Friday 1 November 2024
Chris Batchelor Quintet: Remembering Tomasz Stańko
For this special occasion Chris Batchelor has gathered a sympathetic and sensitive group of mature improvisers who have been playing together for years in various combinations. Together they will interpret the beautifully melancholic compositions of trumpeter Tomasz Stańko, from his early recordings such as Balladyna, through to the classic albums Dark Eyes, From the Green Hill and Litania, including Komeda’s iconic ballad Sleep Safe and Warm.
Line up:
Chris Batchelor - trumpet
Mark Lockheart - tenor sax
Liam Noble - piano
Dave Whitford - double bass
Will Glaser – drums
Tomasz Stańko first brought his eloquent lyricism to European jazz in the 1960s, gaining international renown. His career entered a majestic second act in the 1990s, with ten standout albums following over the next two decades.
When he first heard live jazz, Stańko concluded that ‘the message was freedom’. Over the years, his creative curiosity led him from seminal free jazz exploration in Europe to New York-based collaborations with cutting-edge American players, including Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry, and the Globe Unity Orchestra.
His meditative, brooding sound was instantly recognisable. ‘Nobody,’ wrote The Guardian, ‘holds a single, long-blown trumpet note like… Stańko’.
www.ecmrecords.com/artists/tomasz-stanko/
Chris Batchelor – trumpet: a leading light of the hugely popular and influential big band Loose Tubes, Chris has gone on to play with international stars such as Michael Brecker, Hermeto Pascoal, Sam Rivers and Uri Caine. He is a noted composer and bandleader, with Big Air, the popular avant-trad band Pigfoot and chamber jazz group Zoetic amongst his projects.
Mark Lockheart - saxophone: also a founder member of Loose Tubes, Mark has been at the forefront of British contemporary jazz for many years, performing with Norma Winstone, Polar Bear and as a soloist in Mark Anthony Turnage’s opera Anna Nicole. Lockheart is also an award-winning composer, currently leading the quartet Dreamers and has recently released his album Smiling for extended 13-piece ensemble.
Liam Noble – piano: has played with Anita Wardell, Harry Beckett, Tim Whitehead and John Stevens as well as recording and touring with cult minimalist composer Moondog. He has a long association with Paul Clarvis, and leads the trio that recorded the award-winning Brubeck CD, as well as a new trio with Tom Herbert and Seb Rochford
https://editionrecords.com/artists/liam-noble
Dave Whitford - double bass: one of London’s most in-demand sidemen, Dave has played with artists such as Steve Lacy, Marc Copland, Bill Frisell, Dave Liebman, Phil Robson, Chris Cheek, and The NDR Big Band.
www.whirlwindrecordings.com/dave-whitford/
Will Glaser - drums: Will is a highly in demand drummer on the British Jazz and Experimental music scenes. He is a member of avant-rock bands Snack Family & World Sanguine Report and has performed with a wide range of artists including Nikki Iles, Henry Lowther, Stan Sulzmann, Kit Downes and James Allsopp.
https://www.willglaserdrums.com
Video 1 (Tomasz Stanko Quartet – live @ Jazz Baltica 2005): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzb-A3Xb_0U
