Tom Skinner ‘Voices of Bishara’

Dave Holland & Lionel Loueke concert cancelled!

Dave Holland Holland had to undergo urgent medical surgery last week. On the advice of his doctors he has had to cancel his planned European tour. However, we have acted quickly and have put together a new programme for this evening's concert. Ticket holders will receive a personal message.

Tom Skinner 'Voices of Bishara’

As a new headliner we are pleased to present the quintet of British drummer, composer and producer Tom Skinner. Skinner has been a vital and central figure in London's burgeoning underground music scene for the past 20 years.

After years in top bands such as Sons of Kemet (with Shabaka Hutchings) and The Smile (with Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood), he released his first album under his own name, Voices of Bishara, in 2022. It became an album with deeply emotional music that contains masses of movement and exceptional harmonic depth and texture.

Surrounded by leading British jazz artists such as saxophonist Chelsea Carmichael, he plays in incredible synergy, resulting in intriguing rhythms and surprising breaks. Absolute world class!

Throughout his career Tom has performed and recorded with the likes of Grace Jones, Jarvis Cocker, Kano, Matthew Herbert, Mulatu Astatke, Floating Points, The Invisible, Zero 7 to name but a few.

Line-up: Tom Skinner (drums), Robert Stillman (tenor sax), Chelsea Carmichael (tenor sax and clarinet), Kareem Dayes (cello) and Caius Williams (double bass)

Openers: Eliott Knuets & Maël Idris

We open the evening with a fresh Belgian duo. Guitarist Eliott Knuets was our young artist in residence in 2023 (remember the amazing quintet with Aaron Parks). Together with pianist and close friend Maël Idris, he is working on a brand new set for us.

These young musicians have won several prizes and also study together at the Jazzcampus Basel. There, they are taught by Lionel Loueke, among others, whom they will certainly honour during their concert.

Opener 2: Emma Rawicz & Gwilym Simcock

This opening concert bringing together the talents of rising star saxophonist and composer Emma Rawicz and celebrated pianist and composer Gwilym Simcock. They have just released the first single from their long-awaited debut album Big Visit (out on 28 March). Discover this golden combination at our premiere!

Jamie Cullum calls British tenor saxophonist Emma Rawicz “an astonishing talent”, Jazzwise Magazine calls her “a force to be reckoned with” and the BBC states: “the name Emma Rawicz is on everyone’s lips right now”. The 21-year-old is the latest discovery on the vibrant, leading London jazz scene. Despite her young age, she has already won several awards, played at all the UK’s renowned festivals and is a multiple headliner at London institutions like the Jazz Café and Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club.

Welshman Gwilym Simcock is one of Britain’s most revered pianists and most inventive composers. A “breathtaking pianist” according to The Guardian, a “creative genius” according to his mentor Chick Corea, and described by The Telegraph as “a formidable pianist, with a feeling for the way harmony can create architecture as well as momentary colours – a rare gift”.

Simcock knows how to captivate and has made a name for himself in recent years as a leader and sideman, including alongside guitar legend Pat Metheny. In Belgium, he has already collaborated intensively with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra. With harmonic refinement and a subtle blend of musical traditions, he moves effortlessly between classical and jazz.