Legacy: Coltrane and Cannonball, Tony Kofi & Denys Baptiste Quintet

Two of the UK’s leading saxophonists, Denys Baptiste and Tony Kofi, reunite for Legacy: Coltrane & Cannonball, honouring the landmark partnership of Julian ‘Cannonball’ Adderley and John Coltrane.

Denys Baptiste’s colossal talent – based on a powerful technique and an ability to improvise fluently and effortlessly across a wide range of musical styles – is matched only by his unfettered energy, which takes him and his audiences into the musical stratosphere. Over the years, Denys has evolved into what Time magazine describes as ‘the icon of British jazz’, with a distinctive and immediately recognisable sound.

Tony Kofi is a British jazz multi-instrumentalist born to Ghanaian parents, adept across the full family of saxophones as well as the flute. Having ‘cut his teeth’ in the Jazz Warriors of the early ’90s, award-winning saxophonist Kofi has gone on to establish himself as a musician, teacher and composer of some authority. His fluent and fiery hard-bop style ensures he is constantly in demand on stages across the UK and beyond.

‘These two have a particular talent for capturing the magic of these two jazz legends. A treat for any Coltrane or Cannonball Adderley fans.’ Nigel Williams, Jazz FM

This event will last for approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes, including the interval.

About Denys Baptiste

Born in London of St Lucian parents, Denys Baptiste studied at London’s Guildhall School of Music under former Jazz Messenger Jean Toussaint. Spotted by veteran Jazz Warriors double bassist Gary Crosby at his Tomorrow’s Warriors jam sessions, Denys was invited to join Crosby’s band Nu Troop. Since then, he has soared in his development as a soloist and bandleader, earning enormous respect from his peers.

His talent – based on a powerful technique and an ability to improvise fluently and effortlessly across a wide range of musical styles – is matched by his unfettered energy and distinctive, immediately recognisable sound. A much sought-after soloist, Denys has played and recorded with some of the biggest names in jazz and other genres, including McCoy Tyner, Andrew Hill, Ernest Ranglin, Bheki Mseleku, Courtney Pine, Manu Dibango, Gary Crosby, Steve Williamson, Julian Joseph, Jason Rebello, Martin Taylor, Billy Higgins, Jerry Dammers, Jean Carne, Marlena Shaw, Incognito and Jazz Jamaica.

Denys is an amazingly versatile musician and, although his roots are steeped in the jazz tradition, he incorporates ideas from other musical forms and popular culture, producing a repertoire that is contemporary, multi-layered and highly accessible. He is also an enormously talented composer and arranger whose compositions have earned him considerable critical acclaim.

His 1999 debut album, Be Where You Are, earned him a Mercury Music Prize nomination for Album of the Year and a MOBO