Home Gigs   @ BIOGRAPHY Recordings Lessons Classical Contact Tony Oreshko - Biography Tony started playing the guitar at the age of ten, and explored a wide range of styles including classical, folk, rock and blues. Probably best known for his jazz guitar work with his own trio, he also does solo guitar gigs playing a mixture of Celtic, jazz and original material. He has played at numerous UK festivals including Shetland (Scotland), Kinsale (Eire), Greenwich, Birmingham, Upton, Pershore, Ayr, Keswick, and even the world famous Glastonbury Festival (three times). Tony has also toured extensively throughout Europe, particularly Holland and Denmark, appearing at prestigious festivals such as Breda and Silkeborg. A founding member of the highly acclaimed bands Shine and Boulevard Django, he has also played with many of the country's leading jazz musicians, such as guitarists John Etheridge and Ian Cruickshank, sax players John Hallam and Alan Barnes, and violinists Tim Kliphuis, Mike Piggott and Bob Clarke. Tony Oreshko Trio The trio plays purely instrumental music that shows the unmistakable influence of gypsy jazz legend Django Reinhardt, but also draws on a wealth of other musical influences. The trio often appears with a guest reed player or violinist, and a hallmark of these performances is an extremely high level of musical interaction between Tony and the guest soloist. Listeners find the drama and exploration of these musical journeys compelling! The line-up for the trio varies from time to time, but the permanent rhythm guitarist is dynamic young player Glen Hawkins. Glen is still a relative newcomer to jazz guitar, having played previously with a number of successful folk bands, but he plainly has a natural aptitude for swing guitar. The main double bass player for the trio is Pete Furnish, a highly experienced musician who not only provides a solid foundation for the band but contributes much fabulous soloing. Double bassist Bruce Rollo, although he lives some 350 miles away from the other members, usually joins the band for jazz festivals and other gigs in the North of England. Bruce is also a great bass player and is particularly adept at slap bass. Previous bassists for the trio have included Devon-based musicians Marcus Vergette and Doug Kyle. The roll of honour for previous rhythm guitarists includes renowned Cornish guitarist Pete Berryman, and James Goodwin. Either Pete or James still take the role of the fourth member when the band is occasionally booked to appear as the Tony Oreshko Quartet. REVIEWS Teignmouth Jazz Festival, Saturday 20th November 2010 "...the United Reformed Church was the perfect setting for the Tony Oreshko Trio and Tim Kliphuis, who is a Dutchman who plays violin in the manner of Stephane Grappelli. Shades of the Django Reinhardt era came to life with Tony and Tim swapping 4's and 8's like one man playing both instruments. The empathy between the members of this group was incredible. A standing ovation from a packed audience was a measure of their performance. Perhaps a CD will follow!" Review by John Leonard The Foundry, Hayle, Cornwall, September 3rd 2008 "... The new trio features James Goodwin on second guitar(s) and luthier Doug Kyle on double bass. Tony is a fine musician whose starting point is the influence of Django Reinhardt, but his personal musical tastes are much wider than than the world of gypsy jazz and this is reflected in his playing. His formidable technique is deployed with wit and style and his solos produce a - seemingly - effortless flow of ideas. I say 'seemingly' because his is the art that conceals art and I know just how much dedication is required to achieve that kind of standard.   L to R: Tony Oreshko, James Goodwin, Doug Kyle James Goodwin provides a solid rhythmic back drop for the unit and is also no mean soloist himself. He alternates between steel and nylon string guitars and provides a constantly changing texture to the trio's sound. Doug Kyle's double bass supplies the bedrock of the trio and his warm sound and excellent intonation give it great stability. Doug is actually better known in the South West as an instrument builder. He built three out of the four instruments used by the group (the exception being James' nylon stringed instrument). It might just be my imagination but I'm sure this gives an extra degree of cohesion to the sound. The group perform at festivals all over Europe but can also be heard fairly frequently in the South West (all three musicians are based in Devon), and if you want to keep up with their activities you can visit Tony's web site for further details..." By VOLTAROL September 11th 2008 Virtuosos Everywhere "The eye can become glued to the virtuoso in any musical line-up, sometimes at the expense of their companions, but this was an easy habit to break at last Saturday's Evening of Cool Blues and Hot Jazz at a packed Tacchi-Morris Arts Centre in Taunton. Now in its third year in Taunton (the first two shows were staged at the Brewhouse Theatre and the Eagle Tavern), the double bill featured the mellow gypsy jazz of Boulevard Django and guests followed by the harmonica driven blues of Ian Briggs and the Supervampers with special guest pianist Doc Fingers, from Vancouver. And basically there were virtuosos everywhere. The opening half was ideal after-dinner fare with the guitars of event organiser Dave Lunniss and Tony Oreshko combining sensually with renowned jazz violinist Steve Elsworth and double bassist Dr Tony Bevir. The hallmark of the set was the playful jousting between soloists Elsworth and Oreshko as the quartet covered some Reinhardt/Grappelli Hot Club classics, The Way You Look Tonight and a tongue-in-cheek rendition of Tea for Two, among others. It was almost fitting that Oreshko should break a string during one frenetic number. You might have thought he would have conceded that round, but no, his fingers just moved faster..." PETE REDFORD SOMERSET COUNTY GAZETTE November 15 2002 TOP