Born: April 22, 1960 Primary Instrument: Vocal
As a Jazz Vocalist for over 25 years, Simon Atkinson has drawn inspiration from the music of the great Crooners, Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Mel Torme ,Nat King Cole and more recently Harry Connick Jnr. He has performed his own interpretations of the classic standards over that time in a wide variety of countries and venues. With the dramatic resurgence of the genre Simon has found that interest and demand for his relaxed cool style of Jazz and Swing vocal has increased steadily over the past years.
Following a 7 year period performing overseas, In 2003 Simon returned to the UK and found new success in with individual performances throughout Britain and in France , but most significantly with the superb Veteran Jazz pianist and arranger Allan Baillie and his band The Ben Marcato Trio.
Allan has performed for over 4 decades with an enormous range of the very best Scottish Jazz musicians as he developed and performed with his 12 piece jazz orchestra in the 1980's and his legendary Al Baillie Trio in the 1990's. He has recorded for the BBC and is now well known all over Scotland for his solo Jazz piano work as well as his performances and arrangement work with The Ben Marcato Trio. Allan jokes that Simon has “pulled me out of retirement” but both Atkinson And Baillie freely admit that their colaboration is the most rewarding of either's career.
following thier appearance at The Ayr Jazz festival in 2004, Scotland's Ayrshire Post described the combo as:
“THE COOLEST VOCAL JAZZ AND SWING OF THE RAT PACK ERA PLUS SOME GREAT SURPRISES!” .
The Trio has the services of two drummers, the original and performer on The 'introducing' album is the veteran Graham King. More recently a new and exceptionally talented young drummer has featured on several live performances: Scott Mackay, 19 years old from Ayrshire in Scotland who is Studying BA Applied Music at Strathclyde University. He has already performed with various acts and musicians around the country and toured with groups in Canada, America, Australia and NZ, Europe and Kuwait..
Bassist Doug Galbraith is a young man with a great talent, who has already perfomed in wide variety of prestigeous venues.
Following an initial recording session which resulted in 'introducing', Simon Atkinson & The Ben Marcato trio are now looking for a record label that would have an interest in expanding thier audience, Simon and Allan are now concentrating on writing original material, established territory for Baillie but a new zone for Atkinson but certainly an exciting one for him as he has previously pursued a career performing other people's songs.
In the meanwhile they plan on recording thier album'That Old Black Magic' during 2007. The album will be a collection of thier new original tracks with thier own take on various classic standards mixed in.
More at: http://www.myspace.com/simonatkinsonampthebenmarcatotrio
'The Coolest Vocal Jazz And Swing Of THe Rat Pack Era plus Some Great Surprises!”
