My Generation Deirdre Cartwright ‘PLAY’

Blow the Fuse presents
MY GENERATION’ features a wonderful line up of mini double bills and women musicians who grew up listening to music on vinyl and transistor radio… and decided that they also wanted to PLAY! Inspiration from Joni Mitchell to Suzi Quatro, mostly self taught, they became the first wave of British women jazz musicians in the 1970s and 1980s.

Deirdre Cartwright’s ‘Play’ Group

“If there is a more complete guitarist in contemporary music than Deirdre Cartwright – I’d like to know who it is”                    

                                                             Dave Gelly The Observer

Deirdre Cartwright’s ‘PLAY’ group – exciting, original contemporary jazz fusion with Deirdre Cartwright guitar and Louise Elliott on saxophone and flute. With Alison Rayner on double bass and Simon Pearson on drums.

Deirdre Cartwright is a London based guitarist and composer who became well known presenting the BBC TV’s ground breaking series ‘Rockschool’.

Also in the 1980’s she played with the Afro Latin Jazz group The Guest Stars. They recorded three albums and toured in 17 countries. In 1991 she formed the Deirdre Cartwright Group. With her own group she has recorded five albums, and played at international festivals from Mexico to Warsaw.

More recently she has written and recorded albums with the groups Emily Remembered, LUND, Picnic with Annie Whitehead and ARQ. She has played with Tal Farlow, toured with the Jamaican composer Marjorie Whylie, presented on Radio 3 and founded Blow the Fuse with Alison Rayner.

Deirdre has written seven books on guitar playing and was head of guitar syllabus for the Rock School exam series.

Recently she has started presenting a radio show ‘Curious Adventure’ for internet radio station Jazz London radio

Cartwright’s coolly undulating Grant Green shuffle groove is one of the understated pleasure of UK’s contemporary fusion.”

John Fordham

Her sinewy guitar fronts a sparse trio – with beatnik spoken-word injections from Sarah P – who stretch out like a psychedelic 1960s blues band, but take the blind leaps of faith of improvisers. Highlights are the Nirvana grunge-fusion Smells Like Jazz and a sublime exploration of Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights.”

Stewart Lee Sunday Times