First rate quartet with American trumpeter Roy Campbell Jr making his first appearance at Cafe OTO with Roger Turner on drums, Steve Williamson on saxophone and Pat Thomas on piano.

Photo by Peter Gannushkin / downtownmusic.net

ROY CAMPBELL JR

Master trumpeter Roy Campbell Jr grew up in LA and played in the workshop bands of Kenny Dorham and Lee Morgan before leading his own groups and making an extended sojourn in Europe like many other american jazz greats. Since the mid nineties he has been back in the states performing, composing and leading such groups as Other Directions in Music with William Parker, Daniel Carter and Rashied Bakr and Downtown Horns with Daniel Carter and Sabir Mateen. His sound combines ancestral voices with modern artistry and a futuristic vision.

Roy has worked with Rashied Ali, Billy Bang, Evelyn Blakey, Dave Douglas, Carlos Garnett, Henry Grimes, Eddie Harris, Makanda Ken McIntyre, Jemeel Moondoc, David Murray, Sunny Murray, William Parker, Hannibal Marvin Peterson, Sun Ra, Woody Shaw, Cecil Taylor, Charles Tyler, Wilbur Ware, Frank Wright, John Zorn, and countless others...

"Campbell is a monster trumpeter. He's the latest in a long line that has extended from Navarro through Brownie through Booker Little and beyond." Cadence Magazine

PAT THOMAS / piano

Pat Thomas studied classical piano from aged 8 and started playing Jazz from the age of 16. He has since gone on to develop an utterly unique style - embracing improvisation, jazz and new music. He has played with Derek Bailey in Company Week (1990/91) and in the trio AND (with Noble) – with Tony Oxley’s Quartet and Celebration Orchestra and in Duo with Lol Coxhill.

"Sartorially shabby as Thomas may be, and on first impression even rather stolid, he has a somewhat imperious charisma that’s immediately amplified when he starts to play. Unlike other pianists whose virtuosity seems to be racing ahead of their thought processes Thomas always seems supremely in command of his gift, and his playing, no matter how free and ready to tangle with abstraction, always carries a charge of authoritative exactitude." The Jazzmann

STEVE WILLIAMSON / saxophones

Steve Williamson began playing saxophone at the age of 16 and started his career playing in Reggae bands (Misty n' Roots). In 1984 and 1985 he studied at London's Guildhall School of Music. At the Nelson Mandela 70th birthday open air festival in 1988 he played alongside Courtney Pine in Wembley Stadium and afterwards was a constant presence at Ronnie Scott's. He was member of Louis Moholo's Viva La Black (1988) and of Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath (1990). During the 1990s he led his own band and appeared in projects of Iain Ballamy, Maceo Parker, Bheki Mseleku, US3, and Graham Haynes.

In 1990 he released his first album A Waltz for Grace with Verve, featuring vocalist Abbey Lincoln. In 1992 Williamson he released his second album Rhyme Time , followed by Journey to Truth in 1994, featuring Cassandra Wilson. Steve Williamson's career is based on the constant study of harmony and research of the all possible harmonic approaches to compositions. His musical knowledege, from the studies on Western African music to the deconstruction of Debussy's harmony, is wide and gives Williamson the opportunity to experiment with his music, creating always innovative and unique compositions. His incredible talent as a saxophone player and his vivid originality as a composer make Steve Williamson one of the most versatile and unique performers in Britain.

ROGER TURNER / drums, percussion

Roger Turner is applauded for his precision and speed since he entered the London improvising scene in the 1970s. His restricted drum kit is extended by found objects to create a sound comparable to no other. He’s played with Evan Parker, Cecil Taylor, Otomo Yoshihide, Shelley Hirsch, Joëlle Léandre, Keith Rowe...

“Turner [used] brushes to create a wild spattering and scattering of sound from cymbal and snare, with sudden explosions from tom and kick drums. At times in this early passage he sounded like rain on a caravan roof, at others like a tool box in the back of a moving van” - Molloy Woodcraft, The Guardian

Roger Turner website