Renowned for his melodic and warmly lyrical trumpet playing, Chris Batchelor has been composing music for almost as long as he’s been performing. Winner of the prestigious Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award for Composers and a BBC Jazz Award, this new ensemble sees Batchelor further honing and distilling the approach he established in his writing for Loose Tubes and Big Air.
Zoetic was formed in 2017 to create an exceptional group of musicians who have played together for years in many other ensembles. Guitarist John Parricelli and bassist Steve Watts were fellow members of the hugely influential big band Loose Tubes, for which Batchelor was a key composer and arranger. The addition of violist Margrit Hasler and percussionist Paul Clarvis results in a unique and intriguing collective sound, rich in textural possibilities.
Batchelor’s distinctive compositions for Zoetic are the outcome of his long lasting immersion in a wide range of music in London’s varied scene, from East African guitar band grooves to echoes of wistful European folk themes and sinuous lines reminiscent of Arabic music.
Chris Batchelor was a founding member of Loose Tubes and has played with many leading international stars, such as Hermeto Pascoal, Michael Brecker, Uri Caine and John Taylor. He leads the popular band Pigfoot, dedicated to re-inventing well known repertoire from all styles. He also co-leads the groups Total Vibration (with Laura Jurd) and Zone-B, in which he continues his long and fruitful association with altoist Steve Buckley.
“A fine trumpeter who intriguingly blends Miles Davis’s shrewd pacing and evocative long-note sounds with something of Harry Beckett’s bubbly phrasing.” John Fordham The Guardian
Line-up:
Chris Batchelor trumpet
Margrit Hasler viola
John Parricelli guitar
Steve Watts double bass
Paul Clarvis percussion