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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Karen Sharp

Karen took up the tenor saxophone whilst studying composition at the Royal Northern College of Music. A friend introduced her to a recording of Dexter Gordon and she was instantly hooked, quickly joining the college jazz band and finding regular work in a busy soul band based in Liverpool. Since relocating to London in 1999 Karen has become a busy freelance musician working alongside many top class British and American musicians such as Scott Hamilton, Sir John Dankworth, Danny Moss, Alan Barnes, Barbara Lea, Dick Sudhalter, Joe Temperley, Mark Nightingale, Annie Whitehead, Ellyn Rucker, Roy Williams, Tina May, Nikki Iles, Scott Robinson, Ken Peplowski and the great blues singer Elkie Brooks.

In March 2004 Karen began a three year stint in Humphrey Lyttelton's band, which took her to venues and festivals across the UK and into Europe. During this time Karen was also working hard to establish her own quintet with which she has now produced three albums and played at top jazz venues in the UK. Karen played at the Ginza Festival, Tokyo in 2006 with British singer Tina May and pianist Nikki Iles, and more recently Karen has been working closely with South African singer Esther Miller, with whom she appeared at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival 2007, along with US trumpet star Jeremy Pelt.

Karen has recently released her third album for "33 Records" entitled "Wait And See".

Watch Karen and Nikki Iles play "Cherokee" at the North Wales Jazz Festival.

Karen's Website

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