Alec Harper, one of the leading tenor saxophonists of his generation plays Duke Ellington with his brilliant “exploratory quintet” featuring Pete Horsfall-trumpet. “Harper…a leading contender among the heavies” BeBop Spoken Here; “Horsfall...individual and refreshing” Jazz in Europe

Alec Harper has established himself as one of the leading tenor saxophonists of his generation. He was a member of the wildly popular UK outfit Kansas Smittys, with whom he recorded numerous albums to critical acclaim including Jamie Cullum’s best-selling Christmas record, and still performs alongside Jamie at his annual Christmas concert at The Royal Albert Hall. In addition, he has toured the globe with Tom Misch, Soft Cell and WDR Big Band at festivals including North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, C6 Festival (Sao Paolo) and currently runs a weekly jazz night in London at Eastcheap Records, where he aims to inspire the next generation of talent allowing young musicians to sit in with the band.

Tonight he has put together a truly impressive band featuring Special Guest: Pete Horsfall-trumpet. Pete has performed at most major UK jazz venues and has made numerous international appearances, including Paris' Duc Des Lombards as well as a week in New York City at Jazz at Lincoln Center. His album, ‘Nighthawks’, was acclaimed by the Guardian as ‘ravishing’, and he's also worked with artists as varied as DJ Shadow, De La Soul, Kurt Elling, Jamie Cullum and Guy Barker.

Alec describes the band as his “exploratory quintet” and compositions for the night will be carefully picked from Duke Ellington’s vast repertoire, with the emphasis firmly on improvisation and arranging in the moment. As Alec says “Expect a journey through many soundscapes and rhythms with twists and turns at every opportunity”. With this magical two-horn front line and a brilliant rhythm section featuring Liam Noble-piano, Will Sach-bass & James Maddren-drums this is set to be a fun and engaging evening of music and creativity.

“Harper…a leading contender among the heavies”BeBop Spoken Here; “Horsfall...individual and refreshing” Jazz in Europe