Stretch Trio

Stretch Trio was formed as an outlet for music written by EWI and Saxophonist, Andy French. The original idea behind the compositions was to create a sound that was accessible to a wide audience, whilst remaining rooted within the jazz idiom. The unusual line-up of sax, guitar and drums demanded some innovative approaches to playing from each of the members, enabling Stretch Trio to quickly form their own distinctive sound. In December 2014 the trio won the prestigious Peter Whittingham Award, they faced a panel of experts including trombonist Dennis Rollins, saxophonist Pete Wareham, and Justin McKenzie of London promoter Jazz re:freshed. The group, were the unanimous choice to receive the £4,000 development award through Help Musicians UK. In November 2014, Stretch Trio recorded their debut album, Antithesis. This is the first official documentation of the bands sound. This Album will function as a timeline displaying how the bands sound has developed since its formation, including some of the first compositions that they played together. Early in 2014 they were given the opportunity to perform at the 'Gateshead International jazz festival' after winning the prestigious 'Jazz North Introduces' award. As well as this high profile performance sharing the bill with artists such as Bill Frisell, Esperanza Spaulding, Jack Dejohnette, Polar Bear and Jean Touisant they were awarded two days of mentoring with internationally acclaimed saxophonist, Ian Dixon. These intense mentoring sessions benefited all three musicians individually as well as developing the ensemble both in performance and composition. In order to explore a vast array of textures within the small ensemble, Stretch Trio have implemented the use of loops and various effects. This allows them to explore genres outside of the Jazz idiom.