**Album Launch** Eddie Gripper
Having “already garnered comparisons with the greats” (Jazzwise) after the release of his debut album ‘Home’, pianist Eddie Gripper has rapidly established himself as a young contender on the national jazz circuit. He has worked as a performer, promoter and producer alongside top musicians in his field such as Nigel Price, Simon Spillett, Pete Long, Alex Clarke, Yuri Goloubev and Iain Ballamy while maintaining an active live schedule, including a 29-date tour across the four nations of the UK and Republic of Ireland in 2024.
For this album launch show, Eddie and his Trio Clem Saynor-double bass and Patrick Barrett-Donlon-drums will be playing music from Eddie's second album, "Americana", in which he tells the story of an 8,000 km hitchhiking journey from Alaska to California completed in under two months during the summer of 2022. Evoking the beauty and atmosphere of these vast landscapes and the unforgettable moments, from sleeping in the Alaskan wilderness to cycling down Santa Monica Pier, the music captures the listener’s imagination with a relaxed, easy virtuosity. A fresh approach and delightful listen.
“Gripper’s original material was thoroughly convincing in the live environment and the trio’s imaginative treatment of their chosen standards was also genuinely impressive” The Jazz Mann; “A composer of refreshing originality but with roots deeply embedded in the post-modern jazz piano tradition” Wales Art Review