Having kicked off our season with a bang last Monday thanks to a wonderful performance from the Matt Robinson Quintet, Jazz @ The Oxford is very excited to welcome one of the most original and impressive bands on the UK scene, in the form of Outhouse!
Outhouse
Robin Fincker – tenor saxophone / clarinet
Tom Challenger – tenor saxophone
Johnny Brierley – double bass
Dave Smith – drums
Outhouse has been turning heads in London since 2005. Part of a new generation of improvisers and a key member of the firmly established LOOP Collective, the quartet has established itself as one of the leading groups of the current modern Jazz scene in England.
Outhouse, with its unusual line-up comprising two tenor saxophones, double bass and drums, has developed a unique group sound where spontaneity and interplay prevails whilst forging a strong compositional voice as an ensemble. Outhouse’s music is free from stylistic concerns and although it has often been referred to as being in the lineage of New York’s 1990’s downtown scene, it draws on a large palette of interests to form a sound that is simply contemporary.
In 2008 Outhouse presented a new project with five Sabar percussionists from the Gambia. The resulting music, which was named Outhouse Ruhabi received critical acclaim and confirmed the band’s taste for musical collaborations. In 2009, following a European tour as a quartet , the group embarked on a very different journey, exploring the boundaries of rock-influenced improvised music with the Icelandic guitar wizard Hilmar Jensson, and subsequently recording their third album , “Straw Sticks & Bricks”, featuring Jensson, which was released in april 2011 on the Babel Label.
Outhouse has performed extensively throughout Europe including major Europeen festivals such as London Jazz Festival, Jazzdor Festival (Strasbourg) , Cheltehnham Jazz Festival, Loop Festival, Africolor Festival (Paris), Leeds Jazz Festival.
Performance highlights have also included La Dynamo de Banlieues Bleues (Paris), Le Pannonica, Studio de l’Ermitage (Paris), Maison de la Culture Notre Dame de Grace (Montreal), Ronnie’s Scott (London), The Vortex (London), CBSO Centre (Birmingham), The Loft (Koln), AMR (Geneva), Jazz Bar (Edinburgh), Le Mandala (Toulouse), Université Paul Valery (Montpellier), Bakau Jazz Club (Gambie), Banjul (Gambie) etc..
The group has also been featured several times on BBC Radio3 (Jazz on 3, Jazz line-up), Radio France (Open Jazz) and WDR3 (Jazznacht)
This is a rare opportunity to see and hear new music from a band who do not get to play in London nearly as much as we would like – make sure you don’t miss what promises to be a really memorable gig! I’d even go so far as to suggest arriving promptly to get a seat…
As ever, doors 8:30, music from 9; entry only £5
See you there!
