Jonny Gee

          BMus(Hons), double bass

                        

            E-mail              jonny@jazzberries.co.uk

                        D.O.B.              Oct.1972

 

Jonny Gee + bass 150 dpi

Professional Experience:

Orchestral / Opera: ● English Touring Opera (incl. Turn of the                                 Screw)

                                ● The Contemporary Music Group (Diego                                 Masson)

                                ● Walker Dance (Royal Opera House)

                                ● City of Birmingham Concert Orchestra

                                ● Brandenburg Sinfonia (Bob Porter)

                                ● The New London Sinfonia

                                ● Pimlico Opera tours (UK & Ireland)

                                ● Thames Sinfionetta (Mark Uglow)

                                ● St. Paul’s Sinfonia

                                ● London Concertante

                                ● Concilium

 

Early Music:            ● London Handel Orchestra

                                ●The Sixteen (“The Symphony of Harmony &                                 Invention”)

                                ● English Touring Opera Baroque Orchestra

                                ● Brandenburg Baroque Soloists

                                ● The Restoration Ensemble of St-Martin-in-the-                                Fields

                                ● Chameleon Baroque Orchestra

                                ● Saraband Consort (Ben Bayl)

                                ● Canzona (Teresa Caudle)

                                ●Dartington Festival Baroque Orch.(Paul                                 Goodwin)

                                ● Sweelinck Ensemble

                                ● The Brook Street Band

 

Chamber music:     ● ZUM (1999-2005; founder member)

                                ● The Chamber Music Company (since 1998)

                                ● Kosmos Ensemble (Harriet Mackenzie)

                                ● Trout/Dvorak Quintets,etc (incl.David Hill,                                 Carducci Quartet)

                                ● International Musicians Seminar 1993 (Prussia                                    Cove)

                                ● Electro-acoustic impro with Duncan                                       Chapman(Wigmore Hall)

 

TV / Film / session work including:

                                ● Scott Walker’s “Drifting & Tilting” live at the                                 Barbican, 2008

                                with Jarvis Cocker, Damon Albarn, Phil                                     Sheppard, Mark Warman

                                ● Henry VIII (Channel 4; Phil Sheppard)

                                ● How Music Works (Channel 4; Howard                                 Goodall)

                                ● Green Fingers (Film4 Helen Mirrim/Clive                                 Owen; live music)

                                ● The Beggar Bride (BBC2; principal DB &                                 orchestral fixer)

                                ● The Broker’s Man (BBC2; MD + actors’ live                                 music coach)

World music:           ● Ravi Shankar (Sanmelan collaboration)

                                ● Antonio Forcione Quintet

                                ● La Mariposa Tango (from Buenos Aires)

                                ● King Salsa (with Robin Jones)

                                ● Yin Yang Collective(+The Chinese Silk String                                 Quartet)

                                ● Tango Siempre

                                ● Bhinna Abhinna Collective (Sanjay Guha +                                 Bala)

                                ● Kuljit Bhamra/David Braun-White (Keda Music)

                                ● She’Koyokh (klezmer)

                                ● The Urban Soul Orchestra

 

Jazz including:        ● Ruthie Culver & The Jazzberries (MD)

                                ● Robin Jones Latin Sextet (bass chair)

                                ● Joanna Eden Trio (tours & Dean Street gigs)

                                ● Pete Long & His Goodmen (big band)

                                ● The Piccadilly Dance Orchestra (bass chair)

                                ● The Rat Pack (West End touring show)

                                ● The Quecumbar Allstars(parisian/gypsy                                                 swing,bass chair)

                                ● bands: The Hep Chaps (bass chair) & Blue                                 Harlem

                                ● vocalists: Jacqui Dankworth & Anita Wardell

                                ● pianists: Gwilym Simcock & Zoe Rahman

                                ● guitarists: Jim Mullen, Dave Cliff & Lollo Meier

                                ● sax: Alan Barnes, Mick Foster & Pete                                   Wareham

                                ● trumpet: Steve Waterman & Sid Gauld

                                ● Loz Speyer’s Time Zone tour 2007

 

Shows including:    ● West Side Story (Pimlico Opera)

                                ● My Fair Lady, Hot Mikado, various G&S

                                ● Sweeney Todd, Into The Woods + other                                                 Sondheim

                                ● Seven Brides for Seven Brothers + The Rat Pack

 

                Pop:         ● Sophie Soloman (Decca/Universal Music debut                                 tour)

                                ● Isodore & Clay(Michael McCaffery) & The                                 Irrespressibles

                                ● Nigel Birch & The Flea-Pit Orchestra

                                ● Roger Taylor (of Queen) scratch band A Bad                                 Idea

 

                Vocal:      ●Baritone solo work + dep in choirs including                                 Southwalk

                                Cathedral, Temple Church, St. George’s Windsor

                                ● BVs & Jazz solo vocals on request!!    

Teaching(bass & voice)/Workshops/Management:

● Artistic Director of The Latin American Roadshow at the BAC 2003 (transferred to Riverside Studios 2005); ● Manager for 4 bands, inc. Ruthie Culver

● Dartington International Summer School as course director or tutor on various courses since 1996, including:

   Salsa Course, Director (since 2006); Argentinean Tango (since 1998); Rock Shop (assistant, 1999); Film Music (2008); Baroque Orchestra (1996-2000)

● Wigmore Hall – electro-acoustic / looping / free impro workshop & concert work with Duncan Chapman, 2008

●”Jonny Gee’s Montuno” Salsa music workshops in 2008, at St. John’s College, Cambridge University & at Cranleigh School

●”Jaaazzmatic” workshops – primary and secondary school introductions to jazz & the playing the main jazz instruments

●”Foursticks” primary school music & impro workshops (since 2006) with Chris Brannick of Ensemble Bash

●Visiting music teacher at: UCS & South Hampstead High School (2009); Lady Eleanor Holles School (2000-2009); Hampton School (2004-2009);

                                                formerly singing & double bass teacher at Slough Grammer School (1995-2002)

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Education / Scholarships:

                Sept 1995 – July 1997             Trinity College of Music, London (Archer Post-Graduate Scholarship)

                                                                                Post-graduate Bass Studies (modern & baroque) with Chi-chi                                                                                  Nwanoku, O.B.E

                                                                                Post-graduate Jazz Studies with Simon Woolf & Alec Dankworth

                Sept 1991 – July 1994             BMus jointly awarded by Royal Holloway, University of London (Choral                                                                    Scholarship) & Copenhagen University / Danish Royal Conservatory                                                                   (ERASMUS scholarship)

                                                                                Double Bass teacher: Mette Hanskov (principal bass, Danish Royal                                                                                                         Opera)

                Sept 1985 – July 1990             Marlborough College, Wiltshire (Music Scholarship)

                                                                                A-levels in Maths, Physics & Music; A/O-Level French; GCSE German.

                                                                                Double bass teacher: Pete Moore (Bournemouth Sinfionetta/West End shows)

Biog:

Jonny Gee is one of the UK’s most versatile double bassists, bringing his energy and enthusiasm to a wide variety of projects. He has performed, recorded and broadcast with many top artists and groups all over the globe, including Ravi Shankar, Antonio Forcione, Zum, Jacqui Dankworth, English Touring Opera, Joanna Eden & The Sixteen.

 

Jonny loves getting his teeth into virtually everything from world, chamber & baroque music right through to jazz, salsa & tango-nuevo (with La Mariposa Tango from Buenos Aires). He appeared in the “Bass” episode of Howard Goodall’s How Music Works on Channel 4 and has played on many CD’s, film & TV soundtracks and broadcast live on the BBC & Deutsche Radio. He set up & directed Dartington International Summer School’s Salsa Music course with members of his latin group Montuno & runs party band The Jazzberries who played for Elton John at his White Tie & Tiara Ball. With Cuban band Bombele Orquestra, Jonny was in “fundamental” control(bad bassist pun) of the Guinness World Record synchronized dance-stretch by 17,500 women & 500 topless Men – all sporting bras – for the Breast Cancer Moonwalk. And he recently (randomly) played bass guitar in A Bad Idea with drummer Roger Taylor (of Queen) and Ben Elton on vocals.

   Gee Jonny.jpg      

 

He has performed at all the top concert venues in London (including Wigmore Hall, Albert Hall, Barbican, QEH & the Purcell Room) plus Ronnie Scotts, The Vortex, The 606 & The 100 Club and regularly leads the band at Pizza Express Jazz Club Soho for his partner, jazz vocalist Ruthie Culver, who recently launched her critically acclaimed debut album “Refashioned”.

 

To still the music in his head Jonny practices Tai Chi & is a keen freediver, currently in training for an underwater performance of John Cage’s avant-garde masterpiece 4’33” transcribed for submerged double bass – on a single breath of air! www.myspace.com/jonnygeedoublebass

 

Press / Quotes:

                                                                “Splendid playing in The Trout Quintet!” Sir Roger Norrington

 

                                                                                                “Jonny Gee is the most flexible double bassist I’ve ever worked with, across any

                                                                                                style” Antonio Forcione–Guitarist

Jonny Gee B+W Crewkerne 2007

“I was very impressed with your high level of preparation and total commitment. Your playing was both

sensitive and robust and you got exactly right the mixture of slightly disturbing and completely exuberant.”

Acrobatic impro with Gisele & LeCoq

Stephen McNeff–Composer (letter following World Premier of his Piano Quintet in 2006)

 

                “Backed by British expert Jonny Gee on double bass they made

                some wonderful music. Brilliances came and went so fast that

                                                                            there was hardly time to applaud until the end.”

                                                                            Jack Massarik, Evening Standard

 

“Thank you so much for the quite astounding playing on the Chicago film project. The director was blown away... and

the [Channel 4] Henry VIII stuff was wonderful too!” Phil Sheppard – cellist & film composer

 

                                                          “Hey Jonny, It was so nice having such a lovely bassist come in. In the past

                                                          when we’ve had professionals in they have tried to change everything and

                                                          tried to almost lead the section. However I felt much more comfortable with

                                                          you sitting behind me, cheers!!”

                                                          Phil Donnelly (principal double bass, English Schools Symphony Orchestra, 2008)

 

                “In Summerhayes’ comic theatrical Mosquito Splat, bassist Jonny Gee is amusingly distracted by

                a nuisance instect before it meets it’s death on his instrument ...rendered with unbuttoned passion and brilliance.”

 

“[This] sensuous tribute to the great tango master Astor Piazzolla was rooted in the deep theatricality of the best tango traditions with expert bass player Jonny Gee driving it along superbly”

Western Daily Press on La Mariposa Tango’s show Apiazolada

“One minute we were soaring ...near ecstatic playing, the next toe-tapping was replaced with hand-on-heart mournfulness as bassist Jonny Gee dipped the pace to accommodate something haunting. The shining eyes and smiles all around said it all.” Bucks Fizz(on Marlow contemporary music concert)

 

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                                “Backed by the animated and eclectic Jonny Gee on bass they gelled musically, all the while

                                openly exchanging grins and smiles of sheer pleasure and reflecting the blatant fun they

                                were having.” Saul Minaee (review of Tcha Limberger gypsy swing concert at La Quecumbar)

 

                                                                “Hi Jonny, I just wanted to say how much we enjoyed working with you

                                                                at Dartington last week. It was a great deal of fun and we(Sarah and I)

                                                                both learnt a lot. Thank You!”

                                                                Anna(Salsa Course participant,Dartington International Summer School)

 

“Bassist Jonny Gee sparred deftly around the soloists”

BBC (on Gypsy Tango Pasión at Leicester’s Phoenix Arts Centre)

 

 

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