Rob Luft/Mike Outram
This delightful evening is the result of the Club’s occasional "2 in to 1" project, where we put together artists who have not worked together before but who we think will complement and stimulate one another creatively. In this instance, one of the UK’s most promising guitarists, Rob Luft is paired with outstanding guitarist Mike Outram, who as it turned out was Rob’s teacher for some several years from the age of fifteen! Mike is widely sought after for his ability to contribute a unique voice to any musical ensemble, and is universally considered to be one of the UK's foremost guitarists. He has toured worldwide, played on over a hundred CDs for the likes of Universal, Sony, Candid and Blue Note records, appeared in a televised Prom from The Royal Albert Hall and performed internationally with Chick Corea's saxophonist Tim Garland. A professor at both Trinity College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, he also teaches at Middlesex University and Guildhall School of Music and writes a monthly column for “Guitarist” magazine. Rob is a Peter Whittingham and Kenny Wheeler Award recipient who has also lately been nominated for both Parliamentary and Jazz FM prizes. His debut album "Riser" (Edition) came out in 2017 to glowing reviews, and he has just been named a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist. This shared history and undeniable talent serves to make this collaboration extra special, and along with their superb rhythm section of Misha Mullov-Abbado (bass) and Corrie Dick (drums), Rob and Mike will perform a hand-picked programme featuring music by the likes of Wes Mongtomery, George Benson, John Scofield, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, plus some original compositions re-arranged for the instrumentation of this glorious foursome. An absolute must for anyone interested in jazz guitar and beyond.
"Mike Outram has been favorably compared to a restrained Allan Holdsworth. Tempering blistering fret-board histrionics with contemplative lyricism...transcend(ing) conventional virtuosity, transforming minor thematic variations into epic meditations" All About Jazz; "[Rob Luft] …fizzing with vitality and stuffed full of quirky and original musical ideas” London Jazz News