Formed by bassist Mick Sexton and drummer Trevor Taylor c1975, the original Torus - who played the club back in the 80s - were built around the prodigious piano talents of the late, great Pete Jacobsen, and also featured outstanding tenor man Gary Plumley.
A group with a cult following, Torus disbanded in 1989, only to reform again in 2011 - largely as a tribute to the memory of Pete, who sadly died in 2002. Filling the vacant piano seat on this occasion is the supremely talented Andrea Vicari, while scintillating saxophonist Mornington Lockett deps for Gary.
Torus draws its inspiration from pioneering 80s groups such as vibist Mike Mainieri’s Steps Ahead - which featured the stellar line-up of Michael Brecker, Don Grolnick, Eddie Gomez and Steve Gadd - and those formed by pianists Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner and Chick Corea....
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Formed by bassist Mick Sexton and drummer Trevor Taylor c1975, the original Torus - who played the club back in the 80s - were built around the prodigious piano talents of the late, great Pete Jacobsen, and also featured outstanding tenor man Gary Plumley.
A group with a cult following, Torus disbanded in 1989, only to reform again in 2011 - largely as a tribute to the memory of Pete, who sadly died in 2002. Filling the vacant piano seat on this occasion is the supremely talented Andrea Vicari, while scintillating saxophonist Mornington Lockett deps for Gary.
Torus draws its inspiration from pioneering 80s groups such as vibist Mike Mainieri’s Steps Ahead - which featured the stellar line-up of Michael Brecker, Don Grolnick, Eddie Gomez and Steve Gadd - and those formed by pianists Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner and Chick Corea.
Specialising in the kind of exciting acoustic fusion that came out of New York in the 70s and 80s, Torus’ core repertoire still draws heavily on that legacy, although this is occasionally leavened by standards from the modern jazz canon. So expect a night full of funky, surprising and familiar tunes.
Described by the late Humphrey Lyttleton as “a brilliant young British talent”, and by the Penguin Rough Guide to Jazz as "one of the most brilliant young jazz musicians in the UK, and an outstanding pianist”, Andrea is a composer of formidable range, with no less than seven albums to her credit.
She’s also worked with GRP recording artist, Philip Bent, Jazz Warrior David-Jean Baptiste, the all-women band, Birds (led by Kathy Stobart), the late, great American saxophone innovator Eddie Harris, and US trumpet legend Art Farmer.
One of the country's most accomplished contemporary improvisers, with a fearsome technique and an advanced harmonic approach, Mornington’s prodigious talents have seen him perform with many British and international jazz artists, including Stan Tracey, Ronnie Scott, Georgie Fame, Jimmy Smith, Arturo Sandoval, Jon Hendricks, Dave Weckl, Bernard Purdie, Phil Upchurch, Jon Faddis and Jack DeJohnette. Back in the day, he accompanied legendary blues man Jimmy Witherspoon at the club.
Aside from fronting his own groups, Mornington has also recorded albums with Shakatak, Sax Appeal, Janette Mason, Ronnie Scott, Jim Mullen, Stan Tracey, Don Grusin, Martin Drew, Claire Martin, Sarah Jane Morris, Ian Shaw and Shalamar’s Jody Watley.
"Andrea Vicari's playing is a constant delight - intense, probing, and generating a seemingly endless succession of ideas." - Jazz UK
" . . . a sharp post-bop piano improviser and prolific composer - breathtakingly eclectic." - The Guardian
"Saxophonist Mornington Lockett must be one of the most complete masters of the instrument alive today." - The Observer
​"Locomotive tenorist outsteams the competition." - The Guardian
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