Tenor saxophonist Dave O’Higgins brings a very special band to the club – one look at the personnel tells you that with the cream of British jazz talent on display this will be a superb evening’s jazz.
 
Dave is a popular and well-known figure on the international jazz scene, having recorded 12 albums as leader with various line-ups. He cut his teeth with NYJO, Cleo Laine, and has worked with Jim Mullen, Ray Charles, Martin Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Salif Keita, Jimmy Smith, Kyle Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Stan Tracey and the BBC Big Band to name but a few.
 
Early in 2011 to celebrate Dave Brubeck’s recent 90th birthday Dave was invited to team up with Brubecks, Darius, piano, Chris, bass & trombone and Dan, drums on a very well received UK tour as “Brubecks Play Brubeck”.
 
Dave is a regular guest with the house band at Ronnie Scott’s and plays every month at London’s 606 Club with his quartet. He is also a busy educator, teaching regularly at the London Centre For Contemporary Music and Goldsmiths College.
 
As you would expect of anyone whose lists of influences include Louis Armstrong, Freddie Hubbard, Blue Mitchell, and Miles Davis, Martin Shaw is possessed of a beautiful soft and warm tone on both trumpet and flugelhorn, but can cut loose with the best of them when required. In 2001, Martin was appointed professor of Jazz Trumpet at the Birmingham Conservatoire.
 
Dave is looking forward to this as he rarely gets the opportunity to play in a quintet and has promised an evening of “standards and his own compositions, very much in the straight ahead style”.
 
Completing the line-up with Dave and Martin tonight is a dream-team rhythm section of Tom Cawley, piano, Arnie Somogyi, bass and Matt Home drums.
 
“Dazzling post-bop tenorist with a magnificent range and a dramatic turn of phrase.”
THE GUARDIAN

Tickets (available at the door) £15, (£12 members, students/under 25s £6)