The Music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn

In a new project from London-based saxophonist Tom Harrison, four unique instrumental personalities will interpret the music of the great Duke Ellington. The Ellington Project aims to explore the music of the genius jazz legend and his long-time collaborator Billy Strayhorn. Following a year of intensive study of Ellington's music, Harrison aims to bring some of the jazz giant's more obscure music to light, as well as focussing on better known compositions.

Five gigs of this 9-date tour, including the project launch at Pizza Express, Dean St will be recorded live, with a view to producing and releasing an album of the performances later in 2016. Featuring prominently in the group is acclaimed vocalist Cleveland Watkiss, as well as MOBO-nominated drummer David Lyttle and Young Musician of the Year, double bass player Adam King. Since graduating from the renowned Trinity College of Music in 2012, Tom Harrison has performed or recorded with a host of internationally recognised jazz musicians in 12 countries, including Terell Stafford, Joe Lovano, Jason Rebello, Michael Buckley and Jean Toussaint, as well as commercial artists such as Heather Small, M-People, Talib Kweli and The Fall. His debut album DAGDA was well received by the media, described as “impressive” by Jazzwise and “a strong calling card” by All About Jazz. The album was launched with a 22-date UK tour, featuring a series of guest tenor saxophonists including Jean Toussaint and Paul Booth.

Early 2014 saw an appearance with UK vocalist Cleveland Watkiss at the Derry Jazz Festival, Northern Ireland. Soon after, Harrison was invited to tour with American trumpet icon and Village Vanguard Orchestra leader Terell Stafford. His time as a sideman with the New York-resident was hugely influential, reigniting his early love of the blues and melody. Also during this time came a commission from Birmingham Jazz to arrange and compose Harrison's Film Music Project, which featured Steinway artist and multi-award-winning pianist Robert Mitchell. Autumn 2014 saw another milestone for Harrison. Featured as a guest soloist on David Lyttle's MOBO-Nominated album Faces, Tom can be heard on a track featuring American rapper and underground hip-hop star Talib Kweli. 2015 saw another UK tour featuring Head of Jazz Studies at the prestigious Leeds College of Music, Jamil Sheriff, as well as headline appearances at Derry Jazz Festival London Jazz Festival with a new Quintet featuring trumpet player Quentin Collins, performing the music of Blue Note artist Sonny Fortune. 2016 is set to be Harrison's biggest year yet, with tours featuring Cleveland Watkiss and Robert Mitchell, and live album to follow, as well as a new project with bass legend John Goldsby.

Cleveland Watkiss, internationally renowned vocalist won the London Jazz Award for Best Vocalist in 2010, and was voted Wire/Guardian Jazz Awards best vocalist for three consecutive years. Watkiss was born in Hackney, East London, to Jamaican parents. Watkiss was one of the co-founders of the vastly influential Jazz Warriors big band. His vocals can be heard on their debut album, Out of Many People. Watkiss has performed with a diverse range of artists from around the world, including: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Bob Dylan, Art Blakey, Abdullah Ibrahim, Stevie Wonder, Keith Richards, the James Taylor Quartet, Sly & Robbie, Nigel Kennedy, Robbie Williams, Joe Cocker, The Who, George Martin, Julian Joseph, the London Chamber Orchestra, the BBC Orchestra, Cassandra Wilson, and the London Community Gospel Choir.

More recently, demonstrating great versatility, Cleveland was cast as the starring role in Julian Joseph’s, two groundbreaking Jazz operas, Bridgetower and Shadowball, to considerable acclaim. In June last year he performed with vibraphonist Orphy Robinson at Freedom: The Art of Improvisation Festival at The Vortex, performing their project Duke Joint. Also with a project London-Chicago Vibration in Nov’ at the London Jazz Festival, a 50th anniversary tribute to the Chicago-based Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) led by multi-percussionist Orphy Robinson and an all-star band of UK-based improvisers including legendary drummer Louis Moholo vibist Corey Mwamba and saxophonist Jason Yarde. Cleveland led the ensemble into a powerful version of Strange Fruit, before encoring with an appealingly ramshackle run through Art Ensemble Of Chicago's classic Theme De Yoyo.

David Lyttle began performing professionally at the age of four in his folk group the Lyttle Family, playing bongos, bodhran and mini lambeg drum. At eight years old he added drum kit and by ten years old he was also studying cello and uilleann pipes. At eighteen he began focusing on the drum kit after taking an interest in jazz. Over the next three years David received scholarships to study at Skidmore Jazz Institute (New York) and the Banff Centre (Canada). David first reached a national audience with jazz guitar legend Louis Stewart in 2006. Over the next five years would feature a long list of international jazz icons in his touring bands, including Greg Osby, Soweto Kinch, Terell Stafford, Jason Rebello and Jean Toussaint. Since then, David has performed in over 20 countries. His MOBO nominated album ‘Faces’ featured collaborations with internationally recognised music stars, including Joe Lovano and rapper Talib Kweli.

Adam King was born on Jersey in the Channel Islands in 1987. Adam took up the alto saxophone at 9 years old. Through the exposure of different styles of music from his father he started playing electric bass guitar at 14 and before 15 was getting booked on gigs in and around the Channel Islands. Having had the opportunity to play within a wide variety of genres including Rock, Pop, and R&B he realised that it was Jazz that offered the greatest level of freedom and expression musically. He studied Jazz Music at Middlesex University gaining First Class Honours. He took up double bass in the 2nd year of his studies and within 5 years has become one of the most in demand bassists on the UK scene, with some of the most prolific musicians on the UK and international jazz scene including Peter King, Stan Tracey, Julian Joseph, Will Vinson, Joe Cohn, Gilad Atzmon, Jim Mullen, Alan Barnes and Nigel Hitchcock amongst many others. Adam currently is based professionally in London and is also just as comfortable in the studio as on stage having recorded for the likes of Warner Brothers, Universal and the BBC.     tomharrisonsax.com

Check out Tom Harrison’s sax style in this clip of his Quintet performing as part of the London Jazz Festival at Spice of Life, playing Glue Fingers (12.37 mins). His solo is in the first five minutes.

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