The ABC & D of boogie woogie featuring CHARLIE WATTS

Event information

A = Axel Zwingenberger
B = Ben Waters
C = Charlie Watts
D = Dave Green
Ben Waters has had a phenomenal year! Come and check this out!
The ABC & D of Boogie Woogie come to the Brook, The band put together 2 years ago by Dorset pianist Ben Waters are doing a handful of gigs in March to promote Ben's new cd "Boogie For Stu" a tribute to family friend, fantastic pianist and founder member of the Rolling Stones. The album which Ben started as a solo project 18 months ago took on a life of its own as Stu's friends all came and played on the album. Charlie Watts, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, BIll Wyman, Jools Holland and PJ Harvey all came and played to remember their friend Stu. The profits from the album will go to the British Heart Foundation.

Ben was inspired as a lad when he watched a Melvin Bragg south bank show called "A left hand like god" This was a brief history of Boogie Woogie and it was amazing. At the end of the show they had a Boogie Woogie session with Hamburg based pianist Axel Zwingenberger, it was incredible and had an immediate effect on Waters. The rhythm section for this show was Dave Green and Charlie Watts!

Ben and Axel became friends and worked together on various projects. In early 2009 Ben and Axel decided to put some dates together in the UK and tour theatre's with two pianos. One night whilst sat at home Waters had an idea of writing to Charlie Watts as he was an old friend of his Aunt and Uncle and asked him to join the tour. As He already knew Axel and was a fan of Boogie Woogie Watts agreed "As long as Dave Green plays bass!" So the band was formed.

A = AXEL ZWINGENBERGER
Born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1955, pianist Axel Zwingenberger is travelling the world as the »ambassador of Boogie Woogie« since the age of 19. Together with his friends Vince Weber, Martin Pyrker and George Moeller, he started out in the German speaking countries. Meanwhile, the keyboard virtuoso has given concerts in about 50 countries on four continents, in the Middle and Far East of Asia, in Africa as well as in the Americas. Besides that, he has performed in almost every European country.
He has risen a lot of interest by his co-operations with famous Jazz and Blues musicians. During the early 1980s, the great Lionel Hampton invited him to participate in an European concert tour and to record in the U.S. Axel’s creativity is documented on meanwhile 30 Audio CDs, among them recordings with U.S lege nds like Big Joe Turner, Jay McShann, Champion Jack Dupree, Sippie Wallace and many others, together with 8 solo albums.Music critics from the United Kingdom have labeled Axel as »The Boogiemeister of the world« which makes him particularly proud, since he is not only a creative and innovative composer, but has explored the facets of authentic Boogie Woogie and Blues piano like nobody else and put fresh life into this music by his irresistible interpretations.

In 2009 Axel recorded a new album with Dave Green and Charlie Watts, Its Called "The Magic Of Boogie Woogie"

B = Ben Waters
Born in 1974 in Weymouth, Dorset Ben was exposed at an early age to Rhythm and Blues, Boogie Woogie and Rock N Roll. A lot of the touring bands liked coming to Dorset and playing small village halls. He was lucky enough to see people like Diz Watson, Geraint Watkins, Big Joe Duskin, Juice on the Loose, Ron Kavana all play a few feet from him. Ian Stewart used to bring his band Rocket 88 down to Dorset and played at family parties.This was Bens first exposure to this kind of music (most kids his age were into insipid soft metal) It was Fats' Dominoes 60th birthday party that finally tipped Waters over the edge. The party shown on TV had Fats, Ray Charles and Jerry Lee Lewis all playing together - it really was magical. It was shortly after this that Ben took up piano. HIs love of this music has taken him all over the world and he has been lucky enough to share the stage with some of his heroes, from Chuck B erry to Screaming Lord Sutch!. He also is a producer and songwriter, one of his songs recently was played across the USA as song of the week on NPR.

C = CHARLIE WATTS
Watts has been involved in many activities outside his high-profile life as a member of the Rolling Stones. In 1964, he published a cartoon tribute to Charlie Parker entitled Ode to a High Flying Bird. Although he has made his name in rock, his personal tastes focus on jazz; in the late 70s, he joined Ian "Stu" Stewart in the back-to-the-roots boogie-woogie band Rocket 88, which featured many of the UK's top jazz, rock and R&B musicians. In the 1980s, he toured worldwide with a big band that included such names as Evan Parker, Courtney Pine, and Jack Bruce, who was also a member of Rocket 88. In 1991, he organised a jazz quintet as another tribute to Charlie Parker. 1993 saw the release of Warm And Tender, by the Charlie Watts Quintet, which included vocalist Bernard Fowler. This same group then released Long Ago And Far Away in 1996. Both records included a collection of Great American Songbook standards. After a successful collaboration with Jim Keltner on The Rolling Stones' Bridges to Babylon, Charlie and Jim released a techno/instrumental album called simply Charlie Watts/Jim Keltner Project. Featuring the names of his favourite jazz drummers, Charlie stated that even though the tracks bore such names as the "Elvin Suite" in honour of the late Elvin Jones, Max Roach and Roy Haynes, they were not copying their style of drumming, but rather, capturing a feeling by those artists. Watts At Scott's was recorded with his group, The Charlie Watts Tentet, at the famous jazz club in London, Ronnie Scott's. In April 2009 he started to do concerts with "The ABC&D of Boogie Woogie" together with pianists Axel Zwingenberger and Ben Waters plus his childhood friend Dave Green on bass.!

D = DAVE GREEN
Starting as a skiffle player with a tea chest in the 50's with a bunch of friends. Dave's love of the bass actually came much earlier when he used to tune into Radio Luxembourg and listen to Glenn Miller on the Chesterfield programs. He purchased his first bass in 1958 and there went from strength to strength
In 1963, Green turned pro and promptly went off to France for about six weeks on a gig. When he returned, he was fortunate to get a call from Humphrey Lyttelton, who asked Green to join him on a tour with Big Jo Turner and Buck Clayton. "That was a terrific experience," he says. "You know I stayed with Humph until 1983.". Green’s tenure with the Lyttelton band may have lasted many years, but in the mid-to-late 60s Green was one of the most sought after bassists in town. One of his earliest stints as a sideman was with Stan Tracey. "I remember meeting Stan when I started doing gigs at Ronnie Scott’s old place," says Green. "We really had a wonderful rapport together – it was wonderful to play with him, he’s such a strong player.". Green went on to play with virtualy everyone in the jazzworld. He grew up next door to Charlie Watts, they learnt to play jazz together and have being working together ever since, they have an almost instinctive way of playing Jazz together .