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The May issue of Jazz Journal features an interview I did last summer with David West. It’s mostly about my duo album with Michael Kanan, which was released shortly after David and I had this conversation. Hoping to have some more concerts scheduled with Michael soon!

I’m recently back from a fun trip to Spain recording with an international quintet featuring Jorge Rossy. We recorded in Jorge’s studio in Begues, a small town outside Barcelona, and the resulting album should be here in the not too distant future. The band (now called Jorge Rossy’s ‘Rebop’) also features Linus Eppinger on guitar, Tilman Oberbeck on double bass and Phelan Burgoyne on drums.

Jazz fan and photographer Joe McCarty documents the gigs at the White Horse in Bedford, which drummer Mark Hale presents to a faithful crowd each Monday. Here’s one Joe took of me. Check the rest of his photos here.

 

Happy to have some nice trio dates coming up this March and April. Check the flyers above for more info (click twice for full size), and click on the links in the list below for venue details/tickets. And here’s an interview/preview with London Jazz News. Hope to see you at one of them!

7 March – Hampstead Lounge & Jazz Club
16 March – Burdall’s Yard, Bath Spa Live
19 March – The White Horse, Bedford
21 March – The Flute & Tankard, Cardiff
31 March – The Bear Club, Luton
4 April – Kansas Smitty’s, Broadway Market

I was flattered to have my album included in a few jazz journalists’ ‘Best of 2017’ end of year lists recently, including these two really nice ones from Simon Adams and Dave Gelly in Jazz Journal:

I was also very happy to be included in Nick Lea’s list for Jazz Views and Tim Stenhouse’s list for UK Vibe. And I’ve updated the ‘Press’ section of this website with some other reviews the album received.

My album release tour with Michael Kanan seems like ages ago now, but we had great time and I’m finally getting round to putting up some videos from the album launch we did in Dalston, London.

There are four videos: two short promo clips (an extract from Cole Porter’s You Do Something To Me and an extract from Harry Barris’ Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams) and full length videos of The Sweetest Sounds and There’s a Small Hotel (both by Richard Rodgers). All videos filmed/edited by Palle Nodeland of Banquet films. Find out more about mine and Michael’s duo album here.

Had a great time in Germany with the Jorge Rossy/Tilman Oberbeck Quintet the other week. We played at the Jazz Federation, Hamburg, then a few gigs around Karlsruhe. Photo credit: Hans-Ulrich Frank.

I was kindly invited to be interviewed on Radio 3’s Jazz Now programme a few weeks back. Emma Smith asked me some questions about influences, my album with Michael Kanan and our forthcoming tour, as well as playing a few tracks. You can listen to the whole show, which also features a broadcast of a Mark Turner Quartet gig and an interview with Ambrose Akinmusire, but it requires a login and is only available for a limited time. (I’m at 1.02:36) Or you can listen to my interview segment on YouTube here.

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Very happy to be welcoming Michael Kanan to the UK for the album release tour of our album, Golden Earrings. We’re playing eight gigs across a week in September. Hope you can join us! The dates are:

7th: Café Jazz, Cardiff
8th: The Verdict, Brighton*
9th: Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Maidenhead*
10th: Seven Jazz, Leeds (afternoon)
10th: Toulouse Lautrec, Kennington, London (evening)*
11th: Ronnie Scott’s Late Late Show, London*
12th: Anteros Arts Foundation, Norwich
13th: The Vortex, Dalston, London – ALBUM LAUNCH

We are doing a mixture of duo and quartet gigs. All dates feature me on alto saxophone and Michael Kanan on piano. Dates marked * also feature Dario Di Lecce (double bass) and Steve Brown (drums).

With thanks to Arts Council England and Norfolk County Council Arts Project Fund.

I’m really looking forward to playing a set at the Vortex Jazz Club in Dalston this Tuesday 1st August, opening for incredible pianist and fellow Norfolk boy Kit Downes. Can’t wait to hear Kit’s set – he’ll be joined by Sam Lasserson on bass and Colin Stranahan, who’s over from New York, on drums. I’m playing with Conor Chaplin and James Maddren and we’ll be playing our take on this beautiful Richard Rodgers song and this v v hip Dexter Gordon number, amongst other things. More info about the gig here.