TIME: 8.00 – 11.00PM

TICKETS: £12

PERSONNEL

Brandon Allen – saxophone
Tim Lapthorn – piano
Jeremy Brown – bass
Chris Higginbottom – drums

Last year Brandon couldn’t make it as he was stuck in Italy due to an air traffic control issue. Sammy Mayne admirably stepped in.

The focus is very much on group interplay and they present a strong programme that is heavily influenced by 60’s jazz as well as contemporary influences. Tim and Brandon have a great chemistry and with the addition of bassist Jeremy Brown and drummer Chris Higginbottom there is a great sense of swing, melodicism and spontaneity to the group’s sound.

The group performs Brandon’s arrangements of standards, jazz classics (by Coltrane, Shorter, Hank Mobley, Joe Henderson, Getz, Rollins etc) and original contemporary compositions.

So far the quartet has performed at Ronnie Scott’s, The 606 Club, The Vortex, Ladbroke Hall and Milestones Jazz Club.

Brandon Allen is an expat Australian saxophonist who has made quite an impression on the scene since taking up residence in London. A leading soloist in several jazz orchestras back home he also led his own successful group before decamping to Europe in 2002. His wonderfully fluent and incisive sax playing has been heard in prestigious venues all over Europe and at numerous festivals around the world, including the Womad World Music Festival, Reading Festival, Brecon Jazz Festival, The Vittoria and Terrassa Jazz Festivals in Spain, Manly Jazz Festival in Australia and the London Jazz Festival. In London alone he has performed with the likes of Eric Clapton, Mica Paris, Jools Holland, BBC Big Band and Omar, which gives you an idea of just how good he is! He is a regular with the Kyle Eastwood Band

Brandon has played for many years with pianist Tim Lapthorn as part of the BATL quartet. Tim has performed and recorded with leading jazz musicians/groups including  Chris Potter, Eddie Henderson, Ian Shaw & Jean Toussant

Drummer Chris Higginbottom is also part of the Kyle Eastwood band . He has been a mainstay of the Ronnie Scotts All Stars as well as playing with Van Morrison, Roy Ayers, The BBC Big Band, Westlife, Marti Pellow, Georgie Fame, Carleen Anderson, The James Taylor Quartet, Lisa Stansfield, Gabrielle, and, Omar

Bassist Jeremy Brown is one of the foremost bass players on the UK Jazz scene, a member for 10 years with Peter King’s quartet then regularly with British Jazz greats such as Stan Tracey, Bobby Wellins, Bill Le Sage and Irish Guitarist Louis Stewart as well as working and recording with his peers. He continues to be a sought after bass player to form part of the rhythm section to back visiting US soloists and has performed in the UK and Europe with many artists including Brad Melhdau , Art Farmer, Deborah Brown, Larry Willis, Jon Hendricks, Benny Golson, Red Holloway, Johnny Griffin, Mark Turner, Jesse Norman, Bruce Barth and Charles McPherson

“Brandon Allen is arguably the most exciting tenor player in Britain today” Jazzwise;

“Swing, invention and stunning instrumental technique… a world class performance” Evening Standard;

“His four-octave range and flawless command of the altissimo register was nicely offset by his full-bodied yet raucous tonal quality offering something for fans of the entire history of the instrument- from Hawkins to Brecker- he’s got em covered.” London Jazz