Don Weller plays the tenor sax with great authority and a boundless supply of feeling and energy. No college jazz course could teach what Don does. He has his own expressive language that cuts straight through to the essence of what great jazz has always been, a direct communication to the emotions.
The most uplifting quartet I know - whatever state of tiredness or depression you might sink into, a few bars of this quartet and you're cured. Living proof that music is the greatest tonic ever. The quartet features the great Dave Newton on piano, Dave Barry on drums, Andre Cleyndert on bass.
The Don Weller Big Band was originally formed to play the Pennine Suite - a series of six linked pieces, specially commissioned by and premiered at the Appleby Festival. Don Weller three times winner of the Best Tenor Saxophone award in recent national pollsis one of those rare creative artists who have a stamp of originality in everything they do. His writing for big band like his saxophone playing is totally unmistakable. Though using a traditional approach to big band writing he has written music of great quality and originality with a distinctive and personal angle on melody that could only be the product of a lifetime's personal musical development by a master musician.
Jack Massarik of The London Evening Standard wrote " He imitates nobody yet swings as hard and plays as soulfully, inventively and, if necessary, as devastatingly fast as any American icon could."
The high regard with which Don is held among fellow musicians meant that these usually very busy players, many of whom are band leaders under their own name,were queuing up to be part of this tour.
Tenor saxophonist Art Themen and Don Weller met up in the early days of British jazz and R&B when they both worked in bandswith the likes of Alexis Corner and Graham Bond. Their partnership has carried on down the years . Although they have very individual approaches to playing the saxophone they compliment each other perfectly and their enjoyment of playing together has never diminished.