Richard Wallis

Text Box: Richard Wallis :- Electric Bass ,Double Bass ,Acoustic/Electric Guitar Piano Started playing piano age 7 double bass 11 started play in youth orchestra at 11 first band at 14 Joined band Dawn Treader at 16 who released album in Switzerland also playing folk clubs in 3 piece band. Worked with John Otway Met Hill in 1982 and that was the start of the unique relation ship between the three of them .
1984 studied at university for 3 years playing in several bands worked as a session musician for 4 years including Mari Wilson retired in 1986 moved to Devon to start a families and his own business 2006 came out of retirement to work with Briggs once again after 25 years
EDD BATEMAN:- Electric Bass ,Double Bass,Guitrar
Edd began playing bass at 12
At 14 joined a Zimbabwean dance band playing arts centres and festivals including Glastonbury. As well as playing as a session musician with musicals and playing with a function band he taught bass at Plymouth City College before moving to Bristol in 2008. That's where he met Hill

Chris Box Drums
Chris was introduced to music early on in life and at the age of 3 began bashing on a junior drum kit belonging to his older brother and was hooked from that day onwards. He took up DJing at the age of 10, helping out a local mobile DJ before going solo behind the decks at many local events (with help from family who doubled up as roadies and chauffeurs!). During school years, Chris played drums in various types of bands covering a range of styles including Blues, Jazz and Pop, whilst picking up other instruments, experimenting with guitars, bass, keyboards and anything else he could get a tune out of, which he still likes to do. In 2002, Chris began working for Luminar Leisure as resident DJ and percussionist in various clubs around the North West, usually working 5 nights a week. In 2006, he decided it was time to quit full-time DJ work and return to what he loved doing the most, playing drums and percussion within a group and joined a local Rock band as drummer. In April 2007, Chris joined the internet station Jazz Syndicate Radio, hosting a weekly show, playing Soul, Funk & Boogie from the past to the present. It was through the station that Chris met Aja, which led to him being introduced to Hill Briggs and the project Hill Briggs & Friends. Chris is very pleased to be involved as percussionist & drum tech and is looking forward to laying down some serious grooves with the other members of the group.

Ce Ce Zen :- Vocals, Piano, Acoustic Guitar.
Ce Ce Zen found her niche in life at the age of three, when she learned to play the Piano by ear. During her school years, she commanded the lead soloist position in Numerous musicals and operas, and fronted a pop/rock band called The Rock Babies. From college she achieved grade eight distinction in voice and two gold medals from singing competitions. She joined The Kingston Big Band while attending university, and became the only soloist chosen to represent the big band at the Royal Festival Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. Having fronted bands such as Hermit Junction and The Charmed, Ce Ce has established herself as a solo artist. She formed a relationship with two top producers, Ed Poole and Hill Briggs. Ce Ce has been putting the finishing touches on her new album of original songs, as well as showcasing them at the Original Song-Writers in London. Ce Ce Zen's unique and powerful voice, together with her song writing talent and natural stage presence, makes her a great success. Fluent in English and Chinese, Ce Ce captured the imagination of her audiences, after a 5 year break from Hill she has come to work with him on the new Jazz Project .

Emma Cantons
Emma comes from a highly musical background. Her father (Neil Hobson) was a jazz pianist and stage designer and her mother (Mary Lush) was a concert pianist graduating from the Royal Academy of Music, London with a gold medal.
Emma Cantons lives in London, England
As a teenager, she was writing and performing cabaret ranging from comedy to American songbook jazz. In 1984, Emma won a place at the Guildhall School of Music. Emma was introduced to Nica Burns, the organizer of the ‘Perrier Awards’ who took her on as a client. Emma appeared at ‘The King’s Head, Islington’, ‘Violet’s’ & the famous ‘Groucho Club’ where The Tatler described her with the words ‘Pretty, witty and talented - she will go far…’.
Emma performs with a 4-piece band. The band consists of Emma on piano and vocals; Ben Treeby on guitar; John Wells on bass and Al Magill on drums.
A number of internet radio stations in the UK and Jazz Plus fm (Montreal, Canada) have as of March 2007 begun to play tracks from Her album "Songs Of Experience" Emma has also performed live and given interviews on ALL fm (Manchester, UK) on Gina’s Sunday afternoon show 1-3pm and with Aja on Jazz Syndicate Radio (UK). Emma will be performing with the Briggs Band Live

DONNA GARDIER

In the mid-Nineties she fronted UK band Raw Stylus, who recorded the classic singles “Pushing Against The Flow” and “Believe In Me”, and toured extensively with them in Europe, the US and Japan.Donna describes her style as “a strong gospel type of vocal” and her interest in gospel grew greatly following the break-up of Raw Stylus. In recent years she has sung with different gospel choirs.
Her early musical influences are all strong-voiced US females – from the Jones Girls and Chaka Khan to Vesta Williams and Patti Labelle and Aretha Franklyn.
Her last album, 'Home' was written and recorded by her self and Lennox Cameron, Donna says: “I enjoyed doing my first solo album, but the reason why I particularly like this new album is that it is true to me, coming from the heart, true to the person I am today. On my original solo record I didn’t write any of the material, whereas on this album I have written all but one of the songs”.
The exception is an intimate acoustic version of the Marvin Gaye favourite “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)”, produced by the Birmingham-based Full Flava team.
Donna, who has lived in London all her life, began singing in church at the age of five, but only broke into the music business by accident. “A friend of mine who was a professional singer had double-booked herself and asked me to cover for her,” she recalls. She went to the session, for a band called Kid Can’t Dance, and found herself asked to join the band, going on the road with them and singing on their album.
This was followed soon afterwards by “Reach Out” her debut solo album signed to Virgin, which launched her fans base with the singles Reach out and I'll be there.
Her stint with Raw Stylus began by complete chance. A friend was auditioning for the band and called Donna in the middle of the audition after telling the band ‘I know who would be perfect for this’.
“I went along the next day and they chose me as the band’s lead singer,” says Donna. “The friend who recommended me became one of the backing singers.”
The band was all about live work, touring almost non-stop, but when they started doing individual projects after the release of their album, it was only a matter of time before they split up permanently and Donna returned to a heavy schedule of session work.
When the opportunity came along to cut an album for Dome and resume her recording career as an artist in her own right, she jumped at the chance and immediately began working on material with Lennox.
In 04 to 05 Donna was part of the Sting "Sacred Love" tour and has also been a member of a tour with the Four Tops and the Temptations.
At present Donna is writing songs for another solo album.
Knud Stűwe – Musician Composer

Biography:
Knud Stűwe is a jazz guitarist and composer who lives in Bristol. He draws inspiration from a wide range of influences such as Jazz, Klezmer, Tango and the Classical repertoire.
Currently he is working for : Frances Butt Band (Latin Jazz) , Cai For Two (Modern Jazz, Klezmer and Originals), Instant Witt (Improvised Comedy Show), Manfredi Funk Initiative (as dep).
He also is collaborating with trumpeter David Mowat on “The Pilgrim`s Suite”. Knud`s role is to take folk material Dave collected in France, Turkey, Kosovo and Palestine and to use it as a basis for an improvised underscore behind the narration. ( First performance on 19th of June at Corsham Festival).
As a composer Knud`s recent projects include the premiere of his Oratorio “Die Suche Nach Dem Licht”, incidental music for the new play “The Man Who Discovered That Woman Lay Eggs” a production by Full Beam Visual Theatre”, guitarist for “The King Cotton Show” a strongly political Jazz Suite for Big Band about the history of the Cotton industry in Bristol and Composer/Live Musician for “Alice” a Vaudeville take on “Alice in Wonderland” without words but with puppets(Full Beam Visual Theatre).
Knud was born in 1968 in Hamburg, Germany. In 1991 he was asked to be the guitarist for a fringe theatre production of the Dada play “Der Zusammenstoss” by Kurt Schwitters which involved a small live Jazz band. During the production he started to contribute to the writing of the music and ended up being the joined composer/MD for the whole production. Afterwards he decided to properly learn what I had been doing by instinct.
In 1993 he moved to the U.K. to do the Band Musicianship course (BA Hons) at Salford University College which allowed him to combine Jazz guitar (tutor Mike Walker) and classical composition. Afterwards he did an MA (Hons)in Writing music for Film, Theatre and Television at Bristol University.
Since than he has been working as a composer and guitarrist in a wide range of contexts.
List of Works:
Jazz : Trio Modu (submitted here ) + Trio Modu “nine lives” published 2004 Written on Water Records.
Classical : “Die Suche nach dem Licht” Oratorio for Choir, Narrator, Solo Baritone and chamber ensemble, premiere March 2005 in Rellingen near Hamburg, Germany.
Incidental Music : “The man who discovered that woman lay eggs”, “Alice”, (Full Beam Visual Theater 2005 and 2003 ), “ Don Juan Returns from the War” (Welsh College For Music And Drama 2000), “The Tempest” (Chavenage Productions 2000), “Marriage” By Gogol ( Theater West 2000 )
Music For Childreens Puppet Theater : “Greenfingers” premiered at Salisbury Playhouse 2006, “Dusty” premiered at Tobacco Factory Bristol in 2004, “The Owl and the Pussycat” premiered at the Merlin Theater in Frome all productions by “Stuff and Nonsense Puppet Theater”.
Published : 3 Jazz compositions in “Hamburg Realbook” (1996) which was an initiative by the senate of Hamburg to encourage jazz local musicians to play each others music rather than just the standard repertoire.