Sim
Sim performing at a duo gig |
Sim at the Albert Hall |
Sim performing at a Halloween gig |
Sim Jones, a member of Elaine's contemporary folk rock outfit, Kindred Spirit, since 1998, is a phenominal violin player. His technical ability is
spot-on; being classically trained and he is in demand as a session violinist. He has
sessioned at the famous Abbey Road Studios for Ringo Starr's son. As well as
being technically sound, Sim is completely manic and amazing when it comes
to improvisation and he is so enthusiastic it always seems a shame to stop him
at the end of a number. Early in the new Millennium, Sim acquired himself a Scottish made "Starfish Design" electric violin, which he now drives via a couple of electric guitar effects boards. Sim also plays excellent lead electric guitar and viola and sings backing harmonies. He has appeared on LWT's Wogan Show as part
of the "Chicken Shed" Theatre Company. When he's not gigging with Elaine he can
be heard with barn dance band "Tanglefoot" and with jazz trio "Tiger Rag". In 2005, Sim joined a Hampshire orchestra and began teaching violin and electric guitar in schools. More recently, Sim started working with Deep Purple bass player, Roger Glover's daughter, Gillian Glover.
Ian Gillan,
of Deep Purple, heard Sim play at
a duo pub gig in March 2005, had him record a track for their DVD, "Gillan's Inn", (straight after the gig - around midnight) and
said of him,
"I've been in this business
for forty years and I've heard everything -
but
tonight I've heard something completely new."
and
Ian's manager, Michael Lee Jackson said,
"Wait
'til the other guitarists hear this - they're
going to want to cut their fingers off."
In 2006, Ian Gillan invited Sim to perform at the Royal Albert Hall, in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust (see the middle picture above, of Sim on the Royal Albert Hall