Junior Academy Jazz

featuring students from the Royal Academy of Music

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Last Show: Saturday 10 th July 2021

PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)

The Junior Jazz Programme at the Royal Academy of Music has been developing young musicians’ talent and unlocking their potential since 2003. The age range is between 14-18 and previous students on the course have included Jacob Collier, Kit Downes, Nubya Garcia and Alexandra Ridout. We are pleased to present a concert of all the current bands, all three of them!

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The Junior Academy Jazz course from the Royal Academy of Music (led by Gareth Lockrane since 2011) has been a major force in developing the next generation of jazz musicians since the inception of the course by Nick Smart in 2003. 

There are many notable musicians who have been through the course and have gone on to forge impressive careers on the UK, European and world stages including Kit Downes, Alexandra  Ridout, Jacob Collier, Joe Armon-Jones, Tom Barford, Nubya Garcia, Freddie Gavita and Tom Walsh and many others.

Workshops and masterclasses on the course have been led by some of the jazz world’s leading performers and educators including the original patron of the course, the late great Kenny Wheeler, and also Dave Liebman, our new patron Dave Holland, John Parricelli, Gerard Presencer, Norma Winstone, Julian Siegel, Stan Sulzmann, Mike Walker, Soweto Kinch, Tim Garland, Julian Arguelles, Chris Cheek, Alex Garnett, John O’Gallagher, Phronesis, Jean Toussaint, Jason Rebello, Pete King, Bokani Dyer, Clarence Penn, Adam Glasser, Gwilym Simcock, Nikki Iles, Paul Clarvis, Phil Robson, Gene Calderazzo & Jim Hart and many others!

Today’s performance will be a great chance to see the jazz stars of tomorrow currently studying on the course, led by course leader Gareth Lockrane and fellow tutor Matt Anderson, in a concert of especially arranged material by a wide variety of jazz composers including great pieces by Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, Eddie Harris, Horace Silver and Joshua Redman among others. In these hard Covid-hit times of the past year, it will be especially heart warming to see these exceptional young musicians hit the stage together at last. 

Band Line Up

Band 1

Klara Devlin (tpt)/Mali Sheard (alto)/Eva Fidler (tenor)/Sam Kelly (alto)/Ben Masterson (tpt)/Toby Caswell - piano
Hugo Rasenberg (guitar)/Freddie Levy (bass)/Taras Pranskus (drums)/Isaac James (drums)

Band 2

Max Florez (alto)/Kamau Davis (alto)/Otto Kampa (alto)/James Howell (tenor)/Finlay Waugh (trumpet)/Manuel Humaran (guitar)/Arran Shanghavi (piano)/Ben Harding (bass)/Luke McCarthy (drums)/Theo Hayhurst (drums/vibes)

Band 3

Henry Bersey (tenor)/Lucia Biescas Rue (trombone)/Rohan Sanghrajka (trombone)/Max Barnard (tenor)Lulu Whittington (alto)/Gabriel Taylor (trumpet)/Columbus Sandor (piano)/Hugo Cox (bass)/Toby Yapp (bass)/Finn Genockey (drums/vibes)/Lester Ridout (drums)