- piece big-band of leading folk and jazz musicians that set the bench-mark for the wave of large-scale ensembles that followed in the contemporary folk scene. The Scotsman would later count their debut performance in a list of the top 20 gigs of all time.

Dave has played a key role in countless projects and performances at Celtic Connections since its inception, most recently as musical director of the festival’s star-studded 25th anniversary opening concert.

Other performances include appearances with artists such as Larry Carlton, Mark Knopfler, The McCrary Sisters, Karine Polwart, Trilok Gurtu, Art Farmer, Carol Kidd and Camille O’Sullivan to name a few. Dave has performed all over the world with a diverse array of bands, including: his longestablished duos with Corrina Hewat and with concertina virtuoso Simon Thoumire; as pianist and arranger with award-winning jazz trumpeter Colin Steele; as pianist and founding member of the international super group String Sisters, featuring six of the worlds top female fiddlers: Liz Carroll, Annbjørg Lien, Liz Knowles, Emma Härdelin, Catriona Macdonald and Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh. String Sisters started in 2001 and have continued to dazzle audiences worldwide, from the Celtic Colours festival in Canada to the Rainforest World Music Festival in Borneo. Their latest album Between Wind and Water was released in 2018 to universal critical acclaim.

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