Fergus Quill Plays Xero Slingsby // Hill Collective

From spaghetti western mayhem to being likened to the magic of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Fergus Quill is one of the hottest acts in the English jazz scene at the moment, notably recently playing at Ronnie Scotts with his Imaginary Big Band whilst also playing an important part in the free jazz experimental punk scene of Leeds.This time, Fergus graces our stage with a musical homage to the Leeds alt-jazz pioneer of the 1980s, alto saxophonist Xero Slingsby and his band The Works, celebrated for their unique brand of no categories improvised music which brought together their mutual love for jazz, punk, funk, and TV soundtracks, all tied up with a huge dose of northern working-class humour.

Xero was also a prolific busker/street musician, who challenged every arrest and court appearance and became a one-man buskers rights champion.

Big Issue magazine recently described him as "Yorkshire's Ornette Coleman".Fergus felt a kinship with Xero and wanted to make an album of his compositions as a homage to him but also to join the dots between the original Leeds alt-jazz pioneer and the vibrant DIY jazz/improvised music scene in the city today.

With the blessing of Xeros widow Sally Coe, Who kindly provided some of Xeros original homemade instruments for the session, this project finally came to life in spring/summer 2023.