The Darius Brubeck Quartet return to Dean Street, to celebrate their new CD 'Cathy's Summer'. The quartet will be playing many of the new Darius Brubeck compositions featured on this album, as well as audience favourites, jazz standards and some ever-popular Dave Brubeck music.
In addition to Darius’ catchy up-tempo tunes, the new recording features soulful renderings of ballads like 'Flamingo' and 'I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You'.
Dave O’Higgins with his great range of feel and skill excels playing these tunes with the rhythm trio of Darius, Matt and Wes, who have been together for 8 years. Their mutual understanding and interaction is always a pleasure to hear and witness....
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The Darius Brubeck Quartet return to Dean Street, to celebrate their new CD 'Cathy's Summer'. The quartet will be playing many of the new Darius Brubeck compositions featured on this album, as well as audience favourites, jazz standards and some ever-popular Dave Brubeck music.
In addition to Darius’ catchy up-tempo tunes, the new recording features soulful renderings of ballads like 'Flamingo' and 'I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You'.
Dave O’Higgins with his great range of feel and skill excels playing these tunes with the rhythm trio of Darius, Matt and Wes, who have been together for 8 years. Their mutual understanding and interaction is always a pleasure to hear and witness.
Playing to sold-out houses at regional festivals and clubs, their acoustic sound is melodic, spontaneous, rhythmic and engaging.
Reviewing Marlborough’s 2014 Jazz Festival, Steve J Waring reports: "My final gig of the day, in the attractive surrounds of Marlborough’s Victorian town hall, was the Darius Brubeck Quartet. Brubeck gave us a set of impeccable swing, which testified not only to his jazz lineage but also to his own improvisational ability and showcased, in particular, the fluent neo-bop of Birmingham-born Dave O’Higgins."
Darius Brubeck (piano)
Dave O’Higgins (sax)
Matt Ridley (bass)
Wesley Gibbens (drums)
DARIUS BRUBECK
Pianist, Composer and Fulbright Professor of Jazz Studies, Brubeck was the Director of the Centre for Jazz & Popular Music at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa until 2006 when he moved to London and established the highly successful Darius Brubeck Quartet.
After graduating from Wesleyan University where he studied ethnomusicology and history of religion, Brubeck started his own bands, played with Larry Coryell and later toured the world with his famous father and brothers as Two Generations of Brubeck and The New Brubeck Quartet (Dave, Darius, Chris and Dan Brubeck). He moved to South Africa in 1983, to initiate the first Jazz Studies course offered by an African university, gaining international recognition for his work in education and for his recordings and concerts with South African musicians.
In addition to the “The Darius Brubeck Quartet”, he tours annually with his brothers Chris and Dan as “Brubecks Play Brubeck”. Darius has created music for all types of ensemble, large and small, and one of his recent pieces is now included in the Royal School’s international Grade V piano syllabus.
DAVE O’HIGGINS
Saxophonist Dave O'Higgins has honed his jazz chops through 16 albums as leader, years on the road and in the studio with the likes of Joe Locke, Martin Taylor, Joey Calderazzo, Ray Charles, Jim Mullen, BBC Big Band, Ronnie Scott's Allstars, Frank Sinatra, Jason Rebello, Brubecks Play Brubeck, Phil Dwyer, Stan Tracey and Eric Alexander. He also leads, writes and arranges for the Two Minds Big Band, teaches saxophone, harmony and improvisation at the London Centre For Contemporary Music and runs a specialist jazz recording studio where he records, engineers, mixes and masters work by some of the finest jazz musicians on the planet. www.daveohiggins.com
“O’Higgins plays with quite exceptional fluency and his fund of ideas never runs out.” The OBSERVER
“Dazzling post-bop tenorist with a magnificent range and a dramatic turn of phrase.” THE GUARDIAN
MATT RIDLEY
Bassist Matt Ridley is an original member of the Darius Brubeck Quartet and has toured extensively with the group. Matt won many performance prizes and played in several bands including the UK National Youth Jazz Orchestra, while studying at Trinity College, London. He is now much in demand and leads The Matt Ridley Trio, which recorded a CD of original music, Thymos, and another CD (with vibraphonist Jim Hart) as a tribute to the Modern Jazz Quartet.
He gigs internationally as a free-lance musician with the UK’s top jazz musicians in major festivals and clubs and his professional resume covers a range of other styles. Matt is also a talented composer and his work and touring has been supported by Jazz Services.
WESLEY GIBBENS
Wesley Gibbens moved to London from South Africa in 2005 and has played drums with the DBQ since its inception. Wesley’s Durban roots make him an obvious choice for UK based African musicians such as Netsayi, SA Gospel Singers, Lucky Ranku, Pinise Saul and Afla Sackey and he has gained an international profile in Jazz, African, Brazilian and traditional New Orleans music.
Wesley also works with London collectives including Barak School’s ‘Rhythms of the City’ specializing in Rio-style Samba and with members of the ‘F-ire Collective’ in his funk group ‘The Irreverents’. He tours internationally with acclaimed British New Orleans and Blues piano player TJ Johnson.
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