05.03.10 | Another Review from septet tour

02.03.10 | Tour News
Tour is going great with Septet- there are some photos of the queens hall gig here.

Thanks to Andy Catlin

Eden court Wednesday the 3rd of March, EAstgate Theatre Peebles on friday the 5th, Woodend barn Banchory on the 6th, City Halls Glasgow on the 7th, Jazz BAr edinburgh on Thursday the 11th of march and Aberdeen Jazz Festival on the 12th.

02.03.10 | Herald Review of Septet at the Queens Hall by Rob Adams

19.02.10 | Tour With Septet Featuring Ben Davis To Promote New CD Vantage-Points
Starting on the 25th of February I will be touring around Scotland and England with my Septet to promote the new CD of the group "Vantage-Points".

Theres a fantastic group of players on the tour -

Chris Stout - Violin, Fraser Fifield - Saxophone, Martin Kershaw - Saxophone, Phil Bancroft - Saxophone, Ben Davis - Cello, Mario CAribe - Double Bass, Stuart Ritchie - Drums and Myself on Guitar.

We will be playing some new music off the CD. Hopefully see you at one of the gigs. They are all listed on the gigs section.

19.02.10 | Newt - New Cd coming soon On FIRE Label
Newt recorded a new CD featuring Silke Eberhard on Alto Saxophone in November 2009.

The CD will be released on the FIRE Collective Label lin the Spring of 2010.

The CD features new compositions by each member of the group-

Silke Eberhard - Alto Saxophone
Graeme Stephen - Guitar
Chris Grieve - TRombone
Chris Wallace - Drums

12.02.09 | Herald review for "Vantage points Suite " - Graeme Stephen Sextet
Graeme Stephen Sextet, Blue Lamp, Aberdeen
ROB ADAMS December 15 2008

Star rating ****
Over the past few years, guitarist Graeme Stephen has emerged as one the Scottish jazz scene's most capable, exportable and distinctive talents. His sextet was already a beacon of original, ambitious and brilliantly realised music, but with the help of a Scottish Arts Council creative development award, Stephen is taking it to another level, as this gig in his hometown's highly cherished jazz venue illustrated.

The two main factors deriving from the SAC's support are a new suite, Vantage Points, through which Stephen has created impressions of various Scottish locations, and the provision of funding to import London-based cellist Ben Davis into the group.

As his work with his own acclaimed Basquiat Strings and the wonderful but much under-appreciated Oriole has proved, Davis is a significant voice and here he filled several roles, creating a hugely effective bowing partnership with bassist Mario Caribe, developing jagged rhythms with drummer Stu Ritchie, enhancing Fraser Fifield's keen soprano saxophone and Martin Kershaw's bullish alto in the frontline, and soloing with spiky creativity.
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Stephen's writing cannily draws all these ingredients together, blending Scottish meters and melodies with world-music influences and inspiration from the tangible - geographical features and leisure pursuits - as well as a vivid imagination. Having visited Callanish and Ardnamurchan, Vantage Points' final sequence envisages flying over Scotland on an ostrich. As you do.

As with all else in this thoroughly engaging work and a second half that revisited more familiar pieces, Stephen presented this unlikely scenario with a rigorous, personal approach to the guitar which, without drawing unnecessary attention to itself, is edgy, exciting and bursting with energy.