Ian Ballamy and the Pete Canter Quartet


Renowned in Europe as the "Fantastic Englishman", Ballamy established himself playing alongside notables including Hermeto Pascoal, the late Gil Evans, George Coleman, Dewey Redman, Mike Gibbs and the New York Composers Orchestra. Touring extensively world-wide he has appeared at most international festivals and venues. His distinctive saxophone voice can be heard in his improvisations for the BBC Radio 4 play 'Signal to Noise' by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, the movie 'Legend' and a documentary 'Joseph Losey - the Man with Four Names'. Ballamy recently scored the award winning film Mirrormask directed by Dave McKean for the Jim Henson company. Ballamy's wide ranging musical interests add depth and creativity to his music.
Ballamy is an agony uncle for jazz UK magazine with his column ‘In the saxophonists chair’ In 2001 he was awarded the BBC Radio 3 special award for innovation at the British Jazz awards. He is also a specialist tutor at the Royal Academy and Trinity College of music in London.

Pete Canter's jazz set draws on bebop, hardbop, more contemporary jazz standards and his own compositions. He began playing during the early 1980s and over the years have taken lessons and workshops with Kathy Stobart, Tim Whitehead, Bobby Wellins, Eddie Harvey, Howard Riley, Rob Townshend, Iain Ballamy and others.

After receiving a grant from Artsmatrix last year, to study composition with internationally renowned saxophonist/composer Iain Ballamy the band has subsequently performed with Iain on several occasions, most recently at the Queens Theatre Barnstaple as part of the 2007 North Devon Festival.
The musicians for the Festival line up are :-
Pete Canter (sax)
Jim Blomfield (piano)
Riaan Vosloo (bass)
Dave Sheen (drums).