Dom Franks’ StrayHorn Quartet

Event information

Dom Franks’ StrayHorn Quartet are a dynamic groove-driven jazz quartet / quintet, which performs Dom’s original compositions and features leading musicians from the Bristol and Birmingham jazz scene. The group has released four well-reviewed albums, 'In Native Tongues' (2011), 'One Drop Love Chant' (2014), ‘Living with Spooks’ (2017), Duality, Pt 1, (2024), touring festivals and clubs nationally and picking up airplay on BBC Radio 3's 'Jazz Lineup', BBC Introducing, Soweto Kinch's show on BBCR3, Jazz FM and abroad in France and Israel.

Dom Franks - saxophone, clarinet
Former winner of the Daily Telegraph Young Jazz Musician competition, Dom Franks is a versatile musician, teacher and composer based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

Following a spell with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, Dom studied on the Postgraduate Jazz course at London’s Guildhall School of Music with former Jazz Messenger Jean Toussaint and saxophonist Stan Sulzmann. Since then he has headed up promotions at London’s Jazz Café, and worked as manager and music booker at the Vortex Jazz Club in Dalston. At the same time he has maintained a busy career as a freelance session musician, bandleader and teacher.

An adaptable saxophonist and arranger, Dom has worked in a wide range of styles; from classical solo engagements on soprano saxophone with the Oxford Pro Musica Singers to jazz quartet work, as well as funk, soul, world and dance sessions on tenor and alto sax. As a session musician he has recorded with Jocelyn Brown, Alison Limerick, Ikon and Shaft (on #1 chart-topping hit single ‘Mucho Mambo (Sway)’) among others. Dom’s touring schedule has taken him around Europe several times with funk and jazz groups and to South Africa with blues band The Booze Brothers. His influences as a musician are eclectic, taking in Joe Lovano, Art Pepper, Gary Bartz, Wayne Shorter, Sonny Rollins, Maceo Parker, Kenny Garrett, Paul Desmond and many stylistic bases in between, both classical and jazz-based.

Anders Olinder – keyboards / hammond organ
Piano/Keyboard/Hammond Organ player Anders Olinder is mainly self-taught, but has also studied with Jason Rebello. Born in Sweden, half Swedish/half Syrian, Anders has been living in the UK since the early 90s and has become a key player in the jazz and soul scenes in Bristol, London and around the UK.

Collaborators include, (both live-performances and studio-recordings):

PP Arnold, Glenn Hughes (from Deep Purple), PeeWee Ellis, Peter Gabriel, Tony Remy, Dennis Rollins, Chad Smith, Tony Kofi, Amy Winehouse, Jim Mullen, Elliott Randall, Noel Mckoy, Don-E, Omar, Junior Giscombe, Loose Ends, Sarah Jane Morris, D-Train, Courtney Pine, and others.

Andrew Tween - drumkit

I am a freelance drummer, television composer and drum kit teacher at Wells Cathedral School. Following the postgraduate jazz and commercial music course in 1997 at the Guildhall School of Music I worked in Monte Carlo for 15 months with the Tony Evans Dance Orchestra performing shows and supporting touring artists.

Following a move back to the U.K. I worked on a session basis. Amongst this work I toured nationally and internationally with Pee Wee Ellis and later with Mercury Prize-winning folk artist Seth Lakeman, playing drum-kit and Cajon, traveling around the UK, Europe, Canada, and the U.S. In 2007 the Seth Lakeman Band supported Tori Amos as part of her European tour

In addition I have performed with numerous eminent Jazz, Folk and Soul musicians including Fred Wesley, PP Arnold, Jim Mullen, Carl Orr, Jean Toussaint, Tony Remy, Cameron Pierre, Elliot Randall (Steely Dan), Art Themen, Iain Ballamy, Roger Beaujolais, Dave Newton, Marisha Wallace (Dream Girls, West End) Fay Hield and The Hurricane Party, Lillian Bouté and pop artists Limahl (Kajagoogoo), Curved Air (Prog Rock) and ex-Royal Ballet star and contemporary choreographer Michael Clark.

In 2011-2013 I performed as an on-stage musician in the dance show ‘Midnight Tango’ starring Strictly Come Dancing stars Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace. Starting in the West End the show toured nationally with an extract of the show appearing live on Strictly Come Dancing.

I have composed music for the BBC Sport Relief and Comic Relief events as well as for three Discovery Channel documentaries titled 'Don't Go There'. In 2015 I composed and created all music for Green Heart Films documentary on the rise of Ebola - 'Africa's Troubled Heart'. Previous compositional duties for Green Heart Productions included two 50 minute documentaries titled 'Latin America's Green Heart' and 'Africa's Green Heart'. I presently write for SATV library music company having over 430 pieces in circulation collecting a PRS and MCPS income

From 2007 I have written music for the Trinity College drum grade examinations system. Pieces range from grade 2 to grade 8.

Matt Hopkins – guitar
Matt's inventive and melodic guitar playing has been featured in groups as stylistically diverse as Andy Sheppard’s Hotel Bristol and Emily Wright & The Royals. He also takes the lead role in the “Music of Pat Metheny” project alongside pianist Dave Newton. Matt is also known as an instructor and educator, specialising in jazz improvisation.

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https://soundcloud.com/domfranksjazz