THE Matthew Read Trio will headline the January 28 jazz bill at the Phoenix Inn, George Street, York.

In the line-up will be Matthew Read on double bass, Benedict Wood on guitar and Arthur Newell on drums, whose melody-driven compositions draw influence from jazz, folk, country, hip hop, dance music, spirituals and both European and American church music.

They will be showcasing Anecdotes, Vol 2, the follow-up to the trio’s 2016 debut album, Anecdotes. "I decided to write music for the trio that told stories," says Read. "I felt early on that this band was one that would respond well to slightly more left-field forms of inspiration than other bands I've played in."

Anecdotes, Vol 2 features 11 original compositions based on Read’s experiences, including K, an imagining of the music that might be played if rapper Kendrick Lamar and American jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel were to perform together; Burke & Hare, a pretty melody with a contrasting, darker harmonic undercurrent that reflects its subject matter of 19th century serial killers, and Revolutions, a lament for the loss of interest in physical media formats.

"What's nice about Anecdotes, Vol. 2 is that, while the first album was telling my story, the new one is telling our collective story," says Read. "We've spent so much time rehearsing, playing, travelling and generally hanging out together, that the new tunes are based on our joint experiences."

Read, a double bassist, electric bassist, composer and arranger, studied bass with Tom Mason at Alton College, Hampshire, funded by a college music scholarship, and then graduated with first class honours degree in Jazz from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 2016 he was the recipient of the Dankworth Prize for Big Band composition and arranging.