Matt Skelton Blackhawk Quintet

Jim Davison (trumpet)

Mark Crooks (tenor sax)

Leon Greening (piano)

Conor Chaplin (double bass)

Matt Skelton (drums)

This will be a night of “cool jazz” in tribute to one of the greats of the West Coast scene of the 1950s - Shelly Manne. An extraordinary and unique artist who has left an immense legacy of collaborations and recordings. A master musician who has enriched the lexicon of jazz percussion with virtuosic alacrity. Shelly Manne: band leader, Contemporary Jazz record label house musician, studio orchestra drummer for countless films and television and jazz club owner.

This project celebrates his Quintet and their particular contribution to the Manne canon, inspired by a clutch of golden performances, captured live at the Blackhawk Jazz club in San Francisco between September 22-24, 1959. Tonight’s band have been hand-picked for the way they connect with and are inspired by their corresponding original artists. They do though aim to express their own originality and collective inspiration with the Manne Blackhawk quintet as their DNA framework.

‘The band captured the joyful spirit and sharp sophistication of Manne’s music with effortless swing, nuance, and energy. A rich, stylish night of classic cool jazz, played with true heart.’
Ellie Jones at Swansea Jazz - July 2025