Nat Steele and Grant Stewart salute MJQ and Sonny Rollins with UK tour

London-based vibraphonist Nat Steele is teaming up with renowned Canadian tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart  for a 17-date UK tour from 4 to 18 February, paying homage to the classic 1956 Prestige album Sonny Rollins with the Modern Jazz Quartet.

Stewart takes on the Rollins role, while Steele’s vibes are augmented by Gabriel Latchin on piano, Dario di Lecce on bass and Steve Brown on drums.

“I’ve always been a huge Milt Jackson fan,” says Steele, whose recent debut album received a four-star review in Jazzwise. “I’m also absolutely crazy about Sonny Rollins, so the ’56 album is one of my favourites. When I originally heard Grant Stewart play, the first thing that crossed my mind was how great it would be to play these arrangements alongside him, and do our own thing with it.”

The tour visits Surrey, London, the Midlands (including a ‘Jazz Mass’ at Lincoln Cathedral), the North, Wales, and the East Coast. Dates are as follows: Watermill Jazz Club, Dorking (4 Feb); public saxophone workshop, London College of Creative Media (5pm, 5 Feb); Ronnie Scott's, London (5 Feb); Folkestone Jazz Club (6 Feb); Royal Festival Hall Foyer, London (1pm, 7 Feb); Steyning Jazz Club, Steyning (8pm, 7 Feb);Lincoln JazzPAC, Lincoln (8 Feb); Lincoln Cathedral (10.15am, 9 Feb); Peggy’s Skylight Jazz Club, Nottingham (evening, 9 Feb); Severn Jazz, Worcester (10 Feb); Theatr Clwyd, Mold (11 Feb); Concorde Club, Eastleigh (12 Feb); Shepperton Jazz Club (13 Feb); private house concert, Manchester (14 Feb); Bear Club, Luton (15 Feb; Cramphorn Theatre, Chelmsford  (12.15pm, 16 Feb); The Oxford Tavern, Kentish Town, London (17 Feb) and Fleet Jazz at the Harlington, Fleet (18 Feb).

For more info visit www.natsteele.com