QOW Trio

QOW TRIO is a unique multi-generational jazz band featuring award-winning young firebrand saxophonist Riley Stone-Lonergan, storied British Jazz legend Spike Wells on drums, and multi-genre bassist and bandleader Eddie Myer. The band arose out of a chance meeting at the Verdict Jazz Club in Brighton and, despite the three musicians’ differences in age, it soon became clear that they had much in common - a love of the lineage of big-toned tenor players matched with an appreciation for the wide-open possibilities of the chordless trio, a deep appreciation of the tradition alongside a fearless appetite for exploration, a commitment to the timeless values of melody and swing mixed with a willingness to take risks - all undepinned with a mission to make the musiccommunicate directly to the listener. Spike's time as house drummer at Ronnie Scott's backing many American stars, his tours with Stan Getz and Roland Kirk, together with his years in the seminal British bands of Tubby Hayes, Peter King and Bobby Wellins, give the band deep roots. His fearlessly forward-looking commitment to freedom and swing meet Riley’s contemporary chops and devotion to melody and soul, while Eddie’s bass acts as anchor, providing the centre around which the musical conversation is free to dance at will. Their debut album was released on Ubuntu Music in 2020. It gained excellent reviews in national press, and extensive radio play and Spotify playlisting, and they’ve spent the intervening time with tours, festival appearances and club dates. The band have grown and developed as a unit: the levels of interplay and empathy are stronger than ever: their new album The Hold Up is the result - an album of tunes that digs deep into the blues and flies high up into the heady heights of improvised free-form, always keeping the empathetic three-way interplay and commitment to swing and melody at the forefront. The group’s development since the first release is plain to hear - there’s more freedom, but also more togetherness: more experimentation, but also more commitment to the fundamentals of the blues. Compositions by Ellington and Strayhorn, Jackie Mclean, Lee Morgan, Thelonious Monk and Big John Patton are radically overhauled, stripped down to the bones and built back up into new forms, where anything can happen: and a new set of original tunes provide launch pads for exploratory improvisations and soulful self-expression. The passion and commitment is never in doubt throughout - this is music by players who mean it.

Host or Publisher Arthur's Blues and Jazz Club