Meet Our Rhythm Section
Our rhythm section boasts a wide range of talent and ability. The musicians are required to play almost any style, requiring a high degree of musicianship from each player.
Gavin Martin (Piano)
Gavin has been fortunate enough to have been involved in many styles of music and jazz has always been close to his
heart; as his father regularly encouraged him to sit in with the local traditional jazz band on trumpet during his early
‘teens’.
It was during this period that he passed his Grade 8 in classical pianoforte and
successfully auditioned for the Royal Marines Band Service. This career has seen the making of him as he has benefited
from a multitude of experiences as a performer, arranger, and composer and for the last ten years, Warrant Officer First
Class Bandmaster and conductor.
After 28 years of service this September, he has enrolled on the PGCE course in
Secondary Education Music at Plymouth University, with the view to find employment in the local area as a classroom music
teacher from September 2009.
Gavin is looking forward to an additional rewarding career in the teaching industry and
is very pleased to be performing on keyboards for the Dave Hankin Big Band.
Jesse Molins (Guitar)
Jesse has studied jazz & pop at the Musicians Institute in London. He has played in many bands and many styles both in London and Bristol. Whilst in Bristol he had the pleasure of working with James Morton and Craig Crofton amongst others. Jesse now lives in Devon and teaches full time.
Jesse has played for a number of jazz funk bands, including Melange, Fumi and Abalone, his own band - the Jesse Molins Quartet - and glam rockers Diamond Dogs. He is presently a full time member of Monkey's Uncle and Solar.
Mike Issac (Bass)
Plymouth based Mike graduated with an honours degree at Salford University in 1990 during which he won the runner-up
award in the prestigeous John Lennon songwriting competition.
Since returning to Plymouth, Mike has become the leading bass guitar teacher in the area and continues with his
freelance work. He has formed 2 of his own bands ~ Funk Consortium and Fourjazz. Mike has recorded numerous
albums including a solo album Sunrisin'.
Andy Miller (Drums)
At the tender age of 16 Andy joined the Royal Marines Band Service and started the long road to become an accomplished musician. He took a keen interest in playing big band music from the start and continues this today. He has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, Plymouth Theatre Royal & Wembley to name but a few.
Towards the end of his service career he was the Percussion Instructor in the RMBS and continued teaching when he left the service in 1997. He was the first percussionist to attend the CT course run by the ABRSM.
He still attends drum clinics (he hopes to get better soon) and in 2009 attended the "Ultimate Drum Week" in London where he learned from & played with Steve Smith and Ralph Salmins.
Andy ran his own band "Moonlight" until recently and is at present playing in a covers band "DeciBelle" and working as a freelance drummer in the West Country.