Doors 7:45 PM, Music 8:30 PM – 2 set(s) of music
Line-up:
Mike De Souza – Guitar
Tom Barford – Tenor Saxophone
Rick Simpson – Piano / Synth
Huw V Williams – Double Bass
Jay Davis – Drums
About
Mike De Souza grew up in Hertfordshire, where he first picked up the guitar at the age of 12, marking the start of a life-long obsession with music. His professional career began at the age of 20, and since then, has appeared on numerous recordings, performed festivals internationally in Krakow (Jazz Juniors 2021), Graz (Jazzwerkstatt 2017) and Spain (Ni CaJazz! and EGA Jazz festivals 2022) and has performed at the UK’s most prestigious jazz clubs including Ronnie Scott’s, and Pizza Express, to name a few.
Since moving to London in 2012, he has worked with internationally renowned musicians including Terence Blanchard (2016), Martin Speake, and Byron Wallen, and has featured on numerous recordings as a sideman including: Fictions, Reflector (both by Twospeak), Beware of the Bear (Phil Meadows), and Music for Bosch People (Alex Paxton).
In 2017, he co-released the album Pond Life as part of the group Big Bad Wolf, which was ranked 3rd in Jazzwise Magazine’s top 10 albums of the year, and was widely praised: “The title track affirms how inventively the quartet juggle tone colour, constantly renewing sub-themes, and subtly shifting grooves” – John Fordham, The Guardian.
As a leader, Mike has released 2 recordings to date: an EP entitled ‘Road Fork’(2018), and his debut album ‘Slow Burn’(2019). “Slow Burn is an impressive show of musical innovation and displays the guitarist’s knack for experimentation as well as his roots in jazz tradition” – All About Jazz.
Currently, Mike leads his latest project ‘Chrysalis’ performing original music composed during the pandemic. The band name alludes to the emergence from a state of isolation, having changed in a positive way, just as a butterfly emerges transformed from its chrysalis state. Expect long-form guitar-led compositions exploring a range of musical moods and landscapes, bolstered by captivating and virtuosic improvisations by some of London’s most sought-after musicians.