The Big Feastival
In support of
Jamie Oliver FoundationTG Collective
An intriguing mix of gypsy jazz, flamenco, jazz and contemporary classical influences, TG Collective was born in Autumn 2006, built around the core of guitarists Jamie Fekete and Sam Slater, alongside the unusual combination of flutes, violin, double bass, trumpet, cajón and percussion.
Creating an exciting, sensuous sound, TGC perform original compositions and arrangements, touching on influences as varied as Paco de Lucia, Django Reinhardt and JS Bach, and have built up a strong following with their intense live performances. The band is completed with the double bass and trumpet of Percy Pursglove; flautist Holly Jones; Louis Robinson on violin, and cajón/percussionist Joelle Barker, with interchanging shapes of ensemble within a performance.
Growing out of the young acoustic guitar trio, Trio Gitano (their 2005 debut album Who Ate All The Tapas? landing a spot in The Sunday Times’ Records of the Year) – TG Collective have since found themselves touring in innumerable weird and wonderful locations over the past few years … from a live appearance on BBC One’s Politics Show to a cavernous former asylum in Dorset … sell-outs at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival to London’s South Bank … and the ever-surprising Shambala Festival to a beach in Cannes (from where Frank Skinner still owes Jamie a cigarette).
In May 2012, TGC released their long-awaited first album as TG Collective – Release The Penguins – a recording of original compositions and arrangements, venturing to the wilds of Shropshire to record in spring 2011 in a converted milking barn, under the watchful eye of the few remaining cows, co-producers Alejandro Merola and Joe Peet, and longstanding TG Guru Bryan Lester.
Recent months have brought a (sell-out) return to the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, several packed shows at Pizza Express Soho, and a live session at Boisdale, London for JazzFM. Summer 2012 brings performances at the Cambridge Big Weekend and Manchester Jazz Festival, before touring throughout the autumn and spring 2013.