| 1 | Part 1 | 34:46 |
| 2 | Part 2 | 33:57 |
| 3 | Encore | 7:57 |
Delighted to present an utterly life-giving recording from the trio of Pat Thomas (piano), Olie Brice (double bass) and Gary Willcox (drums), recorded at OTO in June 2026 as part of a night celebrating the release of their album, The Day After, on Jazz in Britain's 'Jazz Now' label. Joined for this performance by the great saxophonist, Xhosa Cole, the group take the already lofty bar set by The Day After and raise it even higher.
Matching each other note for note, beat for beat, the four musicians conjure the sort of rollicking, galvanising forward momentum that can leave you utterly breathless one minute, before sharpening to pin-drop focus the next. A priviledge to have been in the room and a pleasure to share, this is Jazz Now for sure.
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Recorded by Rory Salter
Mixed by Oli Barrett
Cover photo by Pete Woodman
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
Olie Brice is a double bassist, improviser and composer. Raised in London and Jerusalem, he now lives by the sea in Hastings.Olie Brice leads a Quartet featuring Rachel Musson, Alexander Hawkins and Will Glaser, (their debut album “All It Was” will be released in 2025) and an improvising trio with Rachel Musson and Mark Sanders (“Immense Blue”, 2024). He has also led a trio, quintet and octet which can be heard on albums including “Fire Hills” and “Day After Day”.
Brice performs with a wide range of creative improvising musicians, including both legends of the music and his peers. Frequent collaborators include Mark Sanders, Paul Dunmall, Rachel Musson, Tobias Delius, Cath Roberts and Luis Vicente, and he has also appeared with the likes of Evan Parker, Tony Malaby, John Butcher, Trevor Watts, Ingrid Laubrock, Ken Vandermark, Eddie Prevost and Louis Moholo. He is part of several ongoing improvising ensembles including Somersaults (with Tobias Delius & Mark Sanders), a Trio with Ziv Taubenfeld & Kresten Osgood, and the Flame (with Robert Mitchell & Andrew Lisle).
Born in 1972 and from Shepperton, Middx, Gary Willcox started playing the drums when he was 10 years old.
In the early 1990s, Gary studied orchestral percussion at the Welsh College of Music & Drama, Cardiff, under the tutorship of Chris Stock, Principal Percussionist of the BBC National Orch. of Wales.
During his time there he also had lessons with Pete Fairclough and Keith Tippett who introduced him to the wider world of Improvised Music.
From 2015 Gary has been a member of Loz Speyer's band, Inner Space.
Gary has performed at many of London and the UKs leading venues many times - Ronnie Scott's, The Vortex - and tonight returns to OTO with this new Trio.
https://www.garywillcoxdrums.co.uk/
Xhosa Cole is one of the new rising stars of British Jazz. BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2018, Xhosa went on to win numerous awards and to appear onstage alongside jazz legends. He has performed twice at the BBC Proms, composed music for the Flatpack Film Festival, recorded saxophone for Mahalia’s debut album, and with his own quartet has toured the UK far and wide. Following his celebrated debut album K(no)w Them, K(no)w Us (2021), Cole’s new project and album release Ibeji features a series of saxophone and percussion duets, alongside pieces of conversation and interview between Cole and his seven collaborators, all eminent percussionists of African descent, all woven into the narrative of the album. Xhosa’s exposure to players from a range of different traditions, combined with his strong connection to his inner-city community in Birmingham (UK), has helped to develop a fiercely unique and independent voice.
