Jazz breaking news: Keith Loftis, Jean Toussaint and Reuben James lead Abram Wilson Foundation Tour
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
US saxophonist Keith Loftis joins forces for his debut British tour with acclaimed London-based US Virgin Islands-born saxophonist Jean Toussaint, to co-lead a specially convened quintet in memory of trumpeter Abram Wilson (pictured) who tragically died in June 2012, aged 38.
Loftis and Wilson met while playing in Roy Hargrove's big band and became friends, Loftis also played on Wilson's debut album, Soul Vibe. Playing under the banner Saxophone Giants: A Tribute to Jazz's Greatest Saxophonists, and raising funds for the Abram Wilson Foundation, the band’s rhythm section is comprised of bassist Mark Lewandowski, rising star pianist Reuben James and drummer Dave Hamblett, the latter pair part of Wilson’s core band for the last year and a half of his life. The dates now include a performance at the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room, under the banner A Tribute To Abram Wilson concert on 20 November as part of this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival. This special concert will feature an all-star band that includes Jason Marsalis (drums), saxophonists Keith Loftis, Peter King and Jean Toussaint, Trevor Mires (trombone), Mark Lewandowski (bass), and rising star New York trumpeter, Alphonso Horne.
The quintet play the following dates: Watermill Jazz Club, Dorking (14 Nov); Bishop Auckland (near Darlington), County Durham (16 Nov); Brighton Dome, Brighton (17 Nov); A Tribute to Abram Wilson at the Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre (20 Nov); Fleece Jazz, Stoke by Nayland, Suffolk (22 Nov); Hull Truck Theatre, Hull (23 Nov); St Ives Jazz Club, Cornwall (26th Nov); South Devon Arts Centre, Totnes (27 Nov); The Hospital Club, London (Reuben James, Dave Hamblett, Mark Lewandowski only – 28 Nov); Taliesin, Swansea, Wales (30 Nov); and National Centre for Early Music, York (1 Dec).
– Mike Flynn
For more info on the Abram Wilson Foundation go to www.abramwilson.com and click here for details on the Tribute to Abram Wilson Purcell Room concert