Photo Credits: Benjamin Amure & Tracy Young Photography
The Band
I am delighted to be able to announce the first set of UK tour dates for a group of exceptionally fine jazz musicians:
Jean Toussaint – tenor and soprano sax
Keith Loftis – tenor sax
Reuben James – piano
Alex Davis – double bass
Dave Hamblett – drums
Saxophone Giants: A Tribute to Jazz’s Greatest Saxophonists
Keith Loftis, American tenor player and regular band member for the Roy Hargrove Big Band, Abdullah Ibrahim and Frank Foster, makes his UK debut alongside the much loved, virtuoso tenor player, Jean Toussaint. The latter is a former band member of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers with whom Toussaint toured for four years together with the trumpeter Terence Blanchard.
Toussaint and Loftis are both heavy weight sax players and will blow you away with their clarity of tone, honesty and passion. They’ll be accompanied by a young rhythm section, Reuben James – piano, Alex Davis – double bass, Dave Hamblett – drums, who are becoming more exciting to watch by the day as they mature into some of the finest jazz musicians this country has to offer.
They were fortunate enough to cut their teeth in Abram Wilson’s quartet for a year and a half and have had various opportunities to play together since Abram passed away last June, performing in Oxford, Birmingham Symphony Hall and Cheltenham Jazz Festival. However, this will be their first time touring as a trio since Abram died.
This is a particularly exciting tour for me as it brings together so many elements that Abram valued, such as the extraordinary talents of Toussaint and Loftis, two jazz musicians for whom Abram had an infinite amount of respect; his band members, James, Davis and Hamblett, whose potential he could see long before anyone had really heard of them; and the music of some of jazz’s greatest players, highlighting the enormous emphasis Abram placed on the history of jazz and its importance in informing the future of the music.
“Jean Toussaint’s evolution from hard bopper to a player of considerable breadth and warmth has been an engaging exercise to witness”…THE GUARDIAN
“Keith Loftis is just outstanding”…BLOOMBERG NEWS
“A standout young rhythm section”…THE FINANCIAL TIMES
You can check out the tour dates by clicking on the EVENTS tab above, each date also holds info about how to book tickets. I’ll also list them below for ease:
27th Oct – Calstock Jazz and Blues Festival, Cornwall
14th Nov – Watermill Jazz Club, Dorking
16th Nov – Bishop Auckland (near Darlington), County Durham
17th Nov – Brighton Dome, Brighton
22nd Nov – Fleece Jazz, Stoke by Nayland, Suffolk
23rd Nov – Hull Truck Theatre, Hull
26th Nov – St Ives Jazz Club, Cornwall
27th Nov – South Devon Arts Centre, Totnes
30th Nov – Taliesin, Swansea, Wales
1st Dec – National Centre for Early Music, York
I really hope we see you there as I know these gigs are going to be awesome!
Till soon!
Love
Jennie x