Doors 7:45 PM, Music 8:30 PM, 2 sets of music
Line-up:
Byron Wallen – Trumpet & Conches
Rob Luft – Guitar
Paul Michael – Bass
Rod Youngs – Drums
About
Byron Wallen (b. 1969) was raised in a musical family and as a child studied classical piano, euphonium, trumpet, flute and drums. In the mid 1980’s the trumpet became Wallen’s primary instrument of choice.
Wallen’s first major work, Tarot Suite, (1994) was inspired by a love of mythology and symbolism, which reflected the archetypal journey of human life through an interdisciplinary pan-continental approach. Wallen’s study of cognitive psychology has aided his transition towards conceptualising music as a medium for healing. Wallen raises awareness and invokes change by unlocking boundaries through the nature and science of sound.
Widely recognised as a seminal figure in Jazz, Wallen is an acclaimed writer and producer whose original scores have been commissioned by the Science Museum; PRS, The BBC, Jerwood Foundation, Southbank Centre, National Theatre, Arts Council, FIFA and Sage Gateshead. He has also composed soundscapes for Universal Pictures, Warner Bros and Game of Thrones.
Wallen’s current PRS commission ‘Anthem for Woolwich’ forges new links between schools, venues, musicians and residents to strengthen the resilience and promote the cohesion of the community. Wallen has received the BBC Jazz Innovation award (2003) and has been nominated several times for the MOBO award. In 2017 he received the coveted Paul Hamlyn Award. In 2020 his band Four Corners was nominated for the best band category at the Parlimentary Jazz Awards.
Rob Luft is an award-winning 24-year-old guitarist from London whose virtuosity has been compared to that of six-string legends John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola & Paco De Lucia. Praised by The Times for performances with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, who said he was destined ‘to achieve great things in the future’, Rob was subsequently the recipient of the 2016 Kenny Wheeler Prize from The Royal Academy of Music, and he also received the 2nd Prize in The 2016 Montreux Jazz Guitar Competition at Montreux Jazz Festival. His debut album, “Riser”, was released on Edition Records in 2017 to widespread critical acclaim from the European jazz media. John Fordham wrote in The Guardian that it’s a “very sophisticated debut, but given Luft’s old-soul achievements since his early teens, we should have heard it coming”.
Paul Michael is a London based Electric/Upright bass player and plays music across a wide range of styles. After graduating from Trinity Collage of Music he has gone on to work regularly on the London music scene and beyond. He has played with Carlos Acosta at the Royal Opera House, Julian Joseph at Ronnie Scotts, Liane Carroll and is currently working with Emily Saunders.
Rod Youngs
Music OMH magazine describes the London based drummer as “supremely subtle and melodic…dynamic and powerful”. To be sure, Rod Youngs is one of the most expressive and adept musicians in the music arena today. His journey in music began in his youth and has blossomed into a distinguished career that has spanned over two decades.
A native of Washington, D.C. Rod’s formal training began in his teenage years. He later attended Howard University were he received a Bachelor of Music degree in performance and was subsequently chosen to study jazz performance at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. under the tutelage of Keith Copland.
Since those formative years Rod’s consummate musicianship has garnered him a wide variety of work from concerts and recordings to sessions for radio, TV and film. He has performed/recorded with a formidable array of artists including, Hugh Masekela, Denys Baptiste, Lee Konitz, Natalie Cole, Bennie Maupin, Craig Handy, Jon Hendricks, Gil Scott-Heron, Mica Paris, Abdullah Ibrahim, BBC Concert Orchestra, Julian Joseph, Courtney Pine, Juliet Roberts, Ronnie Laws, Jazz Jamaica All Stars, and David Murray amongst others