hello

WHO?

"I think you really play well. You've carved more already than 90% of the folks out there.....so my hat's off to you"
Todd Johnson, acclaimed jazz and solo bassist and educator

"You sound great"
Tom Kennedy , bassist with Dave Weckl, Planet X, Al DiMeola and many others

"I think you're wicked. If I ever get over there, I'd love to jam with you some time. "
Seth Horan,leading solo bassist

"As an all-emcompassing statement, the players who make me want to BE them are Percy Jones, Mick Karn, John Taylor, Nick Beggs, Alun Vaughan, and I loved Squarepusher from the first time I heard it."
Trip Wamsley, solo bassist extraordinaire

Born 14th December 1974, Alun became interested in playing bass after seeing Gene Simmons with Kiss on TV in the late 80s ( that's right - it wasn't even the make up era, it was the dodgy wig Crazy Nights era!).

Unable to afford a bass, he set about dropping hints for the following Christmas ( this started in the Spring!) and set about learning everything he could about the bass and music . For reasons best known to himself, he strung a 15" ruler with four elastic bands and used that for nearly a year.
Alun later said that "Using the Ashbory (which has silicone rubber strings) feels like I've come full circle."

Alun started off playing in rock and metal bands which rehearsed a lot but never actually gigged until he met guitarist Ian Simmons (currently playing in Chasing The Monsoon) in the early 90's and joined Nothing Personal, a jazz-rock 5 piece featuring Ian's brother Steve on sax. This band played various festivals, including the Vienne Jazz Festival in'94, and played many club gigs ( often to no-one)

This band was then largely responsible for everything that followed...

Through Steve Simmons,he joined Fat Barry's Soul Band, a Welsh Commitments/Blues Brothers style act that he played with for several years,leaving in 1999.
Steve was also playing with rock group Karnataka, which ultimately led to friendships that led to Alun being asked to join Panic Room when Karnataka dissolved.

Through Nothing Personal, Alun also met jazz pianist Dave Cottle who runs the hugely successful Swansea Jazzland. This collaboration has led to Alun playing with some of the finest players on the UK jazz scene as well as backing visiting musicians from Europe and the US

Alun also occasionally conducts interviews for Bass Tech UK

An interview with Alun can be viewed here.

In addition, Alun also performs unaccompanied solo bass shows. A sampler of the material can be heard by clicking on the Myspace link at the top of this page.

"GREAT PLAYING!! You sound fantastic man!I really enjoyed your tunes."
Brady Muckelroy, acclaimed solo bassist

"A bassist playing Tommy Emmanuel - Alun can!"
Rob Southall, Islwyn Acoustic Guitar Club

"simmering parts that were so melodious I could listen to him play a solo show."
Kathryn Lay, South Wales Evening Post

CV

Alun has been fortunate enough to perform with some of the top UK and visting jazz musicians including:

Bruce Adams
Howard Alden
Simon Allen
Alan Barnes
Mark Bassey
Chris Biscoe
Modesto Briseno
Victor Brox
Ben Castle
Quentin Collins
Phil De Greg
Barnaby Dickinson

Barnaby Dickinson
Hassan Erraji
Digby Fairweather
Graeme Flowers
Alex Garnett
Lee Gibson
Jim Hart
Jeff Hooper
Pete Horsfall
Robin Jones
Tim Kliphuis
Mornington Lockett

Sarah Morrow
Danny Moss
Jim Mullen
Orla Murphy
Mark Nightingale
Dave O'Higgins
Dick Pearce
Gary Potter
Gerard Presencer
Don Rendell
Sax Appeal
Karen Sharp

Martin Shaw
Solid Airbag
Martin Speake
Simon Spillett
SWJO
Russell Van den Berg
Marlene Verplanck
Steve Waterman
Don Weller
Bobby Wellins
Annie Whitehead
Simon Willescroft

Alun is also a busy player on the South Wales music scene and has performed and/or recorded with many artists including:

Jason Ball Quartet
Brian Breeze
Byron Jones Big Band
Eric Clarke
Lewis Clement
Common Ground
Constellation Big Band
Cubanita
Dave Cottle
Bill Davies
Mike Davies
Descarga Cubana
Dogs In A Wineshop
Fat Barry's Soul Band
Giant Steps

Rob Hadden
John Ham
Dick Hamer
Li Harding
Tom Harris
Kool Katz
Gethin Liddington
Liquid Latin
Fraser Lawson
The Mighty Jagafress Of The
Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe
Bob Moeller
Nexus Orchestra
Oliver Nezhati
Nothing Personal

Panic Room
Andy Park
Gary Phillips
Kirstie Roberts
Jeff Salter
Amy Sinha
Steve Simmons Quartet
Martha Skilton Quartet
Mike Starr
Swansea Hatsquid/Hit Squad
The Amigos
The Simmons Brothers
Ben Thomas
Dave Tipton
Touch Of Miles
Stevie Williams

Discography

Panic Room - Visionary Postion
Steve Waterman Jazz Orchestra - October Arrival
Steve Waterman Jazz Orchestra - New Jazz Wales ( compilation featuring a live version of "Call It A Day")
Amy Sinha -Heaven After Midnight
Fat Barry's Soul Band - Hits For Six (compliation EP featuring "Never A Day")
Fat Barry's Soul Band - You Had To Be There
Fat Barry's Soul Band - We Can Drive
Nothing Personal - Monkiam
Nothing Personal - Nothing Personal