CHRIS HIGGINBOTTOM'S NEW YORK QUARTET

Rising star drummer Chris Higginbottom will be returning to the UK in summer/ autumn 2005 to tour his debut album featuring New York based musicians Seamus Blake, tenor saxophone (Dave Douglas), Aaron Goldberg, piano (Joshua Redman) and Ben Street, bass (Danilo Perez).

In his debut album as a leader, shortly to be released on Basho Records, Chris presents a combination of originals and modern interpretations of compositions by some great American musicians including Bud Powell, Dizzy Gillespie and Waorter.

The strong melodic content of the music makes this album accessible contemporary jazz, but a closer listen reveals subtle complexities that are as evident in Chris' approach to composing and arranging as they are in aying.

Odd time signatures, and a wide range of tempos from slow ballads to up-tempo swing are performed by some of the finest New York - based musicians of today, all of whom are as well versed in the tradition of the music as they are internationally acclaimists.

Chris Higginbottom

Born in London, Chris Higginbottom's musical life began at the age of 8 when he joined the Waltham Abbey choir, where he was eventually appointed head chorister. He began taking drum lessons at 11 and some his first experience was gained from playing for both the Essex and National Youth Jazzstras.

Four years of study at the Royal Academy of Music resulted in a performance degree with first class honours in 2000, and in the same year his co-led group, the Higginbottom/Mayne Quartet was awarded the Perrier Young Jazz Band of theprize.

Chris went on to perform with many of the UK's leading artists including Tim Garland, Guy Barker and Christine Tobin, before moving to New York in the Autumn of 2002. He has since played with many great musicians including Mark Murphy, Eric Lewis, Ingrid Jensen and Gary Bartz and at numerous prestigious venus such as Birdland (New York), Blues Alley (Washington) and the Deer Head Inn (Peania).

Chris Higginbottom's Drumming has the smooth clarity that Tony Williams used to demonstrate" Jack Massarik Evening Standard

"Up-to-the-minute and frighteningly accomplished" Dave Gelly The Observer

"Infectious energy" John Fordham The Guardian

Seamus Blake tenor

New York based tenor sax player Seamus Blake is gaining increasing recognition as one of the finest and most creative young players emerging in jazz. His inclusion in the 1997 Downbeat Critics Poll as an artist deserving of wider recognition attests to this fact. Pat Metheny has described him as “the best tenor player I’ve heard in a couple of years” (JazzTimes April 1997). John Scofield, who hired him for his ‘Quiet Band’, calls him ‘extraordinary, a total saxophonist”. He continues to tour with Scofield.

Born in England but raised in Vancouver, Canada, Blake was first asked to record at the age of 21 with drummer VICTOR LEWIS while Blake was still a student at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College. Following his graduation, Blake moved to New York, where he rapidly established himself on the New York scene. At 32, Blake now has 4 releases on Criss Cross Records, including the 1995 premiere release of the ”BLOOMDADDIES” a “funky, alternative grunge jazz” band featuring 2 electrified tenors, electric bass, vocals and 2 drums (Downbeat July1996). His latest for them entitled “Echonomics” features Dave Kikowski and Victor lewis. A CD of originals entitled “Stranger Things Have Happened” has also just been released on the Fresh Sound label with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jorge Rossy and Larry Grenadier. Blake is long standing member of the Mingus Big Band and is featured on their last three recordings for Dreyfuss. He continues to play and record with the Victor Lewis Quintet (Enja, Red), as well as with BILL STEWART and KEVIN HAYS (Blue Note Records). He has also recorded with FRANCO AMBROSETTI (Enja), MARK TURNER and BILLY DRUMMOND on Criss Cross. He placed 1st in the Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition in Feburary 2002. Since then he has been touring with the Dave Douglas septet and quintet. He has also been leading his own quartet with tours in the Us and urope.

Aaron Goldberg

Harvard graduate Aaron Goldberg is a young pianist and composer working at the forefront of jazz music. His studio debut "Turning Point" (J Curve) featured among others, saxophonists Mark Turner and Joshua Redman and vocalist Carla Cook and was followed by the release of his trio album "Unfolding"(J Curve Records). Aaron makes up one-third of the cooperative group OAM Trio, with Israeli bassist Omer Avital and Catalan multi-percussionist Marc Miralta. OAM has released two albums entitled "Flow" and "Trilingual" on the Fresh Sound/New Talent label and collaborated in 2003 with Mark Turner on the album "Live in Sevilla" (LOLA Records).

His latest project as a leader is entitled "Worlds", featuring his longstanding trio with special guests guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, vocalist Luciana Souza, and saxophonist Miguel Zenon. He is currently the musical director of 'All Souls at Sundown,' a unique jazz and poetry performance series jointly organized by All Souls Church and Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. As a bandleader he currently performs with his trio and has been experimenting with an 'e-quartet' featuring young saxophonist gibri.

As a sideman Aaron is best known for his work with the quartet of tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman, with whom he toured for three and a half years and recorded two albums for Warner Bros. Currently Aaron works with artists such as trumpeters Nicholas Payton, Tom Harrell, and Freddie Hubbard, master drummer Al Foster, guitarists Peter Bernstein and Kurt Rosenwinkel, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, and saxophonists Mark Turner and John Ellis among others. Goldberg has also worked alongside late great vocalist and first lady of jazz Betty Carter, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, saxophonists Michael Brecker, George Coleman, Jerry Bergonzi, Bill Pierce and Jimmy Greene, drummer Lenny White, bassist Buster Williams, vibraphonist Terry Gibbs and composers Guillermo Klein and Magali Souriau. www.aarongoldberg.com

Ben Street

Ben Street studied at The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston with Miroslav Vitous and Dave Holland. He moved to New York City in 1991 and has since performed and toured with Danilo Perez, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Roswell Rudd, Lee Konitz, David Sanchez, James Moody, Mark Turner, Frank Foster, Clark Terry, Junior Cook, Charles Davis, Sam Rivers, Clifford Jordan, Billy Harper, Buddy Montgomery and Jcott.

Ben's selected discography includes work with:
Kurt Rosenwinkel - The Next Step,
The Enemies of Energy and Heartcore (Verve)
Danilo Perez - Til Then (Verve)
David Sanchez – Coral (Sony Music)
Ed Simon - La Bikina (Mythology)
Anthony Coleman - Morenica (Tzadic),
Shawn Colvin - Holiday Songs and Lullabies (Columbia)
Cyndi Lauper - At Last (Epic)
Ethan Iverson, Jorge Rossy, Chris Cheek - Guilty (Fresh Sound)
Barney Mcall – Widening Circles (MJC)
Ben Monder Trio - Dust (Arabesque)
Space Cowboys - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Warner Bros.)