Wun@tamere.co.uk

British-born Chinese, yet lurking in the West Country until his teens, Wun Yen Chan experienced a fairly mixed musical upbringing. Introduced to the piano at the tender age of 9, Wun thereafter answered the resonant call of bass at 10 whence he uncovered the sultry sounds of Blues, Soul, Funk and Jazz.
After the formative West Country years, Wun, hankering for the lights and sounds of the big city, wandered round England eventually settling in London and diving straight into as many musical pies as time would allow. A glutton for music, this passion landed Wun gigs laying down the low sounds for advertisements and musical productions, and even to recording for the legendary Barry White.
Still holding down the primordial foundation for many an eclectic band as well as writing and performing in his own self deprecating project, Lazy Chan, Wun now has become a welcome and integral part of the Ta Mère sound. Wun’s ear, and sense of rhythm is a driving force of the swing in the thing…either upright or electric, but either way, always big and throbbing!

Johnny@tamere.co.uk

John has been surrounded by music from a very early age. Brought up on an eclectic diet of jazz, rock, and classical music he took up piano at the age of seven under the watchful eye of his father, himself a dedicated jazz/classical pianist. Not satisfied with tickling the ivories, John found what he was looking for in the drums at the age of 12 whilst at Wells Music School and has never looked back. Since then, he provided the backbone for school jazz bands and local rock outfits in the North Wales area where he grew up while receiving training from the legendary Steve Washington. At Manchester University he became a regular on the open mic circuit in South Manchester and was seduced by the underground hip-hop and drum and bass scene.
After university, the allure of London prompted the journey in search of the golden drum kit. ‘Her Majesty’s Pleasure’ was formed and enjoyed success with their melodic take on indie rock. While playing for his brother’s band ‘Doctor Teeth’, he was recruited to play with Scottish Ceilidh group ‘The Infamous Grouse’ and has played the length and breadth of the UK as well as in Romania and throughout India.
John is the latest addition to ‘Ta Mère’ and brings with him a diverse range of styles garnered from his different projects and bags of energy and youthful enthusiasm.

Christos@tamere.co.uk

Born and raised in Athens, Christos was exposed to the Greek rich music tradition at an early age. The sounds of classic and progressive rock drove him to pick up the guitar in order to find his natural musical voice. By the time he was 18, he was already a full time session musician playing in the busy rock music venues of Athens. And that's when Christos came across some recordings of the Bird and 'Trane. Fascinated by the long soulful improvisations and the intriguing harmonies and rhythms, he started studying jazz in all its forms from bebop to gypsy jazz and fusion.
His first record 6 Tales from the City (TidyLike Records, 2009) is the synopsis of all the years of performing, arranging and composing. The album is a blend of his influences ranging from the Bird and Django to Pat Metheny and Greek traditional music, all from a Brechtian point of view, reflecting Christos' current ethos and roots.
During his stay in Wales Christos formed the Three Dots and dug in gypsy jazz. He also took up a guitar tutor post in Aberystwyth University and formed its jazz ensemble. He worked as a private guitar tutor in Aberystwyth and now also works as a guitar tutor in London.
The Greek's technical mastery is a welcome addition to Ta Mére, and his tendencies to frolic and towards the bawdy make for a (plate) smashing time!