Brass Jaw

Saturday 28th April, Tickets £12, Doors 7pm, Music 9pm (2 sets, approximate finish 11.30pm)

Brass Jaw - The Parliamentary Jazz Awards Ensemble of the Year - an unmissable gig for jazz lovers old and new!

Four dazzling horns, working without a traditional rhythm section, Brass Jaw creates a performance that is truly unique in sound and direction, revealing a group that is able to adapt to almost any performance environment. Brass Jaw’s concerts are characterised by the band’s trademark momentum, drive and charisma, in a set that strongly embraces the jazz tradition whilst reaching out into the unknown towards new musical territory.
The group is the brainchild of baritone saxophonist, Allon Beauvoisin and first toured the UK in 2005 as a saxophone quartet, subsequently releasing their first album ‘Burn’ which launched the group on to the UK and European festival circuit. 2009 saw the band evolve one step further with the inclusion of multi-award winning trumpeter, Ryan Quigley.

Since then, Brass Jaw’s notoriety for providing a unique and engaging live music experience has grown rapidly.

November 2009 saw Brass Jaw take the London Jazz Festival by storm, performing across the city. Launched in tandem with the festival, Brass Jaw’s album, ‘Deal With It’, has gone on to receive critical acclaim.

The ensemble’s flexibility makes it the ideal vehicle for new compositions from members of the group as well as commissions for renowned composers such as ECM recording artist John Surman, who composed two new works for Brass Jaw, premiered at the 2009 British Composers Awards. 2010 saw Brass Jaw perform at festivals worldwide, including North Sea Jazz Festival (Holland), Rochester Jazz Festival (USA), Antibes Jazz Festival (France), a momentum that built up to May 2011 -  Brass Jaw were awarded 'Ensemble Of The Year' at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards.

The members of Brass Jaw are also experienced educators and clinicians and as group engage in a broad range of educational activities including: schools performances for all age ranges, improvisation and composition workshops, small and large ensemble coaching, individual tuition and mentoring. Paul and Ryan are both faculty members at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama, as well as running an annual Jazz Summer School at Glasgow Jazz Festival.

"The sound of their four horns working together is massive, and they’re as mobile and pliable as … well, a very mobile, very pliable thing." Rob Adams, The Herald

"Irresistible swaggering exuberance laced with grace and wit" Chris Parker, The Vortex

"They played a full-on set that was absolutely right for the atmosphere in The Yardbird and brilliantly won over the audience. One of my gigs of 2009" Tony Dudley-Evans, Birmingham Jazz

"Quite simply stunning." Samara Ginsberg , BBC Radio 3