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:: THE TG COLLECTIVE ::
TGC was founded by Jamie Fekete and Sam Slater - two of the three guitars of Trio Gitano, whose debut album Who Ate All The Tapas? surprised everyone, finishing 2005 at No.4 in the Sunday Times' Records of the Year.
The previous twelve months have found TGC at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France; Barcelona, Spain; and throughout the UK, from Edinburgh to London, Liverpool to Glasgow. In October, the group sold out Birmingham's Glee Club for a performance collaboration with eminent flamenco dancer and choreographer Ana Garcia, now a key part of the Collective, and followed with a spring sell-out at the 2008 Cheltenham Jazz Festival. Summer 2008 finds TGC continuing to work on new compositions, arrangements and recordings for the keenly awaited follow-up album, which will be released towards the end of the year, with a UK autumn tour beginning in September. The group are also beginning work on a new suite of music by composer Bryan Lester, featuring strong influences from North Indian classical music.
:: THE TRIO GITANO STORY ::
 The original line-up of Trio Gitano - Jamie Fekete, Sam Slater and Sophie Johnson -
performed together between 2001 and summer 2006, releasing their debut album, Who Ate All The Tapas?,
in 2005. The Trio began simply, when three young guitarists first crossed paths in their mid-teens, performing together as part of the Birmingham School's Guitar Ensemble, which gave them a taste of venues such as Birmingham Symphony Hall and The Royal Festival Hall. It was here they struck up a rapport with Bryan Lester - the then director of the Schools' ensemble, and now long-term composer-in-residence, guru and Musical Director of TG. After leaving the ensemble at 18, Jamie, Sam and Sophie continued playing together, which developed and evolved into 'Trio Gitano' sometime in 2001. Staying in Birmingham as students, the trio found themselves performing to a gathering fan base drawn in by their intense live performances, which took them to a wide range of venues throughout the UK, from theatres to jazz clubs, the Royal Opera House to the RSC.
In early 2003, TG made their London-debut in Camden Town, followed by six nights at the Royal Opera House, at the inaugural Festival of Firsts - 'a week-long festival showcasing some of the most innovative artists working in the UK today'. 2004 saw the Trio perform several sell-out gigs, from 200 at Birmingham University, to over 30,000 at the city's Fireworks Fantasia before the CBSO.
The Trio also developed a fine relationship with two top Midland-based trumpeters that year, with Ray Butcher and Bryan Corbett both performing live with the Trio, with Bryan also featuring on the Trio's album. 2005 turned out to be a milepost year for the Trio. Early spring performances took in venues including The Spitz, Le Quecumbar and the National Theatre, plus the slightly unexpected surrounds of the Barfly and Hard Rock Cafe, followed by a return for a second year to close the Lewes International Guitar Festival.
In October '05, TG performed live on BBC Radio Four's Loose Ends, with tracks from the album also being aired on BBC Radio Three, Four, Jazz FM, and various worldwide radio stations. In December, the album found it's way into The Sunday Times' Records of the Year, with 2005 ending before a capacity crowd at Birmingham's CBSO Centre, bringing in numerous guest performers for the first 'Trio Gitano and Friends' gig. The first half of 2006 found the group touring nationwide dates, with another glowing live review from The Times at London's Pizza On The Park. During summer '06, Sophie left the Trio, taking respite to recover from a wrist operation to then concentrate on recording and performing with her own family bluegrass band. The highly regarded and much sought after multi-instrumentalist Percy Pursglove joined the group, adding new dynamic drive and direction on double bass, which paved the way for the formation and basis of the TG Collective in September 2006.
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The TG Collective was born in September 2006, bringing together a spirited brew of young, 
On graduating from University in the summer of 2004, the Trio were finally able to set about recording their long-awaited debut album, which they released in August 2005, with the fledgling Birmingham label, The Birds Recording Company.
With the release of Who Ate All The Tapas? in the summer, further festival performances followed, with the group opening (and promptly selling out) the Cheltenham International Jazz Festival, causing a stir at Moseley's International L'Esprit Manouche Festival, plus an intimate appearance at the London Jazz Festival.
Click below to buy Who Ate All The Tapas? online
