ERIC FORD
ERIC FORD
PROFESSIONAL DRUMMER / PERCUSSIONIST
F E A T U R E D R E V I E W S
"Eric Ford's drumming is far more than just a rhythmic foundation ; he creates melodic lines of his own, rich with dynamic shifts. His playing offers a modern jazz-fusion approach while also nodding to classic swing and rock. Ford's style is tight, ensuring that every hit accentuates the mood of the song, and his synergy with Naylor's guitar gives the album its deep, full-bodied sound."
Anastasia Bogomelets, All About Jazz (reviewing "Organza" by Patrick Naylor)
" ...strong and creative"
Julian Joseph, Jazz Line-Up, BBC Radio 3
"...exquisitely subtle drumming, superbly delicate here and throughout the album.''
Roger Farbey, All About Jazz (reviewing "String Theory" by Partikel)
" Ford excels on drums throughout - bold, crisp, creative,in total command of a seemingly endless range of techniques.''
Eddie Myer, jazzviews.net (reviewing "Counteraction" by Partikel)
"Ford's hi-hat snaps and fills, and the precision with which he plays complex patterns...are constantly striking features of this engaging debut.''
John Fordham, The Guardian (reviewing "Next Beginning" by Samuel Eagles)
EVENTS
October 21st :
Boisdale of Belgravia with Jeremy Sassoon and Dave Jones, 9pm.
October 24th :
The President Hotel, Bloomsbury, London with Mark Lockheart, Soner Ersen, Andy Cleyndert. 9-11:30pm, £10.
October 26th :
The B3 Lounge at The Bohemia, Finchley, London with Pete Whittaker and Mike Outram. 7:30-10pm.
N E W S
Hello and welcome.
September was very busy, with Friday nights at a new jazz residency in The President Hotel on Russell Square in London continuing through October (Jim Mullen, Benet McLean, Mark Lockheart and Lily Dior being the featured guests) whilst Janette Mason's Re:Wired trio with guest Tom Smith enjoyed a knockout main show at Ronnie Scott's and performed three tunes live on BBC Radio 3's "In Tune" on September 23rd (so it's still audible on the i-player). In October I have fewer public gigs but there are public performances around London with Nick Smart, Nicolas Meier, Alex Hutton, Mike Outram and many more, plus a trip to Scarborough and Birmingham with Mark Cherrie's quartet featuring John Donaldson and Tom Mason. Details are on the "Concerts" page.
Janette Mason's album "Re:Wired" is at last released, two years after we recorded it! The launch was at Pizza Express Jazz Club Soho on May 14th (featuring Richard Beesley, Claire Martin, Juliet Kelly and Tom Mason), and then there's a sprinkling of remaining dates this year (eg. at Watermill Jazz in Dorking on November 11th and Reading Jazz on December 5th). The album has been very favourably reviewed in the May edition of Jazzwise (4 stars) and in UK Jazz News.
Pianist Adam Dyer has FINALLY released his debut album for which Jakub Cywinski, Duncan Eagles and I recorded a couple of sessions at Red Gables in west London back in 2019 and 2021! Featuring excellent and varied compositions by Adam and some swinging arrangements of choice standards, it's called River Spirit and currently only available via https://adamdyer.co.uk I particularly like the group improv on "The Potting Shed" and the interplay during the piano solos on "In With The New" and "Battersea Blues." Patrick Hadfield gave the album a very positive review in London Jazz News, describing my playing as "totemic"!! Please do tell me if you know what he meant by that.
I've released a couple of albums on Bandcamp! (With much assistance from David Beebee and my very patient brother-in-law, Ali.) They're both other people's projects that I was involved in and both recorded at David's Beeboss Studios. From 2018 comes "What Can I Do" (without a question mark), the only album of pianist Paolo Losi's own compositions. Paolo died suddenly within 6 months of recording aged just 46, so bassist Dave Jones and I wanted to share this music in remembrance of him. There's a written tribute by our mutual friend Paolo Muraro, too. Please check it out HERE.
The other album is by a short-lived trio of trumpet / double bass / drums that I enjoyed very much and which contrasts markedly with the Paolo release. It's with a couple of my Polish friends (Jakub Cywinski and Dawyd Frydryk) recorded in July 2019. You can give that a listen HERE.
There's more detail on many other albums I've had the good fortune to play on in the "Albums" section.
Imogen Ryall's re-imagining of Joni Mitchell's "Mingus" album was officially released in late September last year on the Rubicon Jazz label and made it onto the "best albums of 2023" lists of several critics in the UK and US. It's also been nominated for a Parliamentary Jazz Award this year. We're playing at a festival near Calais in France in March! Album link HERE.
I'm in a book ! David Harvey - father of cool cat bassist Jon Harvey - photographed 90 musicians in London and interviewed some of them, including me. It's called "The Look Of Jazz" and provides an interesting snapshot (sorry) of a part of the London scene around now and the opinions and backgrounds of some of those in it.
