PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)

Over his forty-year career as a first-rate jazz drummer, Jeff Williams has accompanied the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Lovano, Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone and Mike Gibbs, to name a few. Since 2007 he has been based both in New York and London with bands in each location. In this performance Jeff Williams and his British quintet (Kit Downes,p; Sam Lasserson,b;Josh Arcoleo,s; and American John O'Gallagher,s) perform music from Outlier, his acclaimed album released on Whirlwind Recordings earlier this year. This hip 'n happening, late night gig is guaranteed to be THE festival hang with lots of surprises.

"Outlier has a classy, lived-in feel that never glosses over this band's tough, restless spirit in performance."

Jazzwise

Drummer/composer/bandleader and educator Jeff Williams has a long and varied history in jazz. From the vivid memory of first witnessing the phenomenon of the American drum set being played on TV at age three, his passion for the drums and music have steadily evolved. Growing up in Oberlin, Ohio with jazz loving parents Jeff was privy to LPs of Ahmad Jamal and Miles Davis (with whom he had a memorable childhood encounter), learning to play at first with brushes on a cardboard box along with their recordings. Jeff’s early mentors included Jo Jones, Elvin Jones, Oliver Jackson and Coleman Hawkins. Frequenting clubs like Birdland, the Village Vanguard, the Five Spot, the Half Note and other 1960s jazz haunts provided valuable insight.

Band Lineup

Jeff Williams (drums)

Kit Downes (piano)

Sam Lasserson (bass)

Josh Arcoleo (sax)

John O'Gallagher (sax)