Gary Crosby/Denys Baptiste - Sophie Alloway/Tony Kofi - Winston Clifford Ft Riley Stone-Lonergan - 50th Anniversary

Bass player, composer, arranger, educator, producer and originator and musical director of numerous high profile bands Gary Crosby OBE is an icon! From the mid 80’s when he first established the Jazz Warriors, which included the likes of Courtney Pine, Steve Williamson, Cleveland Watkiss and Orphy Robinson and his further groundbreaking bands such as Nu Troop, Jazz Jamaica, Jazz Jamaica All Stars & Nu Civilisation Orchestra he has been a pivotal voice on the UK jazz scene.

In 1991 Gary co-founded Tomorrow’s Warriors, an organisation dedicated to providing a platform for talented young musicians which has been responsible for helping to develop the careers of the likes of Denys Baptiste, J-Life and Soweto Kinch, and in 1996 Gary and his partner, Janine Irons MBE FRSA established The Dune Music Company dedicated to supporting in the commercial environment the many musicians that Gary and Janine have mentored.

The Awards that Gary has amassed over the years speak volumes, including Best International Ensemble (1998), BBC Radio 3 Jazz Award (2002), All Party Parliamentary Jazz Awards-Best Ensemble (2006)-Education (2012) & Special Award for Outstanding Contribution to Jazz in the UK (2018), BBC Jazz Award-Services to Jazz (2007), OBE (2009), BASCA Gold Badge Award (2017), The Queen’s Medal for Music (2018), Music Producers Guild-MPG Inspiration Award (2021) and more.

An inspirational musician, colleague and friend associated with the Club since the 1980’s it is with enormous pleasure that we welcome this iconic figure this evening to play the very first set to kickstart our 50th Anniversary Festivities.

Performing with Gary will be a former student, long time friend and great friend of the Club, saxophonist Denys Baptiste.

Also a leading light on the UK jazz scene Denys’s impressive talent, built on a foundation of a powerful technique and an ability to improvise effortlessly across a wide range of musical styles, is only matched by his creative energy.

A multiple award winner, including the "Mercury Music Album of the Year" and "MOBO Award for Best Jazz Act" his CV is littered with collaborations with high profile artists including Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Courtney Pine, Julian Joseph & Manu Dibango.Drummer Sophie Alloway has been the musician of choice for a wide variety of high-profile artists.

With appearances for the likes of Later With Jools Holland, the Mercury Music Prize, Glastonbury Festival and most recently King Charles III, her featured tracks on ‘Abbey Road Masters: The Drum Sessions’ have been used on radio and TV across the world.

For this show Sophie has put together an outstanding band featuring her Special Guest: Tony Kofi-sax.

Tony first came to prominence in the 1990’s as a member of Gary’s Jazz Warriors and Nu Troop before going on to perform with high profile musicians including Billy Higgins, Clifford Jarvis and Courtney Pine.

In 2009 his quartet headlined the Rochester Jazz Festival in New York and he was the first UK born musician to be featured with David Murray’s iconic US band the World Saxophone Quartet.

Awards include the Parliamentary Jazz Awards-Best Ensemble, Radio 3 Jazz album of the year and BBC Jazz Awards-Best Instrumentalist.The Award-winning Winston Clifford has been a first call drummer on the UK jazz scene for over 30 years.

His cv is extensive and impressive, his powerful yet sophisticated playing being the driving force behind the likes of Carleen Anderson, Stanley Turrentine, Benny Golson, John Abercrombie, Joe Lovano, Norma Winstone, Peter Bernstein, Carmen Lundy, Freddie Hubbard, Monty Alexander, Courtney Pine, Julian Joseph, Jazz Jamaica, Ronnie Scott, Andy Sheppard, Tim Garland, Jean Toussaint, Mica Paris, Gwilym Simcock…Winner of the British Jazz Award for “Best Drummer” Winston is also a respected educator and can be found teaching at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Birmingham Conservatoire.

The gig tonight also features the up-coming Riley Stone-Lonergan-sax, Bruno Heinen-piano & Oli Hayhurst-bass performing a mix of contemporary jazz alongside some classic standards.“Few people have done more for British jazz in the last 25 years than Gary Crosby” The Jazz Mann; "Baptiste…master saxophonist" Evening Standard; “Goddess of groove…Sophie Alloway” Jazz FM; “Kofi…Passionate… superb… heartfelt” Guardian; "Stone-Lonergan...a sinewy soul-splattered sound of his own” Jazzwise; “The great Winston Clifford… gives a finely nuanced performance” The Jazz Mann