Doors 7:45 PM, Music 8:30 PM – 2 set(s) of music
Line-up:
Sam Leak – Piano
James Allsopp – Tenor saxophone
Calum Gourlay – Double bass
Joshua Blackmore – Drum kit
About
After a decade-long hiatus, Aquarium return to the stage — the reunion of one of the most distinctive groups to emerge from the UK jazz scene in the last twenty years.
Led by award-winning pianist and composer Sam Leak, the quartet features long-time collaborators James Allsopp (tenor saxophone/bass clarinet), Calum Gourlay (double bass), and Joshua Blackmore (drums). Together, they forged a sound hailed by MOJO Magazine as “poetic chamber jazz of a very high order” and praised by BBC Music Magazine as “assured and sophisticated acoustic jazz with deep roots in the tradition.”
Their 2011 debut was listed by MOJO as one of the Top Ten International Releases of the Year, launching an extensive national tour that established Aquarium as a vital voice in modern British jazz. The 2013 follow-up, Places, deepened their impact, earning acclaim from the Guardian’s John Fordham for its “surefooted creativity… way beyond respectful expertise.”
Now, after ten years, the original line-up reconvenes – matured, re-energised, and returning with the same lyrical interplay and improvisational depth that defined their early work.
“A band full of the great heavyweights we have on the young British Jazz scene… it’s got that beautiful mixture of extraordinary playing, a kind of chamber jazz feel but with great grooves and extraordinary improvising as well, I’m a fan of this band…I’ve been listening to them a lot actually, I’m a really really big fan of this record” – Jamie Cullum, BBC Radio 2