Mark Lockheart- saxes & clarinets
John Parricelli- guitars
This captivating new duo features ingenious Loose Tubes legends Mark and John in an intimate setting exploring evocative soundscapes and grooves. Playing their own original material, as well as reinterpreting some of the modern jazz repertoire, they promise a unique and characteristically fascinating evening of music.
As well as being long-time close friends, this pair of UK greats have collaborated many times over the years, starting off in the 1980s with Tubes, the wildly exuberant, viscerally thrilling and eclectic big band that became the first jazz orchestra to play at the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, as well as appearing on Wogan, The Tube and A Plus 4!
Since the demise of the Tubers, the somewhat telepathic John and Mark have collaborated many times including on John’s beautiful 2000 album Alba, Mark’s 2019 release Days On Earth and more recently Mark’s 2024 recording Smiling, which heavily features the multi-faceted guitar playing of John in a 13-strong band.
Between them they have played with a dizzying array of the world’s music scene including Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, Norma Winstone, Lee Konitz, Vince Mendoza, Peter Erskine, June Tabor, Andy Sheppard, Lars Danielsson, Colin Towns, Mark-Anthony Turnage, M People, Thomas Dolby and Radiohead.
Mark’s work as a member of experimental quintet Polar Bear helped to earn the band two Mercury Music Prize nominations as well as (for Held On The Tips Of Fingers) an inclusion in The Guardian’s list of 1000 Albums To Hear Before You Die. A unique stylist, and memorable composer for larger ensembles as well as small groups, he was chosen in 2010 as Jazz Musician of the Year in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards. Jazzwise said “From Loose Tubes to Polar Bear and beyond, Lockheart’s capacity to be ahead of the jazz curve is undeniable.”
The first call for sessions across the board, incredibly versatile John counts performances on numerous film scores among his work, including Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, which also found him teaching Nicholas Cage to play the mandolin convincingly on screen! A stingingly inventive soloist, his playing also has a flowing, delicate side, as heard on the ACT album Trio last year with bassist Danielsson and trumpeter Verneri Pohjola, Jazz Views declaring: “Parricelli’s guitar has a beautiful, clear tone, each note picked with deliberate precision.”
Mark and John were last heard at our venue in 2022, the latter joining the Dreamers quartet as a late dep for Elliot Galvin and totally bossing the role in a brilliant gig, despite the change in instrumentation! Hear them afresh in this new, open and exciting musical context, which will leave ample room for these two masters to strut their stuff.
“John is a former teacher of mine from the Royal Academy of Music. He’s undoubtedly one of the most distinctive and sought-after guitarists in Europe, and whenever he contributes his musical magic to a project, he’s always able to make the band feel greater than the sum of its parts! Such self-effacing musicality is as rare as gold dust and I will always look up to John for this very reason.” – guitar ace Rob Luft
ON MARK:
“Somehow one still thinks of Lockheart as a Young Turk. Mostly this is because he continues to search for new contexts in which to make his music.” Chris May, All About Jazz
“For bandleader Lockheart, Smiling represents a sonic optimism that feels endearingly nostalgic yet wonderfully charismatic and modernistic.” Mike Gates, UK Vibe (four stars)
“Another impressive release from an artist who is not afraid to embrace new challenges when composing and reaping the rewards in doing so.” Nick Lea, Jazz Views (on Smiling)
“Displays a playful and varied scope of imagination.” Thomas Fletcher, Jazz Journal
“I love his playing. He sounds like Wayne Shorter.” Annie Whitehead, trombone legend
“Mark Lockheart’s reputation for the quirky and left-field stretches back to his days with the 1980s big band Loose Tubes and sessions with Radiohead and Prefab Sprout.” Mike Hobart, Financial Times
ON JOHN:
“Parricelli’s ‘Lacour’ draws inspiration from the music of Oliver Messiaen and brings the composer’s guitar to the fore with an elegant, flamenco-tinged solo.” Ian Mann, The Jazz Mann (on the Danielsson, Pohjola & Parricelli album Trio; four stars)
“…Guitar wizard John Parricelli, a man who has been close to the forefront of creative British jazz for about two decades. He’s a sensitive and versatile player who provides excellent support. His delicate touch, tasteful harmonic sensibility and rhythmic ease are responsible for setting much of the album’s mood.” Ian Latham, BBC Music, on the Andy Sheppard-Parricelli duo album PS (2003)
“A guitarist of rare taste and fluency.” Jack Massarik, Evening Standard (four stars)
“Sly guitar licks.” Ivan Hewitt, The Telegraph (four stars)
“John is a former teacher of mine from the Royal Academy of Music. He’s undoubtedly one of the most distinctive and sought-after guitarists in Europe, and whenever he contributes his musical magic to a project, he’s always able to make the band feel greater than the sum of its parts! Such self-effacing musicality is as rare as gold dust and I will always look up to John for this very reason.” – guitar ace Rob Luft
“Dawn Dreamer, a lyrical waltz drawn from classical and jazz genres, features Parricelli’s distorted guitar at the end. The guitarist shines again on Gimbri Heart, soloing with a hypnotic, rockish devotion.” Filipe Freitas, UK Jazz News (on the Lars Danielsson album Liberetto III)
Image by Brian Homer
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