Stan Sulzmann

Biography

"But a shining light of the whole attractive enterprise is the presence of Stan Sulzmann, who seems to sound more personal and hauntingly moving than ever." John Fordham, Jazz UK

A veteran of the UK jazz scene, Stan Sulzmann has a rich and varied career that has included playing with musicians as diverse as Kenny Wheeler, Larry Grenadier and Gwilym Simcock, as well as a prolific output as bandleader. Always moving forward, Stan’s Neon Quartet sees him amongst some of the UKs most sought-after young musicians, and their latest album Subjekt explores Stan’s ever-developing musical influences. Stan is also a highly respected composer and arranger; his vibrant big band arrangements have excited and inspired people for the last 25 years, and in 2013 Stan was commissioned to write an original piece for the London Jazz Festival.

Highly in demand as a sideman, Stan has worked with a host of musicians, including: John Taylor, Jim Mullen, Nikki Iles, Mike Gibbs, Marc Copland, Allan Botchinksy, European Jazz Ensemble, Kit Downes, Michael Brecker and Gil Evans.

"It simply doesn’t get any better than this." John Kelman

Stan has been involved in Jazz education for over 40 years, starting with the Barry summer school in Glamorgan in the early 70s. In addition to regular summer school teaching, Stan holds a regular position at the Royal Academy of Music, as well as teaching at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Trinity Laban, and the Birmingham Conservatoire. He has been awarded fellowships at both the Royal Academy and Birmingham, and was the external examiner for the Birmingham jazz course 2011-2013. Stan was Head of the Jazz Department at University of Exeter between 2005-2007.

In the early 2000s, Stan ran a local jazz improvisation group through Richmond Music Trust. He was invited in 2013 to work with the Royal Academy of Music’s prestigious Junior Jazz programme, and his music was performed in a concert at Ronnie Scott’s. Stan has also been internationally sought after as an educator. In 2014, Stan was invited to be guest artist at the Thompson Jazz Studies Program, Boulder, Colorado. This comprised workshopping his own arrangements with the band daily, culminating in concerts on campus and at Dazzles jazz club, Denver. Stan has also run workshops in Germany, Italy and France. Stan’s writing and arrangements have been in demand for education, and Stan was commissioned to write an original big band chart for the Music For Life Big Band in 2013. He has written numerous pieces for the ABRSM jazz grade syllabus.