Jonny Phillips: Guitar
Sonia Slany: Violin
Mark Hodgson: Double Bass
Paul Clarvis: Drums/Percussion

About the project
A quartet of many musical colours, vivid and contrasting but still coherent like those of a Moorish market town or a lakeside meadow in spring. Or subtle and affecting like olive groves growing from a dusty semi-desert floor. All musical colours or shades are welcome here. However a broad pallet must be chosen from carefully. In these compositions Venezuelan waltzes, Chopin preludes, country ballads, Andelucian Gypsys, Cuban songs live together, vivid and contrasting but still coherent.

"When I first met Paul, Sonia and Mark I was well aware that between them they had played with nearly every musician and on every film sound track I could think of. I wasn't surprised by the very high level and openness of there playing but the child like enthusiasm did take me by surprise!"
Jonny Phillips

Violin soloist Sonia Slany has worked with many pop and jazz artists including Mark Knopfler, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Peter Gabriel, Lee Konitz, Goldfrapp and Jim Hall. She leads The Solid Strings, with whom she works with artists such as Michael Brecker, Salif Keita, Elvis Costello, Sakamoto. Her previous group Electra Strings were the resident quartet on LATER with Jools Holland, working with Bjork, The Communards, Massive Attack among others. She also records on many Hollywood soundtracks.

Paul Clarvis brings his unique style to all musical genres and has worked with musicians ranging from Mick Jagger, Nina Simone, Steve Swallow, Harrison Birtwhistle and John Dankworth to Paul McCartney, John Taylor and Moondog. Paul is in several regular bands, Andy Sheppard's "Learning to Wave"; Stan Sulzmann's Big Band; "Four in Perspective" - Wheeler, Hersch, Winstone; Henry Lowther's "Still Waters"; "Bubbling Under" with Sonia Slany... Paul co-leads Orquestra Mahatma which specialises in improvisations on folk tunes from all over the world. He also leads an improvising trio "For All the Saints" with Stan Sulzmann and Tony Hymas.

Since leaving the Guildhall, Mark Hodgson has become one of the most in-demand Double Bass players on the European scene, playing and recording with artists including Randy Brecker, Cedar Walton, Eddie Henderson, Greg Osby, Scott Hamilton, Jean Toussaint, Ingrid Jensen, Tommy Smith, Rick Margitza, Peter King, Tim Garland and Gregory Hutchinson to name a few.

Jonny Phillips is a member of F-IRE Collective, please refer to the biographies section.

Press
Sonia Slany
"...One of my favourite musicians, of the highest calibre..." Ryuichi Sakamoto.

"Sonia Slany fiddles like a woman possessed" Phil Johnson, The Independent.

Paul Clarvis
"a master of musical clowning and some damned fine playing to boot."
Beowulf Mayfield, The Stage.

Jonny Phillips
Phillips conjures music that is quietly intense, beguilingly beautiful and full of pleasingly robust tunes that stay with you long after you hear them.
Time Out, about 'Migration'