Graham

Having been brought up listening to the likes of Count Basie, Oscar Peterson, Tito Puente and later Jimi Hendrix (amongst others), Graham's musical upbringing has coloured his playing significantly. Culminating in a drummer who has, in the past couple of years (and with the help of his good friend Mike Pelanconi a.k.a. Prince Fatty) edged in on the notoriously difficult and changeable "session scene," recording for major labels such as EMI, Universal, Atlantic/Motown and Ubiquity.Formerly working with Nostalgia 77 (Tru Thoughts) - and a host of other bands affiliated with that group (often released on the Impossible Ark label) - and the Filthy Six (Acid Jazz Records), Graham hasn't left his jazz roots behind. He is still currently working with The Sophie Smith Group (Woodville Records) and New Orleans style band Brassroots. Whilst this work is time consuming, Graham has also found time to put his own project (The Fiction Trio) together and is currently working on material for an album.Stepping away from the jazz world, Graham is also working with Graham Coxon (Blur) having recorded with him on the album "The Spinning Top" (Transgressive Records) in February last year. He has also completed an album with U.N.K.L.E. which is due out in Feb 2010 on Surrender All Records. However, in his mind, the most exciting news is the reformation of Graham's first "successful" project "The Essenes." Now working under the title of "The End Of England," the project is slowly building a head of steam which, when it blows, will take people's heads clean off!Like many other working musicians, Graham also teaches. Having done his first classes there in 1997, he has been a regular part of the ACM (Guildford) teaching staff since 2003 where his focus (as to be expected) is in the jazz idiom. He also runs a samba school for 11 - 18 year olds in Surrey.