Hearn Brice Wells Trio // Ron Caines Trio

Event information

Geoff Hearn – tenor sax
Olie Brice – double bass
Spike Wells – drums



Geoff Hearn has been playing tenor and soprano saxophones and flutes for many years in a wide range of genres and now mainly free improvisation. For the last 20 years he has been playing shakuhachi in a meditative mood in sharp contrast to his more energetic free jazz. One of his main interests is improvisational ‘sonic sculptures’ which is most evident in his work with his trio TORQUE with legendary drummer the late Steve Harris and extaordinary Canadian guitarist Jim Black and the ground breaking ‘shape shifting’ ensemble ZAUM. He was also one of the co-founders of Safehouse!

Olie Brice leads and composes for two groups, a trio with Tom Challenger & Will Glaser and an Octet with Alex Bonney, Kim Macari, Jason Yarde, Rachel Musson, George Crowley, Cath Roberts & Johnny Hunter. Both of these groups were featured on the critically acclaimed double album ‘Fire Hills’. Frequent collaborators include Mark Sanders, Paul Dunmall, Rachel Musson, Tobias Delius, Cath Roberts and Luis Vicente, and he has also appeared with the likes of Evan Parker, Tony Malaby, John Butcher, Ingrid Laubrock, Ken Vandermark, Eddie Prevost and Louis Moholo.

Spike Wells is a phenomenal sympatico drummer who has played with the best of British and American jazz exponents during his career. He played as a regular member of Tubby Hayes’ quartet and big band from 1968 to Tubby’s death in 1973. As well as playing with Hayes, in both his quartet and his big band, Spike spent a year in Humphrey Lyttelton’s band, and also worked with many visiting soloists at Ronnie Scott’s, including Stan Getz (with whom he also toured Scandinavia), Roland Kirk, Art Farmer, Johnny Griffin and James Moody. He’s currently part of QOW Trio, a saxophone-double bass-drums trio who continue to explore the territory Sonny Rollins first mapped out on Way Out West.

Ron Caines Trio
Ron Caines – saxophones
Gus Garside – double bass
James Parsons – drums



Saxophonist Ron Caines co-founded the ground breaking experimental prog rock group East of Eden. After becoming disillusioned with commercial music he moved to Bristol and became involved in progressive jazz playing with Keith Tippett, Larry Stabbins, Paul Dunmall, Julie Tippetts, Steve Lacy and others. His string of albums released in the last decade on the Discus label have been met with great acclaim:
“This is outstanding! Record of the week!!” Matt Parker, British Progressive Jazz
“An impressive and original collection – one of the most worthwhile CDs I’ve heard this year” London Jazz News

Gus Garside is a double bassist mainly concentrating on improvised music, free jazz and contemporary music. Gus plays in several different groupings including his longstanding string trio Arc (with Sylvia Hallett and Danny Kingshill). He has worked on three highly acclaimed albums as part of the Ron Caines/Martin Archer Axis and a duo album with the French saxophone player Hervé Perez released on the New York 577 label in 2021. He has created structured improvisations for performance in the UK and Canada featuring leading players in both countries and is on a new collaboration with dancer Mim King. He is also founding member of the Brighton Safehouse collective.

“…where he differs from the average jazz bassist is in the range of sonorities he conjures from his instrument” Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD.

James Parsons is a drummer with an affinity for free, improvised playing, and has performed in a wide range of groups over the years including Bolide, Ron Caines Trio, Bare Springs, God’s Teeth and the Interstellar Tropics, The Burbling Mind and Grass Balloon.

+ Wildcard Quartet
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