Simon Spillett

b. 4 November 1974, England. Encouraged by his semi-professional trombonist father, Spillett studied music from early childhood. His first tutor was Vic Ash through whom he began a lifelong habit of listening carefully to other musicians, both and on record. Through the latter medium, Spillett had many early influences including John Coltrane, Johnny Griffin, Sonny Rollins and Ben Webster, although the musician whose playing created the biggest and most telling impression was Tubby Hayes. At the age of 21, Spillett became a professional musician and through the next decade built a strong reputation among peers and audiences with his inventive and original playing. Spillett formed a quartet, which settled as John Critchinson (piano), Andy Cleyndert (bass), and Martin Drew (drums). Through the early and mid-00s, Spillett’s quartet, sometimes with Spike Wells replacing Drew, played to ever-growing audiences, chiefly in the UK. In 2007 he won the BBC Jazz Award as Rising Star. In addition to his playing, Spillett also writes knowledgably on jazz, especially British saxophonists, and his work has appeared in Jazz Journal International, in numerous CD liner notes, and on the Internet.