Christian Garrick's "Quintessence"

A jazz violinist of power and musicality, award-winning violinist Chris Garrick takes a break between guest appearances with Wynton Marsalis and Nigel Kennedy to join us tonight with a new lineup, featuring the terrific Jez Cook on guitar, Chris’s long time musical compatriot Dave Gordon on piano and keyboards, Yaron Stavi on bass and Tom Hooper, drums. The band beautifully supplement Chris’s inventive and totally absorbing approach to playing the violin, performing a mix of standard and more contemporary material and look out for the swing duo that Chris and Jez usually perform around the middle of each set, quite remarkable. Taking his lead from Stéphane Grappelli, Stuff Smith and Jean Luc Ponty, Chris has virtually revitalised the jazz violin, rejuvenating it for the 21st century and prompting Nigel Kennedy to call him one of the best in Europe. His fluent and inventive playing has been heard with the likes of Dame Cleo Laine, Bireli Lagrene, Dolly Parton & Van Morrison and a string of awards are testament to a thoughtful but at the same time joyous approach to the music. A must-see gig.

“...exquisite musician…violin superstar” Guardian;
“He could easily emerge as one of the great jazz violinists of all time” Sir John Dankworth