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Harrison Wood

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Harrison Wood (HarrisonBassist)

"The cast of @UCLanGuysnDolls are doing so well this week. Sure a couple of them will end up in the west end!"
"BASS PLAYER Required urgently for Cruise gig. Must be a strong sight reader, improviser and play all styles. DM for more details. Cheers!"
"@sambabambaman @uclanguysndolls cool bass player?!"
"Off to the band call for the @UCLanGuysnDolls production that's on this week. They always have a very talented cast!"
"@mrgordonburns Nice speech tonight Mr Burns to celebrate Cedric Robinson's Sunshine Award. Loved your blatant @BBCLancashire show plug! ;)"

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Harrison Wood : Bassist

I've been playing in Ben Cottrell's 'Beats & Pieces Big Band' since May 2010.

Beats & Pieces Big Band

Since I joined the Beats & Pieces Big Band we've made it to the finals of the 2011 European Young Artists' Jazz Award in Burghausen Germany and done prestigeous gigs like a headlining Ronnie Scott's ; played the London Jazz Festival , Manchester Jazz festival , Liverpool Jazz Festival and done loads of gigs all over the country. The story continues.

Background of Beats & Pieces
The band was originally formed by Ben Cottrell (the bands musical director) at the beginning of 2008 as a 14-piece contemporary jazz big band. The format of the band is an adaptation of the traditional big band line-up, consisting of 3 saxophones/reeds, 3 trombones, 3 trumpets, piano/Rhodes, guitar, bass and drums, as well as a laptop musician. All charts are originals and have been specially composed and arranged by Ben and other members of the band. The band released their debut EP on Efpi Records . All Beats & Pieces 'members' are from around Manchester and have previously performed with each other in a variety of different contexts. We all share a need and a desire for such an ensemble in order to focus large ensemble playing in a way which embraces broad musical influences. The band were shortlisted for the Peter Whittingham Award for new and innovative work in jazz, a prize previously won by some of the brightest talents in UK jazz. The band’s debut EP was released in December 2009 on Efpi Records, and features 5 tracks that weigh in at over half an hour’s worth of music which has been played nationwide on Jazz FM, and was listed in Mike Chadwick’s Cutting Edge chart in the March 2010 edition of Jazzwise magazine.

What the press have said about the 'Beats & Pieces Big Band'.
- Photos and The Guardian & The Times 4 Star Reviews of The Beats & Pieces Big Band Gig At Ronnie Scott's In Jan 2011
- "Part heavy groove mob, part sophisticated modern jazz troupe, Beats & Pieces is to the big band tradition what Polar Bear is to the saxophone led quartet" (London Jazz Festival 2010)
- "vivid, bristling with ideas: what might not Cottrell and co achieve in the future?" (Mike Butler, Manchester Evening News)
- "the cream of Manchester’s emerging jazz talent… nothing less than a bombardment of the senses" (Chris Ackerley, thesoundofnow.wordpress.com)
- "A group of young lads from Manchester making an incredible, incredible noise…" (Mike Chadwick, Cutting Edge show on Jazz FM)
- "…if ever there was a big band that sounded perfect for the 21st [century] young person, Beats & Pieces is it" (Peter Bacon, thejazzbreakfast)

Contact the Beats & Pieces Big Band info@beatsnpieces.net

Keep in touch with the Beats & Pieces Big Ban
- www.myspace.com/beatsnpiecesbigband
- www.facebook.com/beatsnpiecesbigband
- www.twitter.com/beatsnpieces

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