British pianist, composer and bandleader, Gabriel Latchin has made a name for himself as one of the UK’s finest musicians, praised by critics and world renowned musicians alike. Known for his effortlessly swinging feel, deep repertoire and compelling performances, The Guardian’s Dave Gelly recently said: “For my money, London-born Gabriel Latchin is the best straight-ahead jazz pianist to appear in the past few years.” While Jazzwise recently described his playing as “impeccable... the clarity of his lines evoking something of Hank Jones or Tommy Flanagan”.
2020 saw the release of I’ll Be Home for Christmas, his third album as a leader. The collection of songs features new arrangements of beloved classics, including “White Christmas”, “Silent Night” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. This builds on the success of Latchin’s 2019 album The Moon and I - 30 million streams so far - which was met with critical acclaim worldwide: “this is a masterpiece that shows the true skill of his composition” - Jazz Japan.
Featuring a first-call London rhythm section - Calum Gourlay and Steve Brown on double bass and drums respectively - the music demonstrates the great strides taken both by Latchin as an individual and the trio as a whole since the release of his 2017 debut record Introducing: “Elegant, tasteful and swinging!” - Renée Fleming.
Recognised internationally as a talented composer and arranger, Latchin’s writing is fresh and original, whilst reflecting his serious study of the jazz piano tradition. On I’ll Be Home for Christmas Latchin presents well-known songs through the eyes of his musical idols. For example, how might Bill Evans approach a Christmas song? What would Ahmad Jamal do with “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”? Clearly, the press were enthusiastic about this recent musical offering, with Latchin garnering four stars in both the Guardian and the Times, with a DownBeat review too.
More recently, 2023 saw Latchin releasing his fourth studio album - Viewpoint - with special guest drummer from NYC Joe Farnsworth.
