Tim Whitehead featuring Giovanni Mirabassi & Toku
““Tim Whitehead...the finest tenor player in Britain today''”
Jazz Review
Tim Whitehead is renowned throughout the UK, Europe and the USA as a remarkable performer and composer with a dazzling CV. In the 70’s he toured with Ian Carr’s “Nucleus” winning the Young Jazz Musician of the Year Award on the way. In the 80’s he was a member of the ground breaking big band Loose Tubes and in the 90’s he made several critically acclaimed albums, winning The Andrew Milne Award for Jazz, as well as the BBC Music Magazine Jazz Album of the Year. In 2009 he was the first ever musician to be made Artist in Residence at Tate Britain, resulting in a number of brilliant gigs, a highly acclaimed album “Colour Beginnings” and a short-listing for the British Composer Of The Year Award. The fluent and melodic Paris-based pianist Giovanni Mirabassi himself has a string of albums and awards to his name, including the prestigious “Victoires du Jazz” and “Best Album of the Year”. A performer of International standard he has variously been described as “gifted” (John Fordham) and as “one of Europe’s most compelling musicians” (Brian Morton). And Tim and Giovanni’s Special Guest this evening will be one of Japan’s leading mainstream jazz musicians, the trumpeter/vocalist Toku. A Sony Japan recording artist with 12 albums to his name Toku has worked with some of the finest musicians on the International scene, including Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Chris Cheek, Lew Soloff, Philippe Catherine and Cindy Lauper. The music will be a mix of originals and Jazz standards and this truly International group promises to be something quite special. Making up the rest of the band will be Dave Whitford-bass and Milo Fell-drums. This is a unique London gig from this quintet and highly recommended.
“The finest tenor player in Britain today'' Jazz Review; “Whitehead is one of the most creative, exciting and passionate saxophonists in Europe” A Rough Guide; “Whitehead and Mirabassi…the playing and interaction is incredible” JazzMann; “my friend Toku over in Japan – a really great singer, flugelhorn player, a beautiful cat” Kurt Elling