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David Bowie, George Michael, Tina Turner, Pangbourne jazz club guest has played with the best




Trumpet and flugelhorn player John Thirkell plays Pangbourne Jazz Club on Sunday, July 3.

He will be backed by the jazz club rhythm section of Terry Hutchins (guitar), John Deemer (bass), Jim Pollard (piano) and Brian Greene (drums).

It's a 7.30pm start at Pangbourne Working Mens Club, Rosewood Hall, in Whitchurch Road, a venue in a beautiful setting, with club bar prices and ample parking. Entry £10. Pay on the door or visit the website.

John Thirkell
John Thirkell

johnnythirkell.com

In a long and varied career, Johnny has an impressive record of achievements and unparalleled experience as a trumpet player, producer and latterly as a tech entrepreneur.

On leaving Leeds College of Music he studied trumpet in New York with the great Carmine Caruso before embarking on a playing career in which he performed in many genres of music at the highest level. From the BBC Radio Orchestra through the Buddy Rich and Gil Evans Orchestras and on into the rock and pop industry, Johnny established himself as a versatile and adaptable musician of the highest calibre.

A measure of his success lies in the fact that his trumpet-playing featured on at least one album in the UK album chart continuously, without a break, for more than 13 years and at one point he was playing on 11 of the top 50 albums in a single week. He has performed on more than 6,000 recordings, 40 top 10 albums and 25 US and UK No1 records, including the recent BTS global smash Dynamite. The list of artists with whom he has recorded reads like a who’s who of the music industry and includes such illustrious names as Jamiroquai, Bruno Mars, David Bowie, Pet Shop Boys, George Michael and Tina Turner.

As well as touring and playing live with artists like Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Bon Jovi and Ray Charles, Johnny has been a regular member Swing Out Sister (1985 – 1988), Level 42 (1988 – 1994) and Jamiroquai (1993 – 2000).

A natural progression was into record production and he has produced (or co-produced) more than 250 commercial releases and co-written many of the songs. Indeed, he has had over 500 songs published including songs for artists as diverse as The Spice Girls (he co-wrote their early songs), Odyssey and The Three Degrees.

In recent years he has focused on building and selling a number of businesses in the music and technology space and currently has offices in London and New York.

Johnny also enjoys employing his communication skills and experience through writing and speaking.

The Jazz Club runs every first Sunday in the month.

Note that the public car park now operates 24/7, so please be sure to buy a ticket (enter your vehicle registration number at the machine). Please do not park in the members-only car park.

Coming next to Pangbourne Jazz Club

  • Sunday, August 7, Alan Grahame (percussion) and Ken McCarthy (piano)
  • Sunday, September 4, Alan Barnes (saxophones)


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