The Purcell School Jazz Ensembles

with special guest Derek Nash

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Last Show: Monday 6 th March 2023

PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)

The prestigious Purcell School for Young Musicians joins forces with UK saxophone star Derek Nash for a concert of his jazz and funk influenced compositions. For over 15 years, the Purcell School Jazz Department has been proudly training young jazz musicians for a career in music, with notable alumni such as Jacob Collier, Alexandra Ridout, Jas Kayser, Kit Downes and Seth Tackaberry. Come and watch the stars of tomorrow, today!

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"The Purcell School provides gifted young jazz musicians with great opportunities to develop their playing, guided by expert teachers and active performers"

Mark Armstrong, Artistic & Musical Director, National Youth Jazz orchestra

The prestigious Purcell School for Young Musicians joins forces with UK saxophone star Derek Nash for a concert of his jazz and funk influenced compositions. For over 15 years, the Purcell School Jazz Department has been proudly training young jazz musicians for a career in music, with notable alumni such as Grammy Award winner Jacob Collier, BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year Alexandra Ridout, Jas Kayser, Kit Downes and Seth Tackaberry. Under the tutelage of saxophonist and Head of Jazz Simon Allen and a faculty of top jazz musicians and educators, students at the Purcell School develop their instrumental and compositional skills to the highest level, gaining places at major Conservatoires before going on to successful performing careers.

British Jazz Award-winning Derek Nash - bandleader, composer, arranger, record producer and engineer - is one of the UK’s busiest jazz musicians.

He is leader of six bands, each with its own unique sound and featuring some of the top jazz musicians in the UK today. Derek has been a full-time member of the Jools Holland Rhythm & Blues Orchestra since 2004 and is also a member of the Ronnie Scott’s Blues Explosion. With these bands, he has enjoyed sharing the stage with many great artists including Tom Jones, Eric Clapton, David Sanborn, Jack Bruce, Amy Winehouse, Michael Buble and Sir Paul McCartney. He is one of the most in-demand and respected guest instrumentalists for jazz clubs across the UK and has received numerous nominations in the British Jazz Awards. In the jazz-funk world he has performed with David Benoit, Brian Culbertson, Ernie Watts, Mezzoforte, Nelson Rangell and Don and Dave Grusin.