LENNY ZAKATEK: Lead Vocals
2021 through 2022 brings the long awaited reunion of THE PROJECT for their first tour EVER. The tour will be three years and will commence during early 2021 in Europe. The reunion of Lenny Zakatek on lead vocals, Andrew Powell on keyboards and conducting, Laurence Cottle on bass, Stuart Elliott on drums, Richard Cottle on keyboards and saxophone and featuring guests Dave Bainbridge and Sam Blue on guitars and vocals will prove to be the rock music's main event of each year.
ANDREW POWELL: Arranger, Conductor, Composer, Musician, Producer
As a key member of THE PROJECT, Andrew was the only arranger and conductor that the British record franchise The Alan Parsons Project ever had. Classically trained, he studied music at King’s College, Cambridge, where he was awarded a Master’s Degree in Music. The Alan Parsons Project were to become one of the most important recording production team forces in the Progressive Rock recording industry in the 1970s and 80s, with worldwide album sales in excess of 50 million coming from a string of platinum and gold albums. Andrew arranged and conducted the orchestra and/or choir on all 9 Alan Parsons Project albums that had orchestration from the 1976 debut album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, to the band’s final album Gaudi, released in 1987. Andrew also made important contributions to the franchise as co-composer and musician, including playing piano and Hammond organ. His highly contemporary large orchestral and choral sound combined with the rock rhythm section (the London Times commented: “At last a rock arranger who knows that music has developed since Tchaikovsky”) was a “fingerprint” of the recording franchise. This is partly because he had worked with such eminent composers as Boulez, Berio and Stockhausen, as well as in the rock world.
LAURENCE COTTLE: Bass
As Laurence’s solo recordings have been mostly in Jazz and Jazz Fusion. He was a member of the fusion quartet The Fents and appeared on their second album, The Other Side, released on the Passport Jazz label in 1987.
He played with The Alan Parsons Project on Gaudi, their final album for Arista, and on Freudiana, Parsons' final collaboration with Eric Woolfson. He is the brother of Richard Cottle also a member of THE PROJECT and played with him during his time with The Alan Parsons Project.
STUART ELLIOTT: Drummer
As a key member of THE PROJECT, Stuart became the permanent and only drummer and percussionist for the record production team The Alan Parsons Project with the band’s 3rd album Pyramid (1978). Stuart played on 8 of the 10 Alan Parsons Project albums and 70 songs.
Stuart was the original drummer with Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel who enjoyed 3 top 10 albums and the number one single Make Me Smile... Come Up and See Me which is also one of the top 100 hit records of the decade (70s) plus 4 other top 10 singles. Stuart still goes out periodically on the road with Steve Harley playing in the UK and Europe. Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel opened for the Rolling Stones in 2007 in St. Petersburg, playing before a crowd of 40,000 at the Palace Square. Stuart played drums on Paul McCartney's hit single No More Lonely Nights (featuring David Gilmour on guitar) and also played live with Ringo Starr in Munich for the Michael Jackson and friends show.
RICHARD COTTLE: Keyboards, Synths, Saxophone
Richard was a core member and the permanent keyboardist and saxophone player for The Alan Parsons Project beginning with 1984’s Vulture Culture album though the final album, Gaudi (1987), playing on 30 songs. Richard’s sax, keyboards, and synths were a key part of the Alan Parsons Project sound during this time period. Richard also showcased his keyboard wizardry and smooth sax at the only live appearance of THE PROJECT during the 1990 Night of the Proms in Antwerp, Belgium.
DAVE BAINBRIDGE: Special Guest, Guitarist and Singer
2021 through 2022 brings the long awaited reunion of THE PROJECT for their first tour EVER. The tour will be three years and will commence during early 2021 in Europe. The reunion of Lenny Zakatek on lead vocals, Andrew Powell on keyboards and conducting, Laurence Cottle on bass, Stuart Elliott on drums, Richard Cottle on keyboards and saxophone and featuring guests Dave Bainbridge and Sam Blue on guitars and vocals will prove to be the rock music's main event of each year.
Co-founder of Celtic progressive/folk/rock/band IONA, Dave toured the world with the band between 1989 and 2015, releasing 13 critically acclaimed albums. Dave’s multi-faceted career as a solo artist, keyboardist, guitarist, bouzouki player, composer, improviser, producer, arranger, teacher and sound mixer has led him into many musical genres and work with numerous artists including: Strawbs, Lifesigns, Jack Bruce, Buddy Guy, Phil Guy, Troy Donockley (of Nightwish), Nick Beggs, Gloria Gaynor, Moya Brennan, Robert Fripp, David Paton, Annie Haslam, Eric Bazilian, Neal Morse, Mae McKenna, Phil Keaggy, Paul Jones, Damian Wilson, Snake’ Davis, PP Arnold, Mollie Marriott, Norman Beaker, Michael Ball, Pete Brown, Gary Boyle, Paul Bielatowicz, Downes Braide Association (with Geoff Downes of Yes and Asia) and many others.
Sam Blue: Special Guest, Singer and Acoustic Guitarist
Special Guest, Sam Blue, also known as Sam Blewitt is originally from Newcastle, England. His real name, Simon Blewitt, has worked as a singer, session singer and songwriter for 35 years, spending a total of 5 years under the Warner Bros umbrella with Ya Ya from 1986 to 1990 touring around Europe and the UK, and briefly as a solo artist in 1997, he released the single ‘For the life you don’t yet know’.
Sam joined Billy Currie's line up of Ultravox in 1993-96, releasing the studio album 'Ingenuity' and an Ultravox live in Europe album. Sam also co-wrote and sang several songs on Vinnie Burns solo album ‘the Journey’
His first venture into the UK top 30 was with The Streets singing on their number 1 single 'Dry your eyes', in 2004
He also sang the Phat Beach/Naughty Boy version of 'I'll be ready' also known as the Baywatch theme, in 2005, for Ministry of Sound, which also reached the top 30 and was a major club hit. This drew the attention of many Hip Hop, Grime artists and producers.
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