English saxophonist Nye Banfield is a distinctly creative saxophonist and composer. His music has a raw and earthy organic quality, painting visceral scenes inspired by his life experiences. Having spent nearly 10 years cutting his teeth in South East London, Nye is now based in Birmingham where he is forming the next chapter of his career.
A graduate of Trinity Laban in London, Nye follows in the footsteps of a stream of young giants- Nubya Garcia, Laura Jurd and members of Ezra Collective, to name a few. Influences of Nye's include jazz icons Wayne Shorter, Ambrose Akinmusire and mentor Mark Lockheart, as well as the pastoral works of Ralph Vaughan Williams and song writing of Damon Albarn.
Described by Headfirst Bristol as “a smart and original composer who knows both the roots of modern jazz and where he intends to take his own music”, Nye takes you on a journey of richly textured composition and lyrical improvisation. To him, the most fascinating aspect of music is the ‘sound’, which is entirely evident in his tenor playing. The breadth of tone across the horn has been his focus for over 10 years.
