Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer - contemporary saxophone & piano jazz duo from Edinburgh, Scotland

*NEW* We now have some sound clips available for you to use as ring tones on your mobile phone - click here!

Ian Millar and Dominic Spencer are a contemporary saxophone & piano duo from Edinburgh in Scotland. They played regularly at Henry's Jazz Cellar in Edinburgh (Scotland's only 5 night a week jazz club) and have performed throughout Scotland, with regular gigs in St. Andrews, Melrose, Perth, Dundee, Dumfries as well as Edinburgh. 2004 saw their first venture outside Scotland when they performed in the Bath Fringe Festival and the Buxton Fringe Festival (where they were nominated for a music award two years in a row). They have also performed at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, the Glasgow Jazz Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (with sell-out shows), the Borders Jazz Festival and the Pittenweem Arts Festival in Fife.

In September 2005 they completed their first ever Highland Tour with great success and received a fantastic response from audiences everywhere they went (Fort William, Boat of Garten, Knoydart, Arisaig, Achiltibuie, Drumnadrochit, Isle of Eigg and Ballachulish).

These musicians have their own style, with emphasis very much on improvisation, exploration and interaction. They perform a unique blend of melodic improvisation using classic jazz standards and atmospheric original compositions. Their approach is always to play as melodically as possible, whether playing a fast, powerful, driving piece or a subtle, quiet, atmospheric ballad, thus ensuring beautiful, accessible, high quality music.

Their debut CD "Echoing Rocks" contains 12 compositions written by Ian and was recorded in Bath at the Mission Theatre in June 2005.

Recent concerts have been performed in: Gavinton, Clunie, Paxton, Falkland, Ayton, Guildtown, Ashfield, Glenfarg, Smailholm, Grantshouse, Carlops, Fettercairn, Lockerbie, Moffat, Morebattle, Tyndrum, Brig O'Turk, Cairndow, Embleton, Ardfern, Crook of Devon, Abington, St. Boswells, Tynron, Bowden, Skirling, Elie, Port of Menteith, St. Johns Town of Dalry, Gullane, Balquhidder, Comrie, Inverness, Pitlochry, Durham, West Linton, Aboyne, Crail, Nethy Bridge, Colliston, Memus, Echt, Blair Drummond, Bath, Kirkcudbright, Cardrona, Carrbridge, Arbuthnott, Fowlis, Ardvasar, Plockton, Broadford, Portree, Dunvegan, Alyth, Strachur, Anstruther, East Kilbride, Aberdour, Montrose, Coldingham, Dumfries, Blairgowrie, Jedburgh, Culross, Biggar, Fortingall, Glasgow and Whithorn.

NEW CD OUT NOW! - June 2006

click here for sleeve notes...

To buy "The Isle of Skye" CD
online click the "Buy Now"
button below for secure payment through PayPal using a credit or debit card in a variety of currencies.

Price: £10.00

to order by post click here

We promise to send the CD to you POSTAGE FREE as quickly as
humanly possible.

THE ISLE OF SKYE

Spontaneous Composition No.1
Summer Days
Spontaneous Composition No.2
Blues for Frosty
The Inn on North Street
Spontaneous Composition No.3
The Old Man of Storr
Spontaneous Composition No.4
Haggis Knowe
The Isle of Skye
Spontaneous Composition No.5
MacLeod's Tables
Que Dia Tan Bueno
Spontaneous Composition No.6

2006 JiS 002

Ian Millar - tenor & soprano saxophone
Dominic Spencer - acoustic piano

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click here for sleeve notes...

To buy the "Echoing Rocks" CD
online click the "Buy Now"
button below for secure payment through PayPal using a credit or debit card in a variety of currencies.

Price: £10.00

to order by post click here

We promise to send the CD to you POSTAGE FREE as quickly as
humanly possible.

ECHOING ROCKS

Coffee Time!

Morning Dew

In a Holiday Mood

Echoing Rocks

Playing in the Sun

Ballad for H.K.

Sunburn

Ad Hocery

Towpath Ted

The Road to Melrose

Gemma

Midnight

2005 JiS 001

Ian Millar - tenor saxophone
Dominic Spencer - piano

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SPECIAL OFFER! BUY BOTH CDs FOR JUST £15

To buy BOTH CDs online, click the "Buy Now" button below for secure payment
through PayPal using a credit or debit card in a variety of currencies.

to order by post click here

We promise to send the CDs to you POSTAGE FREE as quickly as humanly possible.

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*NEW* We now have some sound clips available for you to use as ring tones on your mobile phone - click here!

2007 Concert Diary

Enter the place name in the Multimap box below to see a map of each venue

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE DOOR OF EACH CONCERT FROM HALF AN HOUR BEFORE THE START TIME.

YOU CAN NOW BUY TICKETS FOR OUR CONCERTS ONLINE. It is a secure payment through PayPal using credit or debit card.
(Just click on the link next to the concert you wish to go to.)

If you would prefer to do it by post, please send a cheque made payable to "Jazz in Scotland" to: Jazz in Scotland, 15 Windsor Square, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 8ES, and make sure it reaches us at least 5 days before the concert. Please clearly state which concert you are buying tickets for, how many you are buying, and include your name & full address.

If you prefer, we can have tickets waiting for you at the concert venue to collect on the night (either pre-paid or paid for on collection). We can also reserve a table for you - just phone 01968 679 299.

For further information about any of the following concerts, please phone: 01968 679 299 or email: admin@jazz-in-scotland.co.uk

If you can display a poster or two (or a flyer) for us we would be extremely grateful - just click on the link next to each concert and then print them out (everything is on A4 pages - an A3 poster can be made available, just email us). Perhaps you might be able to display them in your window, or on a noticeboard or window at work, or in your car window?

B.Y.O.B means "bring your own booze!"
(plus glasses, corkscrew/bottle-opener & nibbles!)

2008

date

venue

details

posters & flyers for you to download

Friday 16th May

CUMMERTREES VILLAGE HALL
Cummertrees, near Annan, Dumfries & Galloway

8pm £6
(accompanied child under 16 FREE)
buy tickets online: PayPal
B.Y.O.B.

download A4 poster to print out
download A5 flyer to print out

Saturday 17th May

BOWDEN VILLAGE HALL
Bowden, near Melrose, Scottish Borders

8pm £6
(accompanied child under 16 FREE)
buy tickets online: PayPal
B.Y.O.B.

download A4 poster to print out
download A5 flyer to print out

Friday 23rd May

BROUGHTON VILLAGE HALL
Broughton, near Biggar

8pm £6
(accompanied child under 16 FREE)
buy tickets online: PayPal
B.Y.O.B.

download A4 poster to print out
download A5 flyer to print out

Saturday 17th May

FETTERCAIRN HALL
Fettercairn, Angus

8pm £6
(accompanied child under 16 FREE)
buy tickets online: PayPal
B.Y.O.B.

download A4 poster to print out
download A5 flyer to print out

*NEW* We now have some sound clips available for you to use as ring tones on your mobile phone - click here!

Bath Chronicle

Thursday 2nd June 2005

On a Mission with melodic jazz

Ian Millar and Dominic Spencer

The Mission Theatre
Corn Street, Bath

TENOR saxophonist Ian Millar and keyboardist Dominic Spencer began a five day residency at the Mission Theatre last night before a modest but enthusiastic audience, most of whom were discovering the Mission Theatre for the first time.

This is a venue worth discovering: light, airy and spacious, with an upstairs café that can serve as another, more intimate performance space, plus that priceless rarity in Bath, parking (in Avon Street car park across the street).

Millar and Spencer play your basic melodic post-bop jazz, a style that has been devalued by legions of restaurateurs, just as certain classical composers have been unfairly devalued by movies and television.

Frankly, it was a pleasure to sit back and actually listen to this duo work out on familiar standards and really excellent Millar originals without roaring conversation and clinking glasses.

Millar's main man would be Sonny Rollins, though he often used the higher range of the instrument like Wayne Shorter or alto players such as Paul Desmond; he really used the vast range of the tenor, always with gentle lyricism.

The two have a comfortable rapport - a feeling that extends to the Mission Theatre.

Charley Dunlap

*NEW* We now have some sound clips available for you to use as ring tones on your mobile phone - click here!

REVIEW

BUXTON FRINGE FESTIVAL
Friday 9th July 2004
Orchestra Pit, The Old Hall Hotel
Buxton, Derbyshire

Ian Millar & Dominic Spencer

“Had a stressful day? Relax, open a bottle of wine, and enjoy the music of this saxophone and piano duo from Edinburgh. Playing a mixture of standards and their own compositions, Ian Millar and Dominic Spencer show themselves to be talented musicians with a flair for melodic jazz that will ease your cares away.

Ian and Dominic give classic standards a contemporary feel without losing the essence of the originals. I particularly liked Gershwin’s Embraceable You where Ian’s breathy sexy saxophone evokes a vibrant longing response from Dominic’s keyboard. And their interpretation of Stella By Starlight was moody, argumentative, a woman with attitude.

The range of moods of their own pieces (composed by Ian) was striking. The Road to Melrose (aka the A68) was inspired by the journey to a regular gig. Judging by the smooth, mellow sound it must have been a carefree scenic route with the prospect of a laid-back session. A piece in honour of Dominic’s five-year-old daughter Gemma was nostalgic, emotional, full of love. By contrast, Playing in the Sun, was a sunny piece with calypso rhythms and tones. And Midnight (which appropriately closed the last set) was upbeat, playful and sent me away feeling the evening had just begun.

The candlelit Orchestra Pit at the Old Hall is the perfect venue for Ian and Dominic’s music. The duo are playing there every evening till the 15th July. Don’t miss them.”

by Barbara Wilson & Sarah Henry

*NEW* We now have some sound clips available for you to use as ring tones on your mobile phone - click here!

contact us:
telephone	01968 679 299
fax	01968 679 299
email	admin@jazz-in-scotland.co.uk

Sonny Rollins	Lee Konitz
Wayne Shorter	Charles Lloyd
Bobby Wellins	Steve Lacey