Doors 7.45pm, music 8.30pm
Line-up:
Sam Leak – Piano
Simon Read – Double Bass
Will Glaser – Drums
About
Sam Leak’s trio perform contemporary jazz with a gospel-tinged, and folk-inspired, freedom and abandon, invoking the joy and emotion typified by Paul Bley and Keith Jarrett’s 1960s trios. Showcasing music from their upcoming album, the ensemble maintains a sense of the tradition whilst performing music that is very much rooted in the present. Drawing on Leak’s background in music psychology the music will be interspersed with fascinating insights about music and how we perceive it
The band mainly perform Leak’s original material, notably including his recent “Craft of Sound” suite, and music from his 2018 album release “Adrift,” recorded in duet with Lee Konitz/Ben Wendel pianist Dan Tepfer, and which Marcus O’Dair has called ‘astonishing.’ Described as “compelling” and “reaching far beyond the jazz loop” by the Guardian’s John Fordham, ‘Adrift’ is a unique composition for two pianos that explores the range of colours and possibilities offered by the unconventional lineup. Sometimes densely complex, at others eerily sparse; the writing is engaging and melodic, conjuring up images of a snow-brushed New York in winter. The composition was originally written for 2014’s Steinway festival, held at London’s Pizza Express Jazz Club. The success of this performance led the pianists to record the album at the Yamaha Piano Rooms in Midtown New York in January 2016.
Leak is an award-winning London-based Jazz pianist described by JazzFM’s Helen Mayhew as ‘One of the brightest stars in the Jazz piano galaxy, a heavenly improviser, and a brilliant prospect for the future.’ His eponymous 2011 debut album was listed in MOJO Magazine as one of the ‘Top Ten International Releases of the Year.’ The 2013 follow up, “Places,” was described by the Guardian’s John Fordham as ‘surefooted creativity… way beyond respectful expertise,’ and by BBC Music Magazine’s Daniel Spicer as ‘assured and sophisticated acoustic jazz with deep roots in the tradition, that knows exactly what it’s trying to do – and succeeds.’ Jamie Cullum introduced Leak’s cohort as ‘the heavyweights of the British Jazz scene’ and described himself as a ‘fan’ of the band in his regular BBC broadcast. Leak’s 2018 release ‘Adrift’ was described by The New York City Jazz Record as “magical” and “constantly evolving and engaging.” The Wire’s Marcus O’Dair has labelled Leak as “one of the best pianists of his generation.”
“Multi-faceted and smart as a pin, this is poetic chamber jazz of a very high order” MOJO ★★★★
★★★★ All About Jazz
★★★★ Jazzwise Magazine
“This is assured and sophisticated acoustic jazz with deep roots in the tradition, that knows exactly what it’s trying to do – and succeeds” Daniel Spicer, BBC Music Magazine
“The Royal Academy of Music’s jazz programme has produced a remarkable crop of newcomers in recent times: notably the Mercury-nominated pianists Gwilym Simcock and Kit Downes. Now comes Sam Leak, an artist of comparable promise…Leak is a subtle storyteller who keeps the grooves and colours changing.” John Fordham, The Guardian