Spike Wells
Michael John "Spike" Wells (* 16th January 1946 in Tunbridge Wells ) is a British drummer of modern jazz , also known as Anglican priests operates.
Live and act
Wells was a choirboy at Canterbury Cathedral and received singing, piano and cello lessons in the school there . A recording by Dizzy Gillespie sparked his interest in jazz . As a teenager he started playing drums. He later took lessons from Philly Joe Jones , who lived in London from 1967 to 1969 .
During his studies at Oxford University he played in a band with Pat Crumly and Brian Priestley , which also accompanied traveling soloists such as Bobby Wellins , Tony Coe , Joe Harriott and Jimmy Witherspoon . In 1968 he moved to London to study philosophy. He lived in the same house as Ron Mathewson , Ray Warleigh , Chris and Mick Pyne . Mediated by Mathewson, he was part of the Tubby Hayes ensemble until 1973 , which meant the end of his studies. He also played in the groups of Humphrey Lyttelton , Robert Cornford and Blossom Dearie . He was also a founding member of If , but left before the first studio appointment. He also accompanied stars such as Stan Getz , Roland Kirk , Art Farmer , Johnny Griffin and James Moody in Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club . and ran his own band. From 1973 to 1975 he played with Ian Hamer , also with Matthewson in the rhythm section . He toured Finland with Dave Horler . The late 1970s began a period of collaboration with Bobby Wellins that lasted into the last decade, as well as with Pete King . During this time he worked full-time as a lawyer until he became a deacon for the Church of England in 1995 . In 2006 he presented his first album as a leader, but also worked occasionally with Simon Spillett .
Discographic notes
- Tubby Hayes Quartedt: Grits, Beans and Greens: The Lost Fontana Studio Sessions 1969 (ed. 2019)
- Tubby Hayes Quartet, Live 1969 (1969)
- Tubby Hayes Big Band, England's Late Jazz Great (1969)
- Ian Hamer, Acropolis (1966-74)
- Bobby Wellins, Dreams Are Free (1979)
- Peter King, East 34th Street (1983)
- Mike Pyne , Live at Ronnie Scott's (1990)
- Alan Barnes , Blessing in Disguise (2005)
- Spike Wells, Gwilym Simcock , Malcolm Creese , Reverence (2006)
- Don Weller & Bobby Wellins, Nine Songs (2007)
- John Horler , Not a Cloud in the Sky (2010)
Lexical entries
- John Chilton : Who's Who of British Jazz . Continuum, London 2004 (2nd edition)
Web links
- Web presence
- Brief portrait
- Spike Wells at Discogs (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Interview: Michael "Spike" Wells priest, jazz musician ( Memento of the original from April 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Church Times, March 13, 2009
- ↑ a b c d e Peter Vacher, Priest who plays, drummer who prays , Jazz UK , 77 (October / November 2007), pp. 23–24.
- ^ Reverence's Reviews
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wells, Spike |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wells, Michael John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British jazz musician and clergyman |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 16, 1946 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Tunbridge Wells |