Annette Walker and the Rhythmaticians

Reviving the exhilarating connection between tap dance and live jazz with a modern twist

Performance dates:
Tuesday 17th January 2023 – Watermill Jazz
Sunday 10th October 2021 – Marsden Jazz Festival (as Annette Walker and Her Quartet)

Watermill Jazz club, 17 Jan 2023

On Tuesday 17th January 2023, I performed a newly extended solo tap show with my band, The Rhythmaticians, at Watermill Jazz in Dorking. I added to the one hour version that premiered at the Marsden Jazz Festival 2021 as the closing act for the festival and was a success.

In this version with two fifty minute sets, I introduced a new assortment of numbers including some audience participation, a piano solo and the telling of a story (from the option of a horror or cute tale, the audience voted for horror) whilst dancing with live improvised soundscape provided by the band. I brought back special guest, Lee Payne, for an impromptu trade and was able to involve my tap students in the Shim Sham thanks to Jreena Green organising to bring them to the show.

One-off, one nighters of the show are not feasible without proper funds, especially outside of London. I’m not yet sure when the next performance will would like to tour this show.

Below is the Watermill Jazz listing for 
Tuesday 17th January 2023

Venue: Watermill Jazz, Dorking, RH4 1NZ
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/dorking/watermill-jazz/annette-walker-and-the-rhythmaticians/e-oxxyjy

Annette is one of today’s leading exponents of tap dancing, reviving the exhilarating connection between tap dance and live jazz with a modern twist.
 A dynamic and multi-skilled performer, Annette has appeared in the theatre, the circus, on the concert stage, on television and in film. In 2019 she featured as a tap soloist in the BBC Proms Duke Ellington’s Sacred Music concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Tonight, accompanied by her superb jazz quartet, the Rhythmaticians,

Annette brings improvised tap dancing to Watermill Jazz in a programme featuring swing, Latin, funk and jazz standards.

Annette Walker – tap dancing
Aleksandra Topczewska – saxophone & flute
Maria Grapsa – piano
Gary Crosby – double bass
Daniel Smithson – drums

A snippet capture by a member of the audience