"Great playing…beautiful…a real guitar player"

Pat Martino

Guitarist Chris Allard has recorded six original albums to date, garnering critical acclaim including four stars in Jazzwise, Jazz Journal, Guitarist and BBC Music magazines. He also performs and records as a freelance musician in a broad range of musical genres, including work in the studio/session realm, has played live on TV and radio and appeared on numerous albums.

He has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, the Pyramids and Great Sphinx in Cairo, the Barbican, Montreux Jazz Festival, Nuremberg Festival, Hackney Empire, O2 Arena London, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Beiteddine Arts Festival Lebanon, Edinburgh Festival, Duoro Jazz Festival Portugal, Ronnie Scott’s, The Royal Festival Hall, the BBC Proms in Hyde Park.

Chris has performed/recorded with Jacqui Dankworth MBE, Charlie Wood, Dame Cleo Laine, Sir John Dankworth, Omar Kamal, the BBC Big Band, Jamie Cullum, Gwilym Simcock, Alison Balsom OBE, Lea Salonga.

He is also a Professor of Jazz at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

‘borders on genius’ ★★★★ Jazz Journal

★★★★ Jazzwise Magazine

★★★★ Guitarist Magazine.

★★★★ BBC Music Magazine.

"One of the great guitarists in this country"

Jamie Cullum

News

Dreamweavers: Woven in Time

New album coming 21st March Dreamweavers: Woven in Time Cinematic, eclectic and mercurial guitar album. With broad soundscapes, a contemporary jazz sensibility, and rock, folk, blues, latin and eastern influence. The evolving collaboration between Chris Allard and...

Jazz Fix online class 07th December 19.15 for 19.30

Looking forward to giving an online class at the excellent 'Jazz Fix' here: https://thejazzfix.com/product/02-dec-7-15-for-7-30-chris-allard/

New album coming soon

new collaborative album finished and to be released in the coming months - more soon!

Anthony Kerr/Chris Allard duo

A video of our new duo now on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/noFAakd7ZyE?si=4cUMI2vn_3j3K7No A pleasure as ever to play with the amazing Vibraphonist Anthony Kerr - and a challenge to play in this uncommon Guitar/Vibraphone duo format. We will hopefully be playing...

Lea Salonga: ‘Stage, Screen & Everything in Between’ tour June 2024

delighted to be touring the UK with the amazing Lea Salonga once again in June 2024 https://www.livenation.co.uk/show/1462126/lea-salonga-stage-screen-and-everything-in-between/gateshead/2024-06-29/en

Upcoming Gigs

Date	Artist	City	Venue
31/01/25	BBC Big Band	Wavendon, Milton Keynes	The Stables
	Time: 7:30pm. Address: Stockwell Lane.
08/02/25	BBC Big Band	Saffron Walden, Essex	Saffron Hall
	Time: 7:30pm. Address: Audley End Road.
09/02/25	Sam Plackett duo	Wivenhoe	William Loveless Hall
	Time: 7:30pm.
19/02/25	BBC Big Band	Lichfield	Garrick Theatre
	Time: 7:30pm. Buy Tickets
27/02/25	BBC Big Band	Eastbourne	Congress Theatre
	Time: 7:30pm.
14/03/25	BBC Big Band	Malvern	Malvern Theatre
	Time: 7:30pm. Buy Tickets