The Jean Toussaint Quartet (members)

Event information

The Jean Toussaint Quartet

It’s not very often that a former front man for Art Blakey plays at the club but we are thrilled to welcome saxophone giant, Jean Toussaint, who played with the Jazz Messengers from 1982 to 1986. During that time he also worked with Wynton Marsalis, McCoy Tyner and Gil Evans, and regularly led the jam session at New York’s Blue Note club.

After leaving the Messengers in 1987 he accepted an invitation from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to teach improvisation for three months in England and decided to stay. In the last few years, he has toured Europe with Max Roach, joined Cedar Walton for a fortnight at Ronnie Scott's, and worked with the likes of Horace Silver, Troy Miller, Cleveland and Trevor Watkiss, Julian Joseph, Bheki Mseleku, Jason Rebello and Tony Remy to name but a few.

Jean Toussaint, playing tenor and soprano saxes, is joined by his regular band members, Andrew McCormack, keyboards, Larry Bartley, bass and Troy Miller, drums and expect an evening of swinging, surging straight-ahead contemporary jazz but with a strong emphasis on melody.

His latest CD, “Live in Paris and London”, released in June last year, has been greeted with great critical acclaim:

“A shrewdly selected, well balanced set...unpredictability, edginess and raw energy heard throughout this absorbing set of live performances”. (4 stars)
Jazzwise, (Selwyn Harris), July 2010