The new Yorkshire Tango Quintet has been set up by Sue Miller to play the music of Astor Piazzolla.
It features:
Sue Miller on piano
José Canha on double bass
Bob Davis on accordion
Jiannis Pavlidis on guitar
Nick Williams on violin
Milonga del Angel Piano
The quintet will be performing in 2026 – contact Sue for more information and bookings.
Listen to the new live recording by YTQ of Piazzolla’s ‘Milonga Del Angel’ here https://soundcloud.com/dr-charanga/milonga-del-angel-live
https://soundcloud.com/dr-charanga/milonga-del-angel-live
Band Biographies:
Jiannis Pavlidis: Guitarist, Composer, Considered Grammy Nominee, Principal Lecturer.
Through 1990-1994 Jiannis attended Berklee College of Music having a partial scholarship (he graduated with Magna Cum Laude and won the Professional Performance Achievement Division Award) and studied guitar with Jon Damian (tutor for Bill Frisell, Wayne Krantz, Kurt Rosenwinkel) , and attended classes under the direction of Rick Peckham, Hal Crook, Fred Lipsius(Blood Sweat and Tears) as well as having external private lessons with Jerry Bergonzi. He started working Professionally in 1983 and since then has performed across all genres (Pop, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Greek folk music) in Sweden, USA, Serbia, Greece, Cyprus and England, with numerous appearances at live music venues, on Greek national TV and international festivals. Currently teaching as a principal lecturer on BA Jazz, BA Pop (principal studies, ensembles) at Leeds Conservatoire (2003-present) his many former students are pursuing a successful career within the UK and EU music industry. He has frequently performed all over England and Europe for the last 10 years, participating in tours and recordings as a leader and with world renowned artists, David Liebman (2005, 2010), Adam Nussbaum (2007, 2010, 2011), Greg Hutchinson (October 2015) and Ari Hoenig (October 2019). His latest album ‘Another Place, (2024 PK music) was considered for nomination at the 2025 Grammys.
Reviews:
Album Reviews:
‘It gives a good sample of the trio’s robust level of expertise… heavy groove, great solos, elegant organ-guitar-driven swinging jazz.” – Jazzrytmit (Finland)
“Strutting, feel-good funk, faultlessly executed by a virtuoso guitar/organ/drums trio.” – The Press (UK)
“Great tunes, great groove and stunning solos from all…” – Jazzonline (Greece)
Performance Reviews:
‘ Jiannis is a very talented guitarist with a very good mind for composition and arranging. The whole experience was a real pleasure.’-David Liebman
‘Astonishing virtuosity combined with wonderful compositions.’ – Leeds Guide
‘Brilliant guitarist and Jazz educator…’ – 7jazz
‘…The guitar-led trio Pavilidis played some spiky originals and gave a new twist on standards with some refreshingly quirky arrangements….’ – The Press
Sue Miller: Flute Player, Pianist, Improviser, Arranger and Musical Director. Professor of Music and University Lecturer (performance, ethnomusicology, music analysis and music history).
https://www.charangasue.com/2023/10/sue-miller-digital-portfolio/
Sue Miller studied Cuban flute improvisation with the legendary flute player and composer Richard Egües from Orquesta Aragón in Havana. She also completed a postgraduate course at Leeds conservatoire specializing then in jazz flute and piano, studying with Bill Kinghorn, Nikki Iles, Liz Parry and Dharambir Singh. Jazz piano recital 1994: https://www.charangasue.com/2010/08/my-jazz-piano-recital-1994/
After leaving Leeds conservatoire she founded Charanga del Norte, a 12-piece charanga orquesta at the end of 1998 and the band has toured the UK now for over 25 years. The only full charanga orquesta in the UK, the band has performed at many venues including the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester and at festivals as diverse as Cambridge Jazz, Harrogate International, Sidmouth Folk, and Cheltenham International. They have supported top international Cuban bands Buena Vista Social Club’s Eliades Ochoa in the main concert hall at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, and Orquesta Aragon and Changüi de Guantanamo in Victoria Park (booked by The Barbican, London).
Reviews:
Album Pachanga Time:
“La Charanga Del Norte led by flautist Sue Miller does the classic true [Bronx Pachanga] justice with a modern swing that any charanga lover will enjoy…definitely for the dancer…made its debut on my show ‘El Condado De La Salsa y Jazz Latino’ on World Salsa radio this week.”
Nelson Rodriguez – www.worldsalsaradio.com – Los Angeles/San Francisco, USA
“With its gorgeous retro cover art and deliberate golden-age smarts Side A was recorded using ribbon microphone technology – Pachanga Time feels like a crate-digger’s rare find. That the album is the handiwork of redoubtable, Leeds-based Charanga del Norte, one of Britain’s leading Latin combos and only authentic charanga and pachanga orchestra, makes sense. Under the aegis of flautist and bandleader Sue Miller, they have spent the best part of two decades keeping alive the sound of charanga – the son-influenced Cuban dance music performed on the likes of violin and flute. Previous LPs – Look Back in Charanga and Our Mam in Havana [sic] – hint at the good-humoured groove within, and Pachanga Time similarly manages to bottle the fun and liveliness of a genre with tongue-in-cheek flair.”
Jane Cornwell Songlines
Performances
“In times of uncertainty, some good things never change, thankfully. Enter master flautist Sue Miller, who for almost three unstinted decades has made it her life’s work to educate the UK and European Latin fans in the intricacies and beauty of Charanga – that inimitable cross pollination between African percussion, European classical orchestra and salsero vocal style.”
“The perfect happy-shot for the heart, brain and soul in these unprecedented times.”
John Armstrong – legendary London salsa/Latin music DJ/album compiler/music journalist/broadcaster since the mid-1980s (Bass Clef/BBC Radio 2/BBE Records)
‘Authentic and danceable flute-led choro, with the inimitable piano montunos of Kim Burton’ Pete Rosser, (Promoter, Wakefield Jazz)
Improvisation Workshop led by Sue Miller:
“I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to you and Charanga Del Norte for a fantastic session on Friday. The feedback from the students has been excellent. We have had various bands and artists working with us over the years and I have to say your session albeit for 1 hour was one of the most hands on engaging, informative and challenging for every student from the least to the most experienced. I especially loved the ‘duelling’ which we have done before but not quite like that!”
Amanda Spalding dir, Wakefield Youth Jazz Orchestra, Assistant Principal of Wakefield Music Education Hub, Wakefield Music Services, Children and Young People’s Services
Nick Williams – violinist, viola player, composer and university lecturer
Nick Williams studied music at York and Huddersfield universities. In 1982 he co-founded Soundpool, an organisation of York-based composers and performers and conducted the Soundpool Ensemble, which gave many first performances. This is now continued with Late Music, based in York, where he is musical director for the Late Music Ensemble. As well as being involved in concert music, from 1989-91 he was composer and performer with Snapdragon Circus, a company which brought together theatre, dance, circus and music and toured extensively with them. He has also been active in pop music and improvisation, and is violinist and string section leader in Charanga del Norte. As a conductor he has directed a wide variety of music from the 18th century to the present day. He has taught at Huddersfield University, Leeds University, Leeds College of Music, the University of West London/London College of Music, University of York St John. and is currently a part-time senior lecturer in music at Huddersfield University.
His music draws on minimalism, modernism and the immediacy of post-punk to create what The Times called ‘a hyperactive…postminimalism’ that has affinities with the urban energy of New York’s Bang On A Can composers and the rhythmic conceptualism of the Hague School.
His work has been performed widely in Britain, Europe and the United States by, among others, Philip Thomas (GB), Monica Germino (US/Netherlands) and Duo Contour (Germany).
https://www.williamsmusic.co.uk/
Jose Canha
Although initially self-taught, José sought further instruction to help him unlock the most intricate musical complexities he faced when dealing with jazz and related music. He began his electric bass study with Yuri Daniel, the bassist for Jan Garbarek, and later progressed towards the double bass, initiating his classical studies under Miguel Leiria Pereira. He also studied at the Escola de Jazz do Barreiro where he would soon became a teacher. Next he obtained a Bachelor (Honours) degree from the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma Degree from the Universidade de Évora and later a Masters Degree from the London College of Music/University of West London.
Today, José is an accomplished jazz double bassist and has collaborated with a range of projects across various genres and styles, from Bossa Nova, Jazz, Blues, R&B, Manouche, Rock, Funk, and Fado, in ensembles ranging from duets to orchestras and theatre production sets. Before moving to the UK, Canha’s work was mainly focused on popular and world music fusion, working closely with the pianist and composer Valter Rolo. Now based in the UK, he has been mostly focused on Jazz music and had the privilege of performing all over the country, sharing the stage with esteemed artists such as Greg Abate, Nigel Price, Jim Mullen, Quentin Collins, Simon Spillett, Julian Stringle, Art Themen, and many more.”
Bob Davis
