Denys Baptiste

A leading light on the London jazz circuit for over 20 years now, you rarely see a jazz saxophonist as talented as a soloist and bandleader, who is accorded such enormous respect from his musical peers across the board. Born in London of St Lucian parents in the late 1960's, Denys studied music at school from the age of 13 and was spotted playing by Jazz Warriors double bassist, Gary Crosby who quickly invited him to join his then new band, Nu Troop. His immense talent - built on a foundation of powerful technique and an ability to improvise effortlessly and confidently across a wide range of musical styles - can only be matched by his creative energy and musical endeavour which we have been lucky to experience at the club over the many years of him performing here. His CV, as you would expect, is littered with collaborations with top draw artists including Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Courtney Pine, Julian Joseph, Incognito, Manu Dibango and Steve Williamson and he has won multiple awards including the "Mercury Music Album Of The Year" and "MOBO Award for Best Jazz Act" both in 1999. Tonight you can expect a gig heavily steeped in the jazz tradition, while also incorporating ideas from other musical forms and popular culture, resulting in a fantastic range of contemporary, multi-layered and highly accessible music. As you would expect Denys has two equally heavyweight musicians supporting him tonight, the highly experienced bassist Larry Bartley and one of the best jazz drummers in the UK, Moses Boyd.

‘Denys Baptiste…taking Europe by storm and becoming the icon of British jazz’ Time Magazine;
"a journey of unregulated bliss that meandered expertly, drawing in those fortunate souls who attended" Liverpool International Jazz Festival