TIME: 8.00 – 11.00PM

TICKETS: £15

PERSONNEL

Joseph is an Afro-Caribbean trumpet player raised in London. He has a strong passion for Jazz music and is an up and coming artist in the London Jazz scene. After homing his skills on the trumpet , particularly improvisation, and large ensemble playing, he is able to play engaging and soulful music reminiscent of the likes of Roy Hargrove, Clifford brown and Dizzy Gillespie. His own band, the Joti Quintet including Emile Hinton on Piano , Maddy Coombes on Saxophone, Kobe Heath Gugi on Bass And Michael Amosu on drums. Creates music inspired by Jazz , afro beats dance hall and UK hip hop.

On drums – Ben Brown

Having studied at the Royal Academy of Music, Ben’s creative output encompasses anything jazz and hip hop to electronic music, with particular leaning towards African & Latin American folk music styles. He’s been lucky enough to tour the world with various top international artists like Alfa Mist, Mulatu Astatke, Ashley Henry, Judi Jackson, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Rebello, Dizraeli and many others as far as Australasia, Africa, Asia and across Europe.

On bass – Lorenzo Morabito

Lorenzo Morabito, a jazz double bassist born in London in 2002, began playing electric bass at the age of 11 and switched to double bass at 15. He has studied at the Purcell School, the Royal Academy of Music, and the Guildhall School.

After releasing his first rock single at 14, he transitioned into jazz at 16, performing professionally from the get go. At 17, his European tour with Ben Waters marked his entry into the international scene. Lorenzo has collaborated with musicians such as Nigel Price, Tom Ridout, Joe Farnsworth, and many others. He has performed at prestigious venues like Ronnie Scott’s in London and various festivals in France, Germany, and the Basel Jazz Festival, as well as multiple times at Ronnie Scott’s.

And leading the band the wonderful Jean Toussaint on sax

Since Toussaint left Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in the mid eighties, He hasn’t looked back. Nor has he spent a career trying to repeat the past. The experiences gained in that world-class hothouse have enabled him to push forward and embrace challenging, and often high profile, musical collaborations in many different jazz styles.
Today he works out of London England as a composer, tenor/soprano saxophonist, bandleader and highly regarded jazz educator.
Born in the Caribbean, Toussaint grew up in St Thomas USVI and started playing the saxophone at the Charlotte Amalie High School under the musical tutelage of Charles Cox, who took a special interestin the talented youngster, offering guidance and extra tuition. After high school, Toussaint attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston along with future jazz stars Branford Marsalis, Wallace Roney, Kevin Eubanks, Jeff Watts, Victor Bailey, Cindy Blackman, Donald Harrison and many others.
While at Berklee, Toussaint studied with and was mentored by the great saxophonist/educator Billy Pierce. It was Pierce who recommended Toussaint to replace him in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Relocating to New York, he joined in 1982 and toured and recorded with the band for four years alongside pianists Johnny O’Neal, Mulgrew Miller and Donald Brown, trumpeters Terence Blanchard and Wallace Roney, alto saxophonists Donald Harrison and Kenny Garrett, trombonist Tim Williams and bassists Charles Fambrough, Lonnie Plaxico and Peter Washington.

With Art Blakey, these young men found themselves in a uniquely enviable position as the band travelled the world playing all the major festivals, clubs and concert halls.
While residing in New York and when not on the road with the messengers Toussaint, regularly led the jam sessions at the famous Blue Note Jazz club and, would visit other New York clubs sitting in with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Elvin Jones, Bobby Hutcherson, Freddie Hubbard etc.
Invited to teach for three months at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, by pianist/educator Lionel Grigson, Toussaint came to London in 1987 and still uses the capital as his base. In addition to his work at the GSMD and private one to one teaching, for which he has many students, Toussaint is also a member of the teaching staff at the Birmingham Conservatoire, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and occasionally the Royal Academy of Music.

The bulk of Toussaint’s work is as a performer. Since moving to London he has led his own bands and various projects, released 12 CDs as a leader and guested on
many more. Collaborations with musicians based in the UK have included Bheki Mseleku, Julian Joseph, Jason Rebello, Cleveland Watkiss and others.
Toussaint has been very busy in the last five years composing music for different projects and in 2014 joined the record label ran by Northern Irish drummer/ composer/bandleader David lyttle. With Lyte Records Toussaint has found the freedom to steer his career in the direction of his choosing by recording self
produced sessions for Lyte.

The first one, JT4 which was released to much acclaim, came out in the autumn of 2014. It featured Toussaint’s 4tet of that time which included some of the most in demand musicians in the UK. The great Troy Miller on drums, the fantastic Andrew McCormack on piano and the incredible Larry Bartley on bass along with Toussaint on tenor and soprano sax. To promote the release Toussaint and band with the help of Tom Harrison of Turaco music booking agency embarked on a 17 date sold out UK tour.
Between 2015 and 2018 Toussaint toured extensively with a project he put together to pay homage to his mentor the great Art Blakey. To mark 25 years of the passing of master Blakey Toussaint assembled a 6tet, which he name after a Blue Note record by the Jazz Messengers, called Roots & Herbs. Toussaint called on his old friends and top UK performers trumpeter Byron Wallen and trombonist Dennis Rollins to join him in the front line and Jason Rebello, Julian Joseph or Andrew McCormack on piano, Shaney Forbes, Troy Miller or Mark Mondesir on drums and Daniel Casimir or Alec Dankworth on bass among others.

Roots & Herb “The Blakey Project saw Toussaint and band play many jazz festivals throughout the UK and audiences really took to the band and at every gig requested to
purchase CDs of the music the band had just performed. Being the type of musician that’s not into attempting to recreate the past left Toussaint with a very big question to answer. “How do I pay homage to my mentor without messing with the classic and legendary recordings which were so innovative that nothing we did would stand next to them”? His answer was to, “write totally new compositions”.
Having toured for almost 3 years playing the classic Jazz Messengers repertoire by the likes of Wayne Shorter, Benny Golson, Horace Silver, Lee Morgan Bobby Timmons etc, plugged Toussaint and co right into the heart of the Messengers sound and methodology which made this task challenging yet attainable. A new band name would be needed, since they would be performing new material, For this Toussaint looked at the obvious, “since I’m working with some of the biggest stars on the UK Jazz scene, why not call it Jean Toussaint Allstar 6tet”? And a band was born.
The first CD release of this new band turned out to be Toussaint’s tribute to his brother Raymond who passed away in 2015. “The CD Brother Raymond surpassed my every expectation and has been my most well received CD to date”. It was nominated in the Jazz FM CD of the year (2018) category and made several top 10 CD of the year lists in 2018. Toussaint also won the coveted Jazz FM Instrumentalist of the Year 2018 along with the Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2018 Jazz Educator of the Year and nominated for the Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2019 Jazz CD of the Year for Brother Raymond.The release of Brother Raymond was swiftly followed by a 26 date tour to publicise the CD which saw Toussaint and band playing the UK to sold out crowds around the country. This all culminated in a live recording at the Jazz Cafe in Camden London on the 9th of December 2018. “This concert will be officially released as Jean Toussaint Allstar 6tet “Live At The Jazz Cafe” a double CD of the entire concert, on October 11th 2019 and dedicated to the memory of my mentor Art Blakey on the remembrance of his 100th year”.
JEAN TOUSSAINT HAS WORKED WITH:
ART BLAKEY
MAX ROACH
HORACE SILVER
McCOY TYNER
GIL EVANS
CEDAR WALTON
ABDULLAH IBRAHIM
EDDIE HENDERSON
WYNTON MARSALIS
ROY AYERS
GARY BARTZ
KIRK LIGHTSEY
DOUG HAMMOND
LENNIE WHITE
TERENCE BLANCHARD
JEFF “TAIN” WATTS
KENNY KIRKLAND
MULGREW MILLER
DONALD BROWN
DONALD HARRISON
DAVID MURRAY
JULIAN JOSEPH
THE JAZZ CRUSADERS
JASON REBELLO
(and many others)