Sam Leak's "Aquarium" at Seven

Sam Leak piano, James Allsopp tenor sax, Calum Gourlay double bass, Joshua Blackmore drums

Sam Leak is a thoughtful and resourceful young pianist with a wonderful touch and a very sensitive ear to the overall ensemble sound. The group has released their debut album on the Babel label and this gig is part of a tour to support their new album 'Places' on the Jellymould Jazz label. What is striking on a first listen to his new material is how he patiently develops his lines and uses space masterfully, resisting the temptation to throw all of his flashy licks into the pot at once as some other young pianists fresh out of college tend to do (that said, he clearly has chops in abundance to draw on when he needs it)....

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Sam Leak piano, James Allsopp tenor sax, Calum Gourlay double bass, Joshua Blackmore drums

Sam Leak is a thoughtful and resourceful young pianist with a wonderful touch and a very sensitive ear to the overall ensemble sound. The group has released their debut album on the Babel label and this gig is part of a tour to support their new album 'Places' on the Jellymould Jazz label. What is striking on a first listen to his new material is how he patiently develops his lines and uses space masterfully, resisting the temptation to throw all of his flashy licks into the pot at once as some other young pianists fresh out of college tend to do (that said, he clearly has chops in abundance to draw on when he needs it).

Leak has picked some of the cream of his peer group at Royal Academy of Muisc to help flesh out his attractive compositions: the outstanding James Allsopp on tenor sax and bass clarinet (confidently spanning territory between Stan Sulzmann and Evan Parker), Calum Gourlay on bass and Josh Blackmore on drums.

This is another great young talent who looks more than capable of helping to keep the Brit Jazz flag proudly flying well into 2014 and beyond.

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