Policy Statement

This event is being organised by a local committee of musicians and jazz fans.

Our aim is to promote jazz on the Isle of Wight. Members of the committee will not receive any financial reward. Inspected accounts will be made available on request.

The committee will cover the cost of the main venues and headline acts. This will be funded by sponsorship, ticket sales and other fund-raising activities.

Any subsequent profits will go towards funding future events and a donation to charity (IW Mountbatten Hospice).

We will encourage other performances during the period. However, we will not act as agents. It will be the responsibility of the performers and venues to negotiate between themselves.

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Craig Milverton

Craig was born in Bexley, Kent and took piano lessons from the ages of 7 -12. He began performing in public as young as 10 years of age, but it was not until he was 21 that he turned professional gigging with local rock 'n' roll and jazz funk groups. From 1987 to 1991, he toured regularly across the UK and Europe, including 3 Cork Jazz Festival appearances with R'n'B group Junkyard Angels.

In 1997, he joined Digby Fairweather's eclectic group Dig's Half Dozen, and has performed regularly at London's Pizza on the Park. A CD '12 Feet off the Ground' was released in 1999. He appeared twice as one of the 'Kings of Jazz' on the Oriana cruise ship in 1998 and 1999.
He is a member of Digby Fairweather's Half Dozen (2 time winner of the British Jazz Award for best small Group 2005, 2006) and from 2002-2007 was the backing unit for the late George Melly.

In 2005 his trio CD 'Three Flow' was reviewed by Richard Palmer (Biographer for Oscar Peterson's 'A Jazz Odessey') and was his choice for CD of the year for Jazz Journal International. The CD was launched at The Pizza Express, Dean St., London to much praise. For 4 years from 2003-2007 he had the courage to put on his own Jazz Festival, The Hayne Barton Jazz Festival, where he featured the cream of British Jazz Talent from across the entire jazz spectrum including support for artistes from the Southwest.

2007 saw Craig team up alongside Digby Fairweather and Paul Jones (Manfred Mann, The Blues Band).

As well as being involved with Digby Fairweather's projects, he has many of his own groups. He is accompanist to the late Humphrey Lyttleton's favourite vocalist, Louise Parker and they have a new show together named 'When Oscar met Billie' paying homage to jazz great's Oscar Peterson and Billie Holiday. Craig is also very much in demand as a solo pianist and is much sought after as a skilled accompanist to such star vocalists as Stacey Kent and Tina May. His trios are regularly required to back visiting American soloists at festivals and venues across the country including Scott Hamilton, Ken Peplowski and Warren Vaché. Few British pianists have Craig's thorough knowledge and grasp of jazz styles. His love of the music shines through and he is a natural at whatever he plays.

watch Craig on YouTube

Craig's Website

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