dick Pearce...
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Dick Pearce...
Trumpet player Dick Pearce was born in Forest Gate, London in 1951. He began playing cornet at the age of 12 and joined a village brass band a year later. At 15 he became interested in jazz and attended a Sunday morning rehearsal band run by the dance bandleader Ken Macintosh. Soon after, he joined Bill Ashton's National Youth Jazz Orchestra.
Between 1968 and 1971 he served in the Horse Guards as a bandsman and in 1972 began playing in bands led by Graham Collier, Dudu Pukwana, Mike Westbrook and others and by the mid to late 70s was playing with jazz groups led by Don Rendell, Peter King, Jack Sharpe and Michael Garrick as well as some freelancing.
In 1980 Dick joined The Ronnie Scott Quintet, with whom he travelled all over the world for the following 14 years. The band included John Critchinson (piano), Ron Mathewson (double bass), Martin Drew (drums) and Ronnie Scott (tenor sax). In 1990 the quintet became a sextet with the addition of Mornington Lockett on tenor sax. He led his own quartet through the 1990s as well as freelancing including appearing with singer Trudy Kerr in a 'Tribute to Chet Baker'.
He has also been heard with - Alan Barnes / Don Weller's Tribute to Cannonball Adderley Band. The Don Weller Big Band. Tim Richards 'Great Spirit'. John Williams 'New Perspectives'. Stan and Clarke Tracey's 'Ellingtonia' and the Pete Downes Trio.

Dick Pearce has his own website:
www.dickpearce.co.uk

Simon Spillett, in 2005 wrote... Dick Pearce is a trumpet player with a formidable reputation but who has suffered a familiar fate of neglect by record labels. More than any other British jazz trumpeter, he probably deserves the mantle of heir to Jimmy Deuchar, offering a style that contains a fractured lyricism reminiscent of his forebear.
He was notable for being the kind of straight ahead player who might well have appeared on the London jazz scene twenty years earlier. He has a sophisticated command of harmonic improvising, although, as with his self-confessed (and disparate) trumpet heroes - Chet Baker, Art Farmer and Don Cherry - his playing comes across as anything but contrived. Pearce had a lengthy association with Ronnie Scott which lasted from the 1970s.

A quartet CD for FMR records in 1994 remains Pearce's only noticeable solo recording effort and, his reputation would be ill-founded if one were to base it solely on the quantity of his recorded output. However, Pearce's beautifully integrated mix of hard bop and abstraction influenced a whole generation of British trumpeters including those who followed in his footsteps with NYJO, such as Gerard Presencer and Guy Barker.
Don Rendell Nine - June 18th, 1979 Recorded at the Greenwich Festival (Earth music - Spotlite SPJ515)
Dick Pearce (tp), Paul Nieman (tb), Pete Hurt (as), Don Rendell (cl,fl,alto-f,ts,sop), Alan Wakeman (sop,ts), John Williams (bs), Pete Saberton (p,el-p), Paul Bridge (b,el-b), Trevor Tomkins (d).
Genesis Jump/Meridian Mango/Land Lovers/Seven Seas Rock/Bluestones/Tenor Firma/Strata Dance/Ground Finale.

Peter King Quintet - June 23rd, 1982 (New Beginning - Spotlite SPJ520)
Dick Pearce (tp,flhrn), Peter King (as), John Horler (p), Dave Green (b), Spike Wells (d).
Blues for S.J./Fourth Emergence/Before The Dawn (DP out)/Dolphin Dance/Gingerbread Boy.

John Critchinson Trio - 1984 (New night - Coda 9)
Dick Pearce (flhrn), John Critchinson (p,el-p,synth), Ron Mathewson (b), Martin Drew (d).
The Morning After.

Jack Sharpe Big Band - January, 1987 (Frog FRG716- Catalyst (a tribute to Tubby Hayes)
Derek Watkins, John Barclay, Steve Sidwell, Dick Pearce, Guy Barker (tp), Geoff Wright, Chris Pyne, Pete Beachill, Dave Stewart (tb), Andy Mackintosh (as), Jamie Talbot, Dave Bishop (ts), Jack Sharpe (bs), Dave Hartley (p), Chris Laurence (b), Harold Fisher (d).
Milestones/You Know I Care/Sharpe Edge/Suddenly Last Tuesday/Keith/Souriya/Allisamba/Warm Breeze (unissued).

Al Cohn meets the Jazz Seven - May 28th, 1987 (Frog FRG717- Keeper of the flame)
Dick Pearce (tp,flhorn), Pete Beachill (tb,v-tbn), Andy Mackintosh (as), Al Cohn (ts), Jack Sharpe (ts,bs), Dave Hartley (p), Chris Laurence (b), Quinny Laurence (d).
Bilbo Baggins*/Mood Indigo* (AC + rhythm)/Casa 50*/Keeper Of The Flame* (AC out)/High On You* (AC + rhythm)/Feel More Like I Do Now*.
(*Jazz House CD - Keeper of the flame)

Jackson Sloan - March 20th to 25th, 1989 (Old Angel Midnight - Prima001)
Jackson Sloan (vcl) with Dick Pearce (tp,flhrn), Peter King (as), Dick Morrissey (ts), Kim Burton (accor), Anthony Kerr (vib), Mark Fitzgibbon (p,org), John Mayer (vln), Martin Klute (b), Graeme Culham (d), Mark Cotgrove (cga), Marie Wilson (vcl-1), Jimmy Deuchar (arr)
Devil May Care/So Many Times/Old Angel Midnight/One And All Blues/We'll Be Together Again/Jack Kerouac Said/Spiderman/Caravan (1), Bernie's Tune/Walk On The Wild Side.

Ronnie Scott Quintet - October and November, 1990 (Live at Ronnie Scott's)
CD and LP titled 'Never Pat A Burning Dog'.
Dick Pearce (tp), Ronnie Scott (ts), Mornington Lockett (ts-1), John Critchinson (p), Ron Mathewson (b), Martin Drew (d).
Contemplation*/I'm Glad There Is You (DP out)*/White Caps*/All The Things You Are*/This Love Of Mine (DP out)*/When Love Is New*/Little Sunflower(1) (DP out, title not on LP)*.
(*Jazz House CD - Ronnie Scott - Double Event)

Dick Pearce Quartet - Live at the Premises - May, 1994 (FMR CD17 - Dick Pearce - Big Hit)
Dick Pearce (tp,fhrn), John Donaldson (p,keyb),Val Mannix (b), Mike Bradley (d).
Do It'n, Do It'n, Do It Up*/Dream Dancing*/Spanish Tinge*/Mother Love*/Big Hit*/I'm Late*/I'm Gonna Fly To You*/Atlantis*.
(*FMR CD - Dick Pearce Big Hit)

Barbara Jay - April 13th, 1997 (Spotlite)
Barbara Jay (vcl) acc. by Dick Pearce (flhrn), John Critchinson (p), Andy Cleyndert (b), Martin Drew (d).
Just Friends*/Speak Low*/East Of The Sun*/All About Ronnie*.
(*Spotlite CD - Barbara Jay - Just Friends)

Elaine Delmar - May 22nd, 1997 (Nobody Else But Me - Spotlite SPJ563)
Elaine Delmar (vcl) acc by: Dick Pearce (flhrn), John Horler (p), Phil Lee (g), Dave Green, Bobby Worth (d).
Nobody Else But Me/Hymn For Jobim/I Will Say Goodbye/Once Upon A Summertime/All The Things You Are/My Foolish Heart.
(Spotlite CD - Nobody Else But Me)

Pete Downes Trio with Dick Pearce - Recorded live at Pizza Express, August 28th, 2006 (Wiser)
Dick Pearce (fhrn,tp), Pete Downes (g), Andy Coe (b), Tim Bruce (d).
Cantaloupe Island*/Killer Joe*/View In Blue*/Eclipse*/Tutu*/Requiem*/Straight No Chaser*/Watermelon Man*/So What*.
(*Wiser CD - Pete Downes Trio with Dick Pearce Live)

Laurie Jacobs / Dick Pearce - Recorded live at the Ship Inn, Oundle, May 11th, 2013 (Full Steam Ahead!!! - Soultrane)
Dick Pearce (fhrn,tp), Laurie Jacobs (ts), John Critchinson (p), Arnie Somogyi (b), Dave Barry (d).
Lady Bird*/Stella By Starlight*/I Dig Of You*/I Fall In Love Too Easily*/On Green Dolphin Street*/One For Daddy-O*/I Hear A Rhapsody*/Blue Bossa*.
(*Soultrane CD - Laurie Jacobs / Dick Pearce Full Stem Ahead!!!)


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